The wonder years
David Philp FCInstCES FICE FRICS FCIOB FGBC, Director of Digital Consulting, Strategy & Innovation, AECOM, and Impact Director, Construction Innovation Hub, talks to Abigail Tomkins
TWO perfect storms feature in my conversation with David Philp. They both herald change in construction. They both demonstrate how transformational goodness can come out of truly awful crises. The first, the financial crash of 2008, eventually led the UK government to its building information modelling (BIM) mandate of 2016 and beyond. The second, climate change, will bring in a whole raft of new skills and ideas into a sector where your career can make a huge difference. Being a force for good is an attractive proposition. Talking to most people about these storms would be a negative experience, but with David Philp, his enthusiasm and positivity is highly infectious. Hard work? Yes, but who wouldn’t want that kind of challenge?
David Philp, a fellow of CICES, is most known for his role as head of BIM implementation at the Cabinet Office in the build up to the 2016 mandate and beyond. Throughout his government work, he retained his day-job as a contractor (at Balfour Beatty) and more recently as a consultant (at Mace and now AECOM).
He currently holds the title of impact director at the Construction Innovation Hub, the government and industry body tasked with driving transformation, whilst also working as director of digital consulting, strategy and innovation at AECOM.
He spoke to Abigail Tomkins about the wonder years of transforming construction past, present and future.
Is it true you’re actually a surveyor?
Surveying did play a role in my formative career! I did an HND in construction management, and part of that was land surveying and setting out. When I went on to a degree in building engineering and management, again I found myself spending a lot of time setting out. I was taught by Bill Irvine, the man who actually wrote the book on surveying [Surveying for Construction]. He was incredibly practical and he made it fun. A few years ago, I was at a function where his daughter was speaking [the sports commentator Hazel Irvine] and I had to go up and tell her how fantastic her dad was!
That time spent surveying gave me a grounding in measurement and a taste for specialised technology. And I have taken that importance of assurance and accuracy with me throughout my career.
How did you get from there to advising the government on BIM?
The early part of my career was all about construction and I couldn’t help but think that some of the things I was building could have been designed better. The real ‘aha’ moment that changed my career was the private finance initiative. I realised that actually there was an operational lifecycle of 25-30 years, if not beyond, and if we could get the first part right, there was a huge opportunity to make sure that assets performed better.
This was the time of Lehman Brothers. The time of ‘there’s no money left’. We were in a terrible position economically. Main contractors were going into negative margins. We had a perfect storm and out of that came a very cohesive government construction strategy.
I became director of technical services at Balfour Beatty and learned that putting together a business case is the most important part of any project, but it doesn’t get the glamour it deserves. Many projects succeed or fail because of the strength of their initial business case. You have to make sure it is purpose driven, clear in terms of performance criteria and considers spatial information.
I had 20 fantastic years at Balfour Beatty before I was seconded to the Cabinet Office as head of BIM implementation in 2011.
I’ve moved with BIM for over a decade now, from the BIM Task Group, to the Digital Built Britain Innovate UK programme, to the Centre for Digital Built Britain and now the Construction Innovation Hub, all whilst keeping my role in the private sector as well. I joined AECOM eight years ago as director for digital consulting, strategy and innovation.
That jump from 20 years as a contractor to consultancy, first with Mace and now AECOM, was a big one, but I’ve learned more about the value of professional services. Having that luxury of doing both has been hugely important. I hear the voice of the client and I know what their journey looks like, and I can see that cool face of the private sector as well.
What was it like working in those early days of BIM within government?
It was a true partnership between government and industry. We formed the BIM4 working groups and there was a genuine sense of excitement. We were growing a community. Every day we were out there communicating. This was pre-TEAMS and it wasn’t unusual to attend three conferences in a day. It was as much about engagement and hearing everybody’s stories as broadcasting the message.
We also had the likes of Paul Morel and Peter Hansford as chief government advisors. Their leadership in terms of change management was hugely important.
Why was the BIM mandate successful?
