3.15 The guidance in the CSCP should be designed to assist clients to meet their objectives and to obtain value for money. The Code should also be designed to harness clients' purchasing power to improve the long term performance of the industry. It should stress8:-

1. The wishes of clients must be paramount for all construction participants, subject to planning and development control and the wider public interest.

2. Clients should formulate a project strategy, which must involve need assessmenl and consideration of resources available.

3. Any external expertise retained to help with such a preliminary feasibility study should be for that purpose alone, and then discharged.

4. If a decision is made in principle to go ahead, the client should decide upon a contract strategy. It will be influenced by the amount of risk desired to be accepted, since that must directly affect the procurement route which is suitable for the project.

5. The advisers retained after that stage will be those who are most appropriate for that procurement route.

6. Those advisers will be crucial in assisting the client with the brief. This should be an iterative process, and adequate time must be allowed. If the brief is inadequate, the project will face avoidable difficulties throughout its life.

7. Clients should be strongly advised to consider cost-in-use and the impact which the scheme will have on the productivity of their business.

8. The client should "sign off" approval of the brief.