The weather may have been gloomier than previous years, but the atmosphere was brighter than ever at this year’s UKREiiF in Leeds.
Our namesake pavilion played host to a jam-packed schedule of insightful panel talks and events from some of the best in the industry. The topics covered everything from the Procurement Act 2023, how to effectively procure infrastructure projects, highlighting the NHS New Hospitals Programme, and developer engagement just to name a few topics.
Our group CEO, Simon Toplass, said: “What an utterly fantastic week, reflecting the very exciting time our industry is going through, particularly when it comes to the growth of technology, the focus on collaboration and entering a new era of innovation.
“The Pagabo Group’s ethos has always aligned perfectly with that of UKREiiF, through the multiple arms of our ecosystem. Our colleagues at Loop are making industry waves through the promotion and measurement of accurate social value – one of the elements that came through in so many different panel sessions, showing just how important it is moving forwards.
“Meanwhile, through our leading Contract Manager platform, our Sypro team is leading the field in providing construction companies that all-important protection from risks while ensuring compliance and streamlining time efficiencies – all of which will be crucial to the successful delivery of the opportunities ahead of us.
“Through our national framework provider Pagabo and its collection of procurement solutions, we’re able to support wider industry aims relating to Build Back Better and Levelling Up for example, with a growing number of exciting Pagabo procured projects – including several opportunities revealed throughout the week.”
Highlights from the week:
Pagabo’s Feelgood Games made a return to the John Charles Centre for Sport on Monday, bringing the industry together to get moving and raise funds for the Pagabo Foundation’s ongoing work. An impressive show of teamwork, camaraderie and fun was on display – with the ‘Rebels’ team including staff from Space & Place, Ion Developments and Stem Architects topping the charts. Ultimately, the wider industry is the overall winner thanks to the funds raised to help the Foundation tackle historically poor mental health levels in construction. Since the first Feelgood Games in 2022, an amazing £80,000 has now been raised through the annual event!
Pagabo Live hosted its first-ever in-person event, continuing our series which promotes knowledge in the public sector. The session took a deep dive into Driving Efficiency Through Early Developer Engagement, hosted by our usual Pagabo Live host, Tom Snee of Cartwright Communications, the event showcased an expert panel, including:
- James Dunn, Director of Policy & Governance at Telford & Wrekin Council
- Stuart Penn, Regional Managing Director Midlands for Lovell Partnerships in the West Midlands
- Beth Bundonis, Regional Managing Director Midlands for Lovell Partnerships in the East Midlands
A focus on social value ran throughout everything, allowing us to highlight the benefits of Loop in forecasting and measuring accurately. Whether it was highlighting that the best developments come from understanding the specific area and community and delivering what each specifically needs, to the wider infrastructure benefits surrounding housing projects, the prominence of social value has never been higher. That’s why accuracy needs to be the top priority for any organisation.
Taking the conundrum out of contract management was the core focus for Sypro’s interactive breakfast session, hosted by the Contract Manager team. Together with the audience, they put contract management under the spotlight and how software solutions like our own should protect from risk. The session saw us launch a wider piece of research into the current state of contract management across the industry, which will feed into a whitepaper report later this year – get involved and share your insights here.
Paying tribute to Lord Kerslake:
As platinum partner for the 2024 event, Simon Toplass delivered the keynote session to open the conference on the first morning. He said: “I was honoured to open the week, using the session to honour the late Lord Bob Kerslake alongside the organisers of UKREiiF. Lord Kerslake was one of the biggest champions of the event from its inception, pushing the trajectory of success we all saw in Leeds. Being able to welcome Lady Anne Kerslake to receive a momento of thanks from us all – a gesture that will never be large enough to mimic Lord Kerslake’s impact on the event, the sector, and all of us that knew him.
“Looking to the future, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the organisers of UKREiiF to deliver Lord Kerslake’s vision for a truly transformational event for the UK’s built environment – one that is now a firm fixture in everyone’s calendar.”
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