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The international Construction Sector Transparency Initiative brings government, the private sector and civil society together with the aim of promoting transparency and accountability in the global construction sector. The UK was one of seven pilot countries along with Ethiopia, Malawi, the Philippines, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia, later joined by Guatemala. This paper explains why the initiative is of importance to not only the public, who fund the procurement of public sector construction projects through rates and taxes, but also to construction professionals and the organisations they work for worldwide. It explains the concepts of the multi-stakeholder approach and disclosure, and highlights the findings and lessons from the pilots.
1. Introduction
The Construction Sector Transparency Initiative is an international multi-stakeholder initiative designed to increase transparency and accountability in the global construction sector. It is supported by the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and has been successfully piloted over a 2-year period in seven countries: Ethiopia, Malawi, the Philippines, Tanzania, the UK, Vietnam and Zambia. Guatemala subsequently joined the initiative as an associate country.
From April 2008 to June 2011, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) was a member of the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative's international secretariat along with accountancy firm Price Waterhouse Coopers, trade association British Expertise, engineering and international development charity Engineers Against Poverty and equitable and sustainable development charity Tiri.
ICE's role on the secretariat was to provide technical and policy advice on design and implementation of the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative's international programme and to provide direct support to the pilot schemes. More recently the institution has helped with analysis of data collated from the pilots.
ICE also managed and coordinated the UK pilot by establishing and managing a multi-stakeholder group. The pilot proved highly successful, with information disclosed from eight projects from four participating clients: Broadland Housing Association (Figure 1), Durham Country Council, the Environment Agency and the Highways Agency.
2. The case for transparency and accountability
Construction underpins socio-economic development. It is the delivery vehicle for crucial physical infrastructure such as roads, railways, ports, water supply, sewage treatment, hospitals, schools and the like. Without reliable and effective infrastructure, economic and human development is hampered. In monetary terms, global construction output is expected to grow to...