Our history

Since 1996, our approach to construction has continually been evolving. However, the five principles established in 1995 are just as relevant today. These principles fundamentally moved our approach away from the traditional client/contractor relationship and towards a far more integrated partnership.

These principles were:

• defining the product – striving to be clear about what is required before starting to build it
• long-term relationships – working with the same preferred suppliers, learning from project to project and improving performance over time
• integrated project teams – our own staff working together with our suppliers focused on the delivery of the specific construction products relevant to BAA
• following a defined process – bringing the right people together at the right time with the right information, so that they make the right decisions
• measuring performance

Learning from these initiatives enabled BAA to participate in the Government's Construction Task Force (chaired by BAA's former chief executive Sir John Egan). This culminated in a report, Rethinking Construction, published in 1998. View report.  (All links will launch new windows.) This document continues to shape thinking in both government and industry with groups such as the Construction Clients Forum and Constructing Excellence still actively developing improvements for the benefit of both the construction industry and its clients.