How to solve your construction project delays in 2026

Описание: Are your construction projects constantly falling behind schedule? In this video, we dive into the latest UK construction industry statistics for 2025 and 2026 to uncover why delays are happening and, more importantly, how you can survive them.


Learn why 95% of UK projects faced delays last year and how these time overruns are driving massive cost increases across the sector. We also share actionable strategies for collaboration, procurement, and dispute resolution to help your firm stay profitable during the 2026 infrastructure rebound.





Key Moments & Chapters

00:00 – The Reality of Construction Delays in the UK


00:45 – 2025 Statistics: Overall Delay Rates & Infrastructure


01:30 – The True Cost: Duration and Financial Impact


02:15 – Why are projects delayed? (Skills, Regulation & Supply Chain)



03:00 – 3 Strategies to Survive 2026


04:10 – The Good News: 2026 Forecast & Output Growth


05:00 – Join the Discussion: What is causing your delays?

Full Transcript
Introduction Delays, delays, delays. It is the biggest question facing our industry today: Are you going to accept your projects being delayed, or are you going to do something about it? Let's look at the current UK statistics to see the scale of the challenge.



The Current State of UK Construction Recent industry analysis suggests that as many as 95% of UK construction projects experienced delays in 2025. When we look specifically at major infrastructure works, that figure sits between 85% and 90%. For projects that are held up, the median timeframe has stretched to over 200 days, meaning delayed projects are taking, on average, 73% longer than originally estimated.



The Root Causes of Delay Why is this happening? It’s a combination of several critical factors:


Skills Shortage: We’ve seen a 10% labour reduction since 2020.


Regulatory Bottlenecks: BSA and local authority backlogs are stalling progress.


Supply Chain Volatility: Inflation and insolvency are creating high levels of risk.


Administrative Disputes: Poor contract administration is leading to unnecessary friction.

The Financial Impact Delays are rarely just about time; they are the primary driver of cost overruns. Currently, projects are seeing an average cost increase of 18% to 28% directly linked to time overruns.


How to Survive 2026 To thrive in this environment, you need a proactive strategy:


Collaboration: Get early and regular advice from specialists—planners, designers, and key trades—and actually listen to them.

Procure On Time: You cannot beat inflation by waiting. Repricing and redesigning usually results in getting less for the same money.

Dispute Resolution: Don’t let problems linger. Find a suitable compromise and get back to working together.

The Good News for 2026 There is light at the end of the tunnel. After a slump in 2025, total UK construction output is forecast to grow by 3.5% to 4.5% in 2026. Civil engineering specifically is set for a massive 17% rebound, fueled by energy, transport, and water (AMP8) projects. Business optimism reached a 5-month high in January 2026, with 37% of firms expecting output to rise.




Conclusion What is causing the most delays on your specific projects? Let’s discuss it in the comments below.


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