“Hitting the sweet spot: value for clients delivered by valued suppliers. How small changes in approach to procurement could have a big impact on the construction industry” is the topic of the JCT Povey Lecture 2017, which will be given by Ann Bentley at the Building Centre, London, on Wednesday, 8th November 2017.
With over 35 years’ experience in the property and construction industry, working with commercial, public, and third sector clients, Ann Bentley has been a member of Rider Levett Bucknall’s (RLB) Global Board since 2012 and was the immediate past Global Chair.
RLB is a leading independent organisation in cost management, quantity surveying, project management, and advisory services, with projects such as Sydney Opera House, HSBC Hong Kong HQ, 2012 London Olympic Games, and CityCenter Las Vegas in their portfolio.
RLB employs over 500 staff in the UK and 3,600 worldwide, operating in more than 40 countries. Ann is a member of the Global Board which is responsible for the firm’s strategic direction, cohesion and governance.
Ann Bentley is a member of the UK government’s Construction Leadership Council (CLC), a member of the CBI’s Construction Council, and an adviser to the Construction Industry Council. She is a chartered member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (MICE), a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS), and holds an MBA from Henley Business School.
Ann is a visiting professor in the Built Environment at Birmingham City University, and a visiting lecturer at the School of Construction Management and Engineering at Reading University.
During her career at RLB, Ann Bentley has played a key role in a number of the company’s milestones, including the UK management buyout in 2003, the consolidation as a leading independently-owned company, and the formation of the global practice in 2007. She is an advocate of diversity in the construction industry and the career opportunities open to all sectors of society.
Her work with the CLC, which will be the focus of the JCT Povey Lecture, is a project called “Procure for better Value”, which has three subsets:
- Use outcome-based procurement to drive capital programme delivery and lifetime performance
- Increase transparency on the performance of suppliers and assets
- Improve procurement efficiency and ‘get the basics right’
JCT chief executive, Neil Gower, said:
“2017 marks the 15th anniversary of the JCT Povey Lecture and we are honoured to be able to welcome Ann Bentley to give this year’s talk.
“With Ann’s career with one of the world’s leading independent practices, alongside her role as an educator and champion of diversity within the construction industry, we look forward to hearing about her work on procurement, and I know that JCT members and their guests will be treated to an informative and stimulating evening.”