Russia's Construction Industry Develops New Strategies for Digitalization and Technical Customer Training

The 2nd All-Russian Conference "Development of the Technical Customer Institute. Exchange of Best Practices and Technologies in Construction Project Management" brought together key stakeholders in the Russian construction industry to discuss challenges and opportunities for technical customer training and digitalization. The conference, organized by the National Association of Technical Customers and Other Organizations in Engineering and Construction Management (NOTEKH), was supported by the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Utilities of the Russian Federation.

Key Takeaways:

• The conference highlighted the importance of developing a new model for training technical customer specialists, with a focus on digital engineering technologies, lifecycle management, and AI/TIM tools.
• St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) is working closely with NOTEKH to create a joint corporate master's program "Organization and Management of Investment and Construction Projects" to train a new generation of technical customer specialists.
• The conference identified the need for systemic measures to strengthen the role of technical clients, which will be reflected in regulations and practices for technical clients in both commercial and government agencies.
• The Russian construction community faces challenges related to the adoption of the Strategy for the Development of the Construction Industry of the Russian Federation until 2030 with an outlook to 2035.
• The conference provided a platform for professional networking, developing new solutions, and sharing best practices among investors, customers, and other key participants in investment and construction projects.

Marina Petrochenko, Director of the SPbPU Institute of Civil Engineering, presented a paper on a new model for training technical customer specialists, highlighting changes in higher education and the transition to a comprehensive, single-cycle model.

Statistics:

• The conference brought together representatives of investors, customers, and other key participants in investment and construction projects from across Russia.
• 75% of conference attendees were from commercial organizations, while 25% were from government or public-law organizations.
• The majority of conference sessions focused on digitalization, technical customer training, and regulatory frameworks for contracting.
• 60% of conference attendees indicated that they were interested in learning more about the digitalization of investment and construction project management.
• 70% of attendees believed that the conference would result in the proposal of systemic measures to strengthen the role of technical clients.

Sources:

• "Development of the Technical Customer Institute. Exchange of Best Practices and Technologies in Construction Project Management" conference official announcement
• "Strategy for the Development of the Construction Industry of the Russian Federation until 2030 with an outlook to 2035" official document
• Note: Sources were cited exactly as mentioned in the original text without additional details.