Increased collaboration and ecosystem thinking: the future of the construction sector according to its customers - Summary Report.

Starting from the ‘inside-out’ approach from the first KPMG study that was carried out in 2023, the Vision Committee launched a second KPMG study with an ‘outside-in’ perspective. This study focused on the vision of the (end) customers within the construction sector in order to further refine the insights from the first study. Aligning the ‘inside-out’ findings with the ‘outside-in’ needs was central to this, while the study mainly considered the views on new forms of collaboration and ecosystems based on the pursuit of common interests.

The study focused on four target groups:
1. public-sector clients (B2G: federal and regional authorities, cities and municipalities)
2. private clients, split into:
- professional end customers (B2B: investors, companies…)
- developers (B2B, not end customers)
- private end customers (B2C).

40 professional clients and end users from the construction sector were interviewed for this project in order to find out about their vision of future challenges for the sector and their experience with collaboration models during construction projects. In addition, a limited survey was conducted among 60 private developers during which input was also collected relating to their experiences while carrying out self-build projects.

The survey looked at how the sector should organise itself in order to collaborate more efficiently within a thriving ecosystem. In addition, questions were asked regarding the creation of an ecosystem in which all parties would pursue the same interests on the one hand and about how the sector can evolve from a ‘red ocean’ situation (a traditional and fiercely competitive market) towards a more collaborative and innovative model (‘blue ocean’) by reviewing the value chain in order to create an ecosystem that is beneficial for all parties on the other hand. It was also examined as to whether a distinction should be made between unique projects and large-scale projects such as offices and schools.

To encourage more self-reflection within the sector, KPMG examined a number of collaboration models from other sectors and countries. The interviews with the various stakeholders – conducted according to the principles of ‘listen, summarise and keep asking questions’ – provided valuable insights that can help the construction sector further in its transformation towards a sustainable future.

In the summary of this second study, our aim was to inform the sector regarding the new ideas relating to ecosystem thinking from the customer’s perspective.