Client power

Client power was also a prevailing theme found in the interview data, confirming the preliminary findings in the literature review and focus group. The theme of client power was found throughout the entire interview data collection process as the supply chain was ultimately directly responsible for the client’s needs. In addition to this, client power was also supported by other important themes such as cost and client influence. The core supporting data for this theme is explored in Table 4.7.

4.7 Client power

Theme Participant supporting quotation & supply chain position (SCP) as per Figure 3.5.

Isomorphic category

Client Power ‘No one talks about lifecycle costing or … much, mostly because I think we do … the vast proportion of our schemes are design and build contracts which means that the … your client, during those stages, is the contractor, who doesn't care about anything but the capital costs of the building.’ (SCP3)

‘Unless it's something they have to do, because it's written in to the contract, it's not going to be a concern of theirs really. It tends to be a tick box exercise.’ (SCP3)

‘It's whether or not there's a client or someone who is willing to pay for it or wants to tag that on as something in their building, so you know, in that respect.’ (SCP3)

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Theme Participant supporting quotation & supply chain position (SCP) as per Figure 3.5.

Isomorphic category

‘They choose not to because they don't have to, and therefore it's a cost saving, and it would … and, at some point, it's all driven by that. The … if it was built in to various employers requirements that they had to use it, then they would, but that would bump prices up, and it's … unless people have to use something they are not going to choose to, uhh, at the more contractor end of the scale. So it's really down to the clients deciding it's important enough to build in to the requirements.’ (SCP3)

‘Yes, whoever's paying for it, is the person that needs to say that that's important, yes.’ (SCP3)

‘So it's really down to the clients deciding it's important enough to build in to the requirements.’ (SCP3)

‘The contractors and the clients don't necessarily want it. From our point of view it’s either been legislation driven or PR driven from within the company.’ (SCP3)

‘But others can be quite pro-active and say, okay, how can we make this more sustainable because they've got a vested interest in sort of the longevity of the building, so it really depends on the client and what they want to do with it after.’ (SCP3)

‘On the lower end of the spectrum clients are normally just driven by money rather than sustainability, unless there is a reason for it to be sustainable, and that's where I go back to the sort of the PR side of things.’ (SCP3)

‘Certainly clients are becoming more involved as more pressure is put on them. There's still a bit more legislation to go I think before it will become mainstream.’ (SCP3)

‘It's the clients who are pushing the agenda and leading professionals who have those same attitude.’ (SCP3)

‘Well I think … I don't want us to do things from a sustainability point of view or energy savings point of view, just for the sake of doing it, so for example, we looked at wind, could we do something with wind, but I mean, the investment which is a barrier, it's the amount of investment and the pay back, you look at putting wind turbine on, it was something like 12 years pay back, so we ruled that out’ (SCP 6)

‘So yes, clients I think are absolutely pivotal to this and that doesn't have to be a retail … a physical retailer with physical customers, I think in some of our bigger engineering construction contracts, industrial and infrastructure, clients have very strict requirements too, and things like the Social Value Act, if you're working on a public sector operation, public sector contract, should also change the way, even if they don't quite necessarily understand what they're necessarily asking for, should also influence things too, so yes, a very big part of it.’ (SCP 3)

‘Hmm … that's a difficult one that is. I think … well, the client's got to ultimately lead it, and has got to want it, and I think if they lead it and want it, it'll get in to everybody's head that it's going to happen. Whether it's the architects that sort of … takes the lead or the services consultant, I'm not sure.’ (SCP 3)

‘Yes, it's probably … it's not really asked for. As soon as that becomes integrated in to specifications then that's the kind of thing that we'll obviously have to target. At the minute it's not specified, therefore, being the contractor, we're the guys who install and it's driven by price and the performance

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Theme Participant supporting quotation & supply chain position (SCP) as per Figure 3.5.

Isomorphic category

specification, so it's being specified, we've got to meet that at its lowest price, so therefore it's not there, it's very easy just to say, we don't care.’ (SCP 3)

‘I do agree with that and there's many clients like that, but you also do get the clients that don't agree with that, and just want the cheapest building possible, to be up as fast as possible.’ (SCP 5)

‘We are driven by clients, if we're honest. We try and impart our requirements in to their … requirements, what the clients give to us… Obviously driven by the HCA's and the Governments and all the other relevant bodies, but they tend to go the bare minimum because of cost … we're largely driven by clients and we try to impart ourselves on them but, if they don’t want it, they don't want it.’ (SCP 5)

‘Modern methods of construction is … it's client-driven perhaps more legislation but within that you then get building regulations change to suit and you can't built it until you get building regs approval so, yes, it pretty much is, it's a compliance issue.’ (SCP 5)

‘Client design is the driver still rather than it be, okay, this is the industry preferred solution, or preferred options’ (SCP5 )

‘We Actually worked on a scheme at HMP …that's some time ago now, 2007/2008, where the BREEAM ratings for each of the buildings was very important. The design drive of ventilation, natural ventilation, and natural light, was a major contributor towards the design, so I would say the Ministry of Justice at that time were quite … what's the word … innovative. Latterly, I would go back and reiterate, a lot of the Authorities, Local Authorities, are very much driven by consultancy and so the consultancies remit is often pick the best company who will deliver on time, at the best price, so …’ (SCP 5)

‘It can't really have an effect because people aren't engaged early enough and is there an appetite for it. Well, again, I see it, from experience, and this is just my working experiences, there is no appetite to measure the building energy through its whole lifecycle unless it's prompted.’ (SCP 5)

‘It could be influenced by consultants, engineers, it could be influenced by architects and the professionals and academia, but the ultimate is well I'm paying a bill, do I really want that, I say, do you know what, I see the value in it, because I'm running the darn thing for the next 25 years, so I would say they are the most influential people, is the end user of the building.’ (SCP 5)

‘I mean I've been in plenty of meetings where the client has had a wish to have renewables on his building, but then when it comes to the crunch, does he want to pay the extra money for it, and quite often the answer's no. I'd love to have that but the pay back's not quite good enough for me. ‘ (SCP 4)

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