What UK Policymakers Must Do About MMC
MMC isn’t a silver bullet—or a scapegoat. It’s a vital part of a smarter, hybrid construction ecosystem where offsite and onsite methods work together to deliver better outcomes, faster.
The moment we’re in
Headlines about company failures can make MMC sound risky or faddish. In truth, they expose system problems—procurement, pipeline, planning, culture—that policy can fix. Nations from Norway, France, the UAE, Australia, and Canada are already using policy to unlock industrialised construction at scale. The UK can do the same—if we focus on outcomes and remove friction.
Bottom line: Stop framing MMC as “vs traditional.” Start scaling what works—consistently and repeatably—to deliver quality, speed, skills, and value.
Five shifts to unlock progress
1) Interoperability > IP silos
Reward “be similar, not special.” Standard interfaces and shared rules let multiple suppliers plug into the same programme without costly rework. That’s how you keep delivery moving when markets shift.
2) Build a ‘Never Events’ Observatory
Openly share what failed, why, and what worked. A national, living repository de-risks investment, shortens learning cycles, and prevents repeat mistakes across the public estate.
3) Procure for whole-life value
Judge options on outcomes—defects, maintenance, carbon, safety, and speed—not just lowest CAPEX Be more like the water sector and procure on TOTEX, aligning incentives to performance in use.
4) Fix the planning pinch-point
Pre-vet modules/systems so planners focus on site specifics, not re-proving the same designs. (And extend this logic to procurement with pre-vetted systems to cut cycle time and uncertainty.)
5) Close the factory–site gap
Upskill and accredit for assembly, tolerances, and interfaces. Align manufacturing and construction mindsets so precision made in the factory is protected on site.
Why now?
High-profile collapses don’t prove MMC “doesn’t work.” They prove our rules and incentives aren’t yet fit for an industrialised, data-rich era of construction. With stable demand, standardised interfaces, shared learning, and outcome-based procurement, the UK can move from hype to the Plateau of Productivity. ⛰️
Join the conversation: Unlocking Downtime Workshop
11 November — Hosted by BUILDOFFSITE and The Offsite Guide. We’ll unpack these five shifts with practitioners and policymakers and explore the practical steps to implement them.
Register Now.
Source and further reading
Not Drowning but Waving: Message(s) to Policymakers—MMC
Ali M. Saad, PhD; Derek Thomson; Prof. Chris Goodier — Loughborough University.
What we’re asking policymakers to do
- Back interoperability through standards and incentives.
- Fund and mandate a national Never Events / Lessons Observatory.
- Shift to TOTEX and whole-life outcome measures in public procurement.
- Pre-approve repeatable systems to streamline planning and procurement.
- Invest in skills that bridge factory and site.
Do this, and the UK gets more homes, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure—delivered faster, safer, greener, and at better value to the taxpayer.