Built Environment Systems Review sets out to transform industry performance | In partnership

Work is under way on a government-backed study that will shape policy, investment decision-making, behaviours and governance across the AEC industry.

The Built Environment Systems Review is being jointly sponsored by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), the Construction Leadership Council’s Green Construction Board, and the Infrastructure Client Group.

The case for the review was set out by the Built Environment Connective last summer in its manifesto ‘Connect to change: unlocking the power of systems thinking in the built environment’.

Its purpose is to “provide clear evidence to support greater investment in systems approaches within the UK’s built environment. The intended outcome is to enable the built environment to deliver greater value at lower long-term cost”, said the Connective’s director Mark Enzer.

“The review will inform national policy, guide investment, and help shape a more resilient, productive, and sustainable built environment. By quantifying the economic contribution of existing systems, identifying systemic inefficiencies, and revealing opportunities for improvement, the review will demonstrate how government can reduce fiscal risks, unlock productivity, and align departmental policies around shared outcomes.

“The intent is to ensure that every pound spent on the built environment delivers maximum national benefit – for growth, resilience, and the wellbeing of people and places.”

‘Connect to change’ highlighted siloed organisations, data and decision-making as barriers to efficiency and productivity, performance and effectiveness. Systems thinking and joined-up systemic approaches to the built environment are needed to achieve improvement, it said.

NISTA chief executive Becky Wood said: “Maximising the impact of government’s increased investment in UK infrastructure means moving beyond siloed decisions towards a consistent system‑of‑systems approach.

“We know our transport, energy, water, digital, nature and social infrastructure systems currently operate independently. To improve the UK’s economic performance, resilience, and wellbeing we need stronger evidence on how these systems can be integrated, planned, managed, and improved to deliver better outcomes.

“This review will show how coordinated, systems thinking can reduce long‑term risk, unlock productivity, and improve the performance of both new and legacy assets, aligning with the ambitions of the 10 year infrastructure strategy.”

The Connective is a coalition of industry-leading organisations and individuals spanning academia, consultancy, contracting and systems specialists. Connective members will deliver the review. Evidence, insight and recommendations will be drawn from detailed case studies, selected to represent the diversity of the built environment, both by sector and regional geography.

Julie Wood, vice president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, is acting as integrator, managing key stakeholder relationships and coordinating the delivery coalition. She will work with an expert advisory group to shape findings into “a credible narrative that conclusively demonstrates the value of applying systems approaches”, she said.

“Our aim is to produce clear, actionable recommendations suitable for senior policy and industry audiences.”

Initial findings will be announced at the Built Environment Connective’s annual conference, ‘Connect to change 2026’, on 6 July. Core research and analysis is due to be completed by the autumn. The Built Environment Systems Review will be presented to NISTA and published in Q1 next year.