Global Director of NEC Contracts featured in New Civil Engineer

^{Global Director of NEC Contracts Rekha Thawrani}

Global Director of NEC Contracts Rekha Thawrani was invited to share her insights on digital innovation and the need for NEC Digital in the construction industry.

Thawrani was invited to share her insights in a piece for the New Civil Engineer – the member magazine of the Institution of Civil Engineers – earlier this year. 

Advocating for a change to the existing paper-based culture of construction contracting, Thawrani's piece covers the merits of a cloud-based drafting system, and the obvious need for better collaboration, including democratisation of access. 

The Global Director chisels deeper down into the purpose of NEC’s powerful new online drafting tool NEC Digital, as follows:

‘Infrastructure is central to the UK Government’s growth agenda. We’re being asked to deliver more, faster, with limited resources. We cannot do this whilst clinging to processes designed for a different era … This isn’t about technology for technology’s sake. It’s about recognising that the way we contract shapes the culture in which we deliver projects.  

‘If we want collaboration, innovation and better outcomes, we need contracts and contract management processes that enable rather than obstruct these goals.’ 

She cites the 2025 NEC industry research report Transforming Construction: Smarter, greener, together, noting that from more than 250 industry professionals surveyed, 40% have a clear digital roadmap and 26% consider digital core to their business. The culture, however, has still changed very little, but NEC Digital can show that there is a better way. 

Read the full piece ‘Achieving collaborative culture change through digital contracts’ on the New Civil Engineer website.