Construction Minister Brian Wilson has welcomed the launch of Accelerating Change, a consultation paper from the Strategic Forum aimed at tackling the barriers to increasing the rate of improvement across the construction industry.

The Strategic Forum, made up of representatives from across the construction sector, is seeking views on how the culture of excellence and continuous improvement set out in Rethinking Construction can be increasingly embedded within the industry.

If you want to see the document copies are available from the contact details below. Closing date for responses is Friday 31 May.

Accelerating Change identifies a number of key challenges to the industry including:

the development of integrated teams to improve processes and increase efficiency

leadership throughout the industry and from clients

demonstrating that the industry respects its people

addressing as a priority health and safety, working conditions, and recruitment and retention

delivering construction projects that offer excellent whole life value and performance, excellent design and functionality, within budget, on time and defect free.

Accelerating Change also invites suggestions on the most appropriate targets to use to measure and demonstrate improvement.

Welcoming the release of Accelerating Change, Brian Wilson said: "I applaud the efforts made by the Strategic Forum in producing this consultation document. Accelerating Change is an important point in the industry\'s efforts to deliver the business benefits of Rethinking Construction and to enable Government to deliver on its targets for improved quality of life.

"There is a clear need to broaden and deepen take up of the principles in the original Rethinking Construction report and to tackle the issues outlined in Accelerating Change if the industry as a whole is to be world class."The industry must seize this opportunity to make itself more profitable, innovative and, importantly for its long term vitality and viability, more attractive to all its stakeholders."

Sir John Egan said: "I have been impressed with the energy that many have applied to adopting the principles of Rethinking Construction.

"The demonstration project programme clearly shows that the principles I outlined in Rethinking Construction hold good."I am therefore very keen to ensure that we speed up and broaden progress, improve performance and working practices and deliver these real benefits."It is crucial that all involved with the industry demonstrate commitment to a culture of continuous improvement. We can only do this with wider and positive engagement."I urge all with a stake in the industry to respond critically but positively to the Accelerating Change consultation document."When the final report is published in the summer I want to be sure that it addresses the right issues and contains targets and aspirations that we can all work together to achieve."