RIBA launch the revamped plan of work

The Royal Institute of British Architects this week officially launched the RIBA Plan of Work 2013.

Following a comprehensive review, this major upgrade ensures that the 50 year-old RIBA Plan of Work continues to reflect the very best principles in contemporary building practice. In addition to essential updates, on elements such as procurement and sustainability, for the first time some tasks can be tailored using an online tool.

The RIBA Plan of Work was first conceived at a time when the regulatory framework for building design and construction, industry structures and procurement arrangements were simpler and more fixed, and very different from those we see today. The publication of the UK Government Construction Strategy gave an impetus to the RIBA to take a guiding role, working with the Construction Industry Council (CIC), in shaping a set of unified work stages suitable for use by all the members of the project team.

The 2013 edition updates the industry’s process model to address key changes in areas such as procurement, town planning, sustainability, BIM and construction delivery.

The new RIBA Plan of Work 2013 replaces the former stages A-L in the RIBA Outline Plan of Work 2007 with eight stages, defined by numbers 0-7, and eight task bars that replace the description of key tasks. Three of these task bars (procurement, programme and planning) can be customised by the user via a new online tool.