Moving to the fast lane: time for infrastructure to get digital

Digital tools can improve productivity and accelerate delivery, but the construction sector has been slow to adopt. Will that change in the wake of coronavirus, and if so, how should supply chain respond?

To explore how digitalisation can accelerate infrastructure delivery, industry body IPFA and AECOM brought together an expert panel that included Nick Smallwood, CEO at Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA); Sadia Janjua, Chief of Project Controls and Virtual Design & Construction for engineering operations at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; David Bray, Smart Motorways Programme Director at Highways England; and Dale Sinclair, Head of Innovation at AECOM. They spoke at a webinar event hosted by David Innis, Strategic Director at AECOM.

The construction sector has been slow to adopt digital tools such as reality capture, fully-integrated 5D modelling and even digital twins despite calls from government to modernise and clear evidence that they improve productivity. As industry transforms to meet ambitious net zero carbon emissions targets, adopting to digital should be seen as an opportunity to do more with less, accelerate delivery and ensure a sustainable future.

However, the webinar panel – which attracted over 250 attendees from over 30 countries – was unanimous in its view that coronavirus has upped the stakes. The scale of the crisis means industry needs to do more and better. This should be the catalyst the industry needs to finally shift towards digitalisation.

Some organisations in the UK, Highways England included, have understood the importance of digital and are investing in it, but this is the exception amongst the infrastructure sector where change tends to be slow and incremental. These traditional ways of working are deeply embedded making the shift problematic, even to mainstream digital tools.

As for emerging technologies, Dale Sinclair said the lack of case studies is frequently a huge barrier to adoption, as even clients actively looking to innovate want to see proven examples before they invest. For Sadia Janjua, facilitating cultural change has been a challenge. “We are trying to move to digitalisation but it requires a paradigm shift in culture and an acceptance of dealing with new technologies,” she said.

In this article, which summarises the webinar, we discuss how coronavirus is forcing the industry to change, and what this means.

Overcoming barriers: coronavirus and fiscal stimulus

Governments around the world are providing fiscal stimulus to aid recovery, with infrastructure playing a central role. In the UK, for example, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced £5 billion in capital investment.

“I don’t think that we can afford to waste the opportunities that the crisis provides us to do things faster, more effectively and ultimately more productively,” said Mr Smallwood, adding, “We must improve productivity gains in the construction sector, we need to reduce emissions and carbon in construction and look at issues around design and procurement to develop a more sustainable business model.”

Ms Janjua agreed, saying: “These circumstances are forcing us to innovate and go out and do things that we hadn’t planned for. However, I don’t think that technology is a prerequisite to innovation. Innovation can come in many forms whether it’s your processes, your communications or your contracts so those are things we are looking at right now.”

Mr Sinclair also pointed out positive effects in his work at AECOM. “Due to coronavirus, all clients have jumped on the digital ladder now. The gap is narrowing.”

For Mr Smallwood, the combination of long-term investment, a steady pipeline and confidence in industry should allow the supply chain to invest in technologies such as fully integrated 5D modelling, as well as modern methods of construction (MMC) such as Design and Manufacture for Assembly. He said, “Some of the linear investments span decades, so we are looking at a very healthy pipeline. There’s never been a better time in my experience for the supply chain to invest seriously in people and technology for a more sustainable industry.”

To make the best use of digital technology, the panel make three recommendations:

1/Embrace data-rich environments

Having a single source of information for projects streamlines processes and aids collaboration. Results from a poll of participants showed that out of a range of digital tools, the majority had invested in common data environments (CDEs) over the past 12 months to maintain productivity.

“The number one thing for me is to have one source of the truth for clients, delivery partners and design consultants to use, and we are investing heavily in creating the right environments for this to happen,” said David Bray, adding, “However, understanding data rich environments involves a real cultural shift. On Highways England’s A14 project, we created a real-time productivity tool which we shared with our second tiers. In a normal world, the data that you interact with could be used against the other party, so we had to reach a new level of trust and collaboration. Fortunately, the suppliers fully embraced it.”

Ms Janjua pointed out that it was important to know what to do with the data being collected. “We are making sure that the data is useful for the agency throughout the lifecycle of a project from planning to construction and post-construction. That’s a big challenge considering how many assets and facilities we own.”

2/ Use generative design, automation and modern methods of construction

In the UK, the IPA is calling for a significant shift towards data and value-led decision-making and the adoption of new technologies and modern methods of construction. Mr Smallwood said, “The time has never been better to step up and do it. But now we need to see the action.”

However, the panel also acknowledged that a move towards generative design and automation could be perceived as a threat to job security. David Bray suggested that those challenges could be addressed through the redefinition of value propositions, while Dale Sinclair looked forward to a future where the skills of designers and professionals were embedded in the process and that technology was leveraged in a way to remove mundane tasks.

3/Diversify, diversify, diversify

To accommodate a more digital landscape, industry needs to acknowledge that its talent base needs to broaden significantly to include those with programming and product design skills – and even anthropologists to help interpret the data.

Ms Janjua said, “We began to think outside the box and diversified our team to include software developers and data analysts. We found that we were able to accomplish a lot more.”

There is also a critical need to attract and retain a broader, more inclusive and diverse workforce from across the digital professions, to ensure innovations reflect the demographics and needs of the end user who will ultimately benefit from the efficiencies digital solutions provide.