CLOCS

1. Can you briefly describe your role at CLOCS and the organisation’s mission?

I’m the Programme Director for CLOCS, which means I have the privilege of working with a committed community of clients, contractors, fleet operators, local authorities and industry partners who all share the same goal – delivering safer, leaner and greener construction logistics.

At its core, CLOCS exists to reduce the risks associated with construction vehicle movements and improve the way construction logistics is planned and managed. We do that by bringing industry stakeholders together around a common standard and providing practical guidance, tools, training and support that help organisations turn good intentions into real-world action.

2. For those unfamiliar with CLOCS, what role does the National Standard play in improving safety and efficiency across construction logistics?

The CLOCS Standard provides a common framework that sets out what good looks like when planning and managing construction logistics.

Rather than every client developing their own requirements, CLOCS provides the industry with a consistent benchmark covering areas such as risk assessment, construction logistics planning, route specification, site management, driver and vehicle standards, and engagement with local communities.

That common approach is important because it helps organisations focus their efforts on improving performance rather than trying to navigate multiple sets of requirements. Ultimately, it helps reduce risk, improve efficiency and deliver better outcomes for everyone affected by construction activity.

Importantly, the Standard is developed and maintained by our members, helping ensure that its requirements reflect established industry best practice. The aim is to encourage effective and proven solutions that add value rather than simply creating new hoops to jump through.

3. Why is procurement such an important tool for driving safer, leaner and greener construction logistics?

Procurement is probably the single biggest lever clients have to influence safety and logistics performance. Once a project is on site it’s much harder to change behaviours, so getting the right requirements in place from the outset is critical.

All too often I see projects facing risks that could and should have been identified and mitigated before work began and it then takes far more time and energy to address, often with less effective results than if action had been taken earlier.

If safety, environmental performance and logistics planning are considered at the procurement stage, they become part of the project’s DNA rather than an afterthought. Good procurement drives good behaviour throughout the supply chain.

It is also an important part of helping clients meet their duties under CDM. Clients need confidence that they are appointing organisations with the competence, capability and systems needed to manage risk effectively. By specifying recognised standards and clear requirements from the outset, procurement can become a genuine force for positive change, helping to deliver safer projects, more efficient logistics and better outcomes for communities.

4. What challenges do clients, contractors and fleet operators face when demonstrating competence and compliance through procurement processes?

One of the biggest challenges is inconsistency. Organisations are often asked to provide very similar information in slightly different formats to different clients.

A fleet operator might be CLOCS-compliant but still find themselves completing multiple questionnaires asking for essentially the same information.

That creates unnecessary administration and can distract attention away from actually managing risks.

There’s also a challenge in knowing which standards and evidence genuinely demonstrate competence. Clients want assurance, suppliers want clarity, and everyone benefits when recognised standards are used consistently across the industry.

5. What attracted CLOCS to becoming a Supporter Member of SSIP?

Quite simply, we share many of the same principles.

SSIP has done a tremendous job of reducing duplication and helping clients and suppliers navigate health and safety assurance in a more consistent and efficient way. That’s something we strongly support.

Construction already has enough complexity without organisations having to complete multiple assessments that essentially seek the same information.

As an organisation that relies heavily on procurement to drive adoption of the CLOCS Standard, we recognise the value of consistent, proportionate and widely recognised assessment frameworks. SSIP has demonstrated how collaboration between assessment bodies and industry can reduce duplication while maintaining high standards, which is something which aligns closely with our own approach.

6. How do the objectives of SSIP align with CLOCS’ own goals and priorities?

Both organisations recognise that standards alone don’t improve outcomes. Standards need to be adopted consistently and embedded through procurement and supply chain management.

SSIP focuses on providing confidence in organisational health and safety competence, while CLOCS focuses on managing construction logistics risk. Put simply, SSIP helps answer the question, “Is this organisation competent to undertake the work?” while CLOCS helps answer, “How will the logistics risks associated with that work be managed?”

Together, both support a more competent, safer and more efficient construction industry.

We’re also aligned in our belief that it is essential that industry stakeholders work together to tackle these shared challenges. No single organisation can raise standards on its own, which is why recognised frameworks that are developed and supported by industry are so important.

7. Why are common assessment frameworks and recognised standards important for the construction industry?

For clients, recognised standards make it easier to specify requirements and gain confidence that suppliers are meeting an accepted benchmark. For suppliers, they provide certainty about what is expected.

Common frameworks create consistency. If a contractor is working for five different clients, they shouldn’t be facing five entirely different interpretations of what good looks like. Consistency gives clients confidence and suppliers clarity.

8. How does reducing duplication in health and safety assessments benefit both buyers and suppliers?

It certainly saves time, money and effort for everyone involved, but the bigger benefit is that it allows people to focus on managing risk rather than managing paperwork.

Nobody benefits from assessing the same organisation multiple times against the same criteria. The aim should be to establish competence once, have confidence in that assessment, and then allow organisations to focus on delivering safe and effective work.

9. In your view, how does SSIP help organisations make better-informed procurement decisions?

One of the biggest challenges for procurement teams is understanding what good looks like and being able to distinguish between organisations that simply say the right things and those that can genuinely demonstrate competence.

SSIP provides buyers with confidence that suppliers have been independently assessed against recognised health and safety criteria. That gives procurement teams a reliable starting point and helps them make decisions based on consistent information rather than trying to interpret a wide range of different submissions.

From a client’s perspective, it helps answer an important procurement question: “Can I be confident this organisation has appropriate health and safety arrangements in place?” That’s valuable because it allows clients to focus their attention on project-specific risks and requirements rather than repeatedly assessing the same core competence information.

10. Have you seen growing demand from clients for more streamlined and proportionate approaches to supplier assurance?

Absolutely. Clients still want robust assurance, but they’re increasingly conscious of the burden that can be placed on supply chains through repeated requests for information.

There’s a growing recognition that we should be making better use of recognised standards, existing assessments and industry frameworks rather than constantly reinventing the wheel. The challenge is achieving the right balance between assurance and efficiency.

11. What role do organisations such as CLOCS and SSIP play in raising standards through collaboration and industry leadership?

Both CLOCS and SSIP bring together clients, contractors, suppliers and industry experts to develop practical solutions to shared challenges, helping turn good practice into common practice.

Perhaps most importantly, we provide trusted and recognised frameworks that organisations can use with confidence, helping to raise standards in a way that is practical, proportionate and achievable.

12. What would your message be to organisations looking to improve safety outcomes while making procurement more efficient?

Don’t underestimate the influence procurement can have on standards and behaviours throughout the supply chain.

Use recognised frameworks, avoid unnecessary duplication and focus on outcomes rather than paperwork. The goal shouldn’t be to create more forms, more assessments or more administration. The goal should be to gain confidence that organisations are competent and capable, then allow them to focus on delivering safe, efficient and well-managed projects.

Organisations such as SSIP and CLOCS exist to support exactly that approach. By using established standards and working collaboratively across the industry, clients can make better-informed procurement decisions, suppliers can reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, and together we can raise standards for the benefit of everyone.