This was the time of Lehman Brothers. It was the time of ‘there’s no money left'. We were in a terrible position economically. Main contractors were going into negative margins and trying to keep afloat. We had a perfect storm and out of that came a very cohesive government construction strategy. It wasn’t about BIM in splendid isolation, it was about benchmarking, project bank accounts and soft landings – all these set the foundation for better information management across government departments.
When I look back now, I see that period was a change management programme as much as anything. It got organisations really thinking about how they use data and how they can better ask the supply chain for more consistent information. It also got us thinking about the operational chasm – involving people in strategic asset management right at the very beginning of a data rich and professionalised process.
Were you conscious of other countries looking closely at what you were doing in the UK?
The plan was always to internationalise what we were doing. We were aware that if we got it right, we could set the foundation across the globe. Imagine everybody around the world working to the same consistent standards to get high quality, secure data and information to the people who need it. Gosh, what an opportunity it was to create that kind of efficiency.
I don’t think people realise how much the world looked to the UK and was really quite jealous of what we were achieving. I still find it exciting when I go to a different country and see people working to the same standards as us.
Was it a hard thing to do?
It was fun. The thing that energised me was the level of cooperation that was going on. Institutions were suddenly collaborating and sharing thoughts and information. We had government departments that could see the value in making change. It was hard work for a lot of people, but it was a hugely fun time. It still is.
Are you pleased with the progress made since?
We are still on the trajectory. It’s been a series of passing the baton. The big success is that we’ve created a convergence now. It’s got to the point where we have advanced manufacturer platform construction systems, value profiles, better assurance and digital twinning trying to create frictionless flows between our physical and virtual assets.
We’re also lucky enough in the UK to still have that government drive. The Construction Playbook1 and Transforming Infrastructure Performance2 have created an information management mandate and roadmap to 2030. We’ve got that requirement for high quality, secure validated information and data sets for our projects – and that very much includes geospatial data.
Do we get too hung upon giving transformation a name?
Yes, I think so. We could have spent six years quite easily trying to describe what BIM Level 2 was. We were less bothered about what it was and focused on why and how – creating standards and methods that focused on the practical. At the BIM Task Group, we started with a hypothesis that better information management and data can improve decision making for clients. We backed it up with a series of 10 tests to refine what we wanted. Test, refine. Test, refine. Test, refine. From that came the key criteria and a very clear purpose.
We’re often guilty of not getting started with things. But by taking a design thinking approach, you will be able to make progress.
What does digital transformation look like for a company?
You have to look at outcomes, and these have to be proportionate depending on your point of entry. While we are talking more and more about data science and analytics, at the heart of it is information management. It is about realising better outcomes, not just in terms of new projects, but across estates and portfolios as well.
In the last decade, we’ve seen a shift away from thinking about individual assets to a cyber/physical fabric, which is hugely important. It is a systems of systems approach, and it means we will be able to answer increasingly complex questions as we move towards smart city agendas.
What are the barriers to change?
People are open to change, but the questions are often about technology rather than procedures. In the early days it was the cost of technology, rather than cost of change that was the perceived barrier. Am I going to have to buy new computers? Will I need new software?
When I look back over my career, it’s amazing to see the technology and data journeys, but if we are serious about change now, we need to think about value.
This means the Value Toolkit3 – creating value profiles for projects, especially on the back of low carbon initiatives and community benefits. We need to understand how clients think about value and how data can support those decisions.
I worry we’ve lost the art of storytelling. A 20% saving is the equivalent of buying five schools and getting one free. That’s good storytelling. We can often make our storytelling too complex and it’s institutions like CICES who are good at storytelling who need to do more of it. I love getting the print copy of Civil Engineering Surveyor because I tag things in it and I pass it on. As well as the practical lessons, there are so many people stories. It educates in a very personal way. We need more of that.
What have been your BIM successes?
We could have spent six years quite easily trying to describe what BIM Level 2 was. We were less bothered about what it was and focused on why and how – creating standards and methods that focused on the practical.
The journey we’ve seen from UK public sector clients has been amazing. The Ministry of Justice’s Cookham Wood young offenders institution made a significant return on investment and just as importantly acquired a lot of understanding about getting digitalisation right from the offset. I had a meeting with that same client recently and it’s amazing to see how far they’re coming in terms of digitised information requirements, standards and specifications.
