7.47 All the proposals in this Chapter, and those designed to improve procurement performance in other Chapters, will have an effect on productivity. The "Towards 2001" report recommended setting up a National Construction Productivity Centre as a research and information dissemination agency. The recession has prevented that happening on cost grounds. But BRE and CIRIA have now formed a Construction Productivity Network, as a low cost information exchange facility. While that is commendable, more action is needed, and monitoring of improvements. Both the CIPS and Professor John Bennett of Reading University have recommended a target of reducing real construction costs by 30 per cent over five years75.
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75 CIPS final report, and speech by Professor Bennett to the CIPS Conference, 30th March 1994. I am very grateful to Professor Bennett and his colleagues for their useful advice on several aspects of this Review. -