Industry Overview

Moving, consolidating and distributing for all sized projects

Construction is one of the UK’s most dynamic and high‑risk industries delivering everything from commercial developments and residential schemes to major infrastructure programmes. These environments are defined by multi‑contractor workforces, constant change, time‑critical deliveries, and tight margins, often operating in live city centres or alongside occupied buildings.

In this world, security, logistics and infrastructure are not add‑ons they are fundamental enablers of safe, efficient delivery. Security protects people, plant, materials and reputation while supporting robust access control and incident readiness on fast‑moving sites.

Logistics is the difference between a controlled build and a congested one: coordinating deliveries, vehicle movements, consolidation, storage, and people flow to keep programmes on schedule and reduce risk. Infrastructure planning and support ensure sites and estates are safely enabled from temporary works and welfare to safe routes, emergency planning, and compliance‑driven changes that keep projects moving.

Industry Challenges

The challenges are real, the pace is fast, and the stakes are high.

01
Safety performance under intense scrutiny
Construction remains one of the highest‑fatality industries, with 35 worker deaths in 2024/25 in Great Britain (28% of all workplace fatalities that year). Falls from height continue to be a leading cause of death, highlighting the ongoing need for disciplined planning, supervision and controls.
02
Skills shortages and workforce capacity to meet the pipeline
The sector faces a significant workforce gap. CITB’s Construction Workforce Outlook 2025–29 indicates the industry needs around 47,860 additional workers per year from 2025 to 2029 (around 239,300 over five years) to meet forecast demand. This drives competition for labour and increases the importance of smarter planning, safer working and productivity‑focused site logistics.
03
Insolvencies, cashflow risk and supply chain fragility
Construction continues to be the largest contributor to company insolvencies by sector, with 3,950 construction insolvencies in the 12 months to end‑November 2025, and construction accounting for 15.7% of all insolvencies in England and Wales in November 2025 (297 cases). This volatility heightens the need for resilient procurement, tighter logistics control, and proactive operational risk management across subcontractor-heavy programmes.
04
Cost inflation, tender price pressure and affordability constraints
BCIS forecasts building costs rising circa 15% over the next five years and tender prices rising circa 17% over the same period, with labour remaining a key driver. These pressures increase the value of logistics discipline (reducing waste, rework and downtime) and stronger programme controls that improve predictability.
05
Building safety regulation and compliance-driven delivery change
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) moved to a standalone organisation on 27 January 2026, a milestone step toward a single construction regulator, reinforcing continued culture change and regulatory scrutiny. 2026 is also set to bring further regulatory change, including the Building Safety Levy due to come into force in England on 1 October 2026 (as currently planned), which will affect development and planning decisions.
06
Materials availability, market volatility and delivery certainty
Official UK construction materials data shows ongoing variability in product deliveries (e.g., bricks and blocks) and broader market monitoring of construction material price indices reinforcing the importance of proactive logistics and contingency planning.
07
Cyber risk and supply-chain exposure in increasingly digitised construction operations
The NCSC warns that cyber risk is now a boardroom priority and that attacks can disrupt real‑world operations, with nationally significant incidents rising sharply. Supply chains are specifically highlighted as exposed as connectivity increases reinforcing the need for robust cyber hygiene across contractors and suppliers alongside physical security.