Civil engineering management in the new millennium

Abstract

Civil engineering management in the next century will be dramatically different from the last, thanks to a growing and long-overdue realization that the traditional forms of contract—virtually unchanged since the 1860s—have had their day.This paper provides a brief history of civil engineering contracting, which reveals a period of stagnation unparalleled in any other mainstream industry. It then covers the relatively recent process of reform, including the impacts of the Latham and Egan reports and the introduction in 1993 of the New Engineering Contract. It concludes with comments on likely future developments.