Selection Criteria for the Award

1] Each nominated innovation is judged on its effect upon the construction process.  It can be an innovation in the construction process itself or in materials, design, equipment, detailing, contract administration, labor relations, management, training, procurement, etc. that improve the construction process.  A project can be nominated for its innovative concepts or methods.

2] The innovation must be a proven success.  It must have had a positive, important effect on construction, to improve quality or reduce cost.  Innovation is the implementatioin of new methods and technologies.  It is not merely an idea that has merit and may be successful in the future.  It must promote good, acceptable construction practices.

3] The innovation must be a significant advance, not just a natural evolution of existing methods, common sense, or good practice.

4] The innovation must be documentable and presentable.  Innovators and their employers must disclose sufficient information about the innovation to allow documentation for the Jury and an informative presentation at the Construction Innovation Celebration.

About The Construction Innovation Forum

    The Construction Innovation Forum (CIF) is a non-profit oranization founded in 1986 by a group of concerned industry leaders seeking to improve quality and reduce the cost of construction.  The CIF's sole purpose is to identify and honor the innovations tha thave demonstrated a substantial contribution and to improve the industry.
    The NOVA Award was created by the CIF to recognize individuals, corporations, or other organization whose innovative work deserves the recognition in the industry.  Individuals in the construction industry are encouraged to submit nominations for recognition of such work.  Once a year, a panel of distinguished industry experts reviews these nominations and selects some to receive the NOVA Award.
    The inspiration for the NOVA Awards came from a major construction industry study sponsored by the Business Roundtable (BR) - an association of the CEO's of the country's largest corporations.  That study, the Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness (CICE) project, involved more than 250 representatives from owners, contractors, and construction industry organizations.  The CICE team published 23 separate reports on specific problem areas in construction, the first extensive analysis of construction practice  and its impact on productivity ever performed in the U.S. by private industry.  Among hundreds of observations and conclusions reached in this unique study one surprising statistic stands out:  productivity in the U.S. construction industry declined by nearly 20 percent in the preceding 20 years.  Construction was the only sector of the economy that registered consistent productivity declines every year between 1965 and 1985.
    The causes for the decline cited in the CICE reports included:  outdated management techniques, inefficient labor practices, and entrenched adversarial relationships between the industry's many segments.  But a significant common thread that runs through many findings presented in the CICE reports is the slow pace of innovation at every level of the construction industry.
    The Construction Innovation Forum, through its cross-industry membership and its diversified base of endorsements and financial support, is in itself an innovative catalyst that is bringing the highly decentralized construction industry together to draw international recognition to its innovative achievements so they may prosper and multiply.
    You do not have to be a member of the CIF to submit a nomination for the NOVA Award.  Self nominations are welcomed.
    Membership in the CIF is open to any member of the construction industry.  Our current membership includes:

• Corporate owners who purchase construction services

• Government agencies and departments

• Schools and universities, and their faculty

• Research Institutions

• Architects

• Engineers

• Industry Consultants