The recently completed Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology at Dudley College is something of a landmark building for architects, because it is one of the very first – and so far the largest – designed and built under the new integrated project insurance (IPI) model.

It is no exaggeration to say that IPI has the potential to transform procurement. From the client’s point of view, the benefits are clear and significant – as Cullinan Studio outlined in this article. The IPI approach can give clients the confidence that every single supplier is equally invested in delivering their project to budget, on time and with maximum focus on quality. It reduces waste and can make carbon net zero targets achievable.

There are also big benefits for architects, but there is no doubt that the IPI approach takes some getting used to. It is a form of alliancing, but it requires a completely different mindset to traditional, management and design & build contracts. And that brings challenges as well as opportunities.

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