PSIBouw was a four year research programme aimed at improving the Dutch Construction Industry through innovation. I was pleased to serve on the International Advisory Board. PSIBouw have published a document, DURF, summarising their results. Information is also available on the WEB links below. The following is the introduction to the document prepared by the PSIBouw Project Team

Ronald McCaffer

Introduction by PSIBouw Project Team

The last four years PSIBouw has been the driving programme for the innovation of the construction sector in the Netherlands. This publication provides an overview for an international audience of the most important experiences and lessons of the programme.

This whole publication has been collected into nine part for ease of use. It is one whole, but each part is self-contained. Parts 1 to 6 describe innovation themes that PSIBouw has worked on. Part 7 discusses the programme's innovative practical projects, part 8 discusses the future of construction and part 9 gives a review of the PSIBouw phenomenon itself.

The contents are

1 Culture and behaviour

2 Building for consumers

3 Collaboration and integration of the chain

4 tendering procedures and benchmarking

5 ICT and construction

6 Knowledge and education

7 practical projects

8 Outlook for the construction sector

9 The PSIBouw programme

Each part has the same structure: theme introduction, experiences, practical lessons, a reflection and a review of publications, instruments, practical projects, websites and people.

All source material will remain available, first at www.psibouw.nl (click 'Raddpleeg Archief'' in 'type informatie ' panel select 'english documents' and click 'Selectie verwigderen' and hopefully you'll get the Englsh summmary of DURF) 

and later at www.regieraadbouw.nl and other successors of PSIBouw, so that it is available for current and future innovators.

We wish you inspiration, courage and daring.

March 2009

Henk van der Horst is CEO PSIBouw, PSI Bouw, Groningweg 10, Postbus 420, 2880 AK Gouda, Netherlands or contact Rinke van der Veen Regb [Rinke.vanderVeen@Regieraadbouw.nl]