National Health Service Scotland has had an ‘aha’ moment and realised that as new projects are only a small part of their estate, they have about another 99% out to be digitalised to levels of proportionality. This is huge in terms of the amount of survey data that we’re pulling together. I’m often asked why clients do this, and it is because the amount of research they’ve got to do for the start of every project is incredible. It is often a trigger event for physical intrusive surveys, because they don’t have accurate information on their estates.
There are huge opportunities for geospatial surveyors right now in getting the data that public clients need.
If you could make everyone do one thing in information management what would it be?
Have a clear purpose. We often do things without having any clear rationale, so start with the purpose. The ‘why’ is hugely important, especially from an information management perspective.
Is this where the line of sight methodology comes in?
We’ve had over a decade of transforming infrastructure in the UK. We’ve come a long, long way, especially in terms of collaboration, but that evolution will continue to happen. Surveying will play a huge part...
It’s about having elegant simplicity within a very powerful concept. We’re seeing some critical ambitions and organisational objectives, especially off the back of COP 26. Zero carbon is a big idea and a big objective. When you have a key organisational objective, it is hugely important that those working on that project understand that what they are doing on a day-to-day basis is contributing to that goal. And vice versa. It is important that those in the boardroom can see all the initiatives being done for their projects. Line of sight methodology4 creates complete alignment. It is an aggregation of all the tasks that need to be done to make the big idea happen.
When you create your critical success factors for low carbon, you can put cascading metrics down to make sure that you know you’re achieving them, especially with regard to asset management. Building safety is another one of those big key organisational objectives where both the client and the supply chain are aligned and understand how what they’re doing is contributing to that objective.
Do you have like an endpoint in mind where you’d like us to be by the time you retire?
No, gosh, no! I love watching the needle move. We’ll always be looking to try and improve what we’re doing whilst making sure the basics are right. That said, I would like to get to the societal benefits that we often talk about; real time data and analytics improving transport services, hospitals getting better patient recovery times, schools getting better exam results.
Do you have any advice for those starting out in their career?
Collaborate. Speak to everyone. When I was a senior engineer, I wish I’d spent less time talking to other senior engineers and more time talking to facilities managers, to asset managers, to those in adjacent industries. Speak to people out of your comfort zone. Have fun and innovate. Don’t be disheartened. Be resilient. Keep going.
When you have a great idea, make sure that you can back it up with a clear purpose and benefit.
Are you hopeful about the future of construction?
If you come into the built environment now, you can really make an industry change. We’ve got a perfect storm again, this time of climate change and societal change, and that means a greater opportunity for us to pool young people into the built environment more than ever before. For me, COP26 was as much about the youth summit as it was adults pontificating about change. Young people will make change happen.
Will those already in surveying see their careers change?
We’ve had over a decade of transforming infrastructure in the UK. We’ve come a long, long way, especially in terms of collaboration, but that evolution will continue to happen.
Surveying will play a huge part in terms of how datasets converge with BIM and beyond in digital twinning.
When I think about CICES members – and I include myself in this as a member – there is a huge opportunity for us around data-centric engineering for assets above and below ground. The white paper that CICES is currently producing is going to be so important in getting that message out there. It is a hugely exciting time. I’m almost as old as the institution itself and one of the things I’m amazed by is how much survey technology has advanced – not just in terms of data capture, but also how we analyse it.
Throughout the technology developments, survey principles still very much apply. A lot of people try to jump into digital, whereas we need more T-shaped people, those who can understand why we’re doing it, how we’re doing it and everything behind it. I’ve been lucky to see the journey that we’ve been on. I’m not intending to retire anytime soon!
David Philp FCInstCES FICE FRICS FCIOB FGBC, Director of Digital Consulting, Strategy & Innovation, AECOM, and Impact Director, Construction Innovation Hub was talking to Abigail Tomkins https://constructioninnovationhub.org.uk https://aecom.com @ThePhilpster https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-philp/
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1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-construction-playbook
2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-infrastructure-performance-roadmap-to-2030