The Construction Innovation Hub (CIH) has published the Product Platform Rulebook. The Rulebook addresses government ambitions, as set out in the Construction Playbook and TIP Roadmap, to ensure swifter and better delivery of future schools, hospitals and homes.

The open-access guide supports industry – clients, consultants, contractors, manufacturers and product suppliers – to build capability and capacity to develop and deploy product platforms to meet demand.

Publication follows extensive stakeholder consultation and industry involvement in developing the Rulebook, which not only defines a set of seven guiding Rules but also introduces a ‘Product Platform Development Framework’ – detailed steps to guide anyone seeking to develop and deploy product platforms.

Lee Rowley MP, Minister for Business and Industry, said: “Platform-based approaches are an example of how we can use digital and offsite manufacturing technologies to drive the transformation of the construction industry in the UK, improving its performance and delivering better outcomes for clients.”

“This Platform Rulebook will help both construction clients and firms in the supply chain adopt more standardised parts by using product platforms to deliver new buildings and infrastructure, significantly improving productivity, quality, safety and sustainability.”

Commenting on its publication, Stephen Marcos Jones, ACE CEO said: ““We welcome the launch of the Rulebook which marks a new chapter for collaboration across the supply chain, which meets a need that we identified in our Project Speed briefing on off-site construction published just a few weeks ago.”

“The Rulebook will help with creating consistent demand, driving changes to procurement to facilitate the efficient use of off-site and encouraging the adoption of a standardised component based approach.”

“While the Rulebook is technical in its approach, the impact is potentially transformative for society, putting us on a path us to create social value at speed in the form of new hospitals, schools, transport and other infrastructure.”

Explore the beta version of the Rulebook on CIH’s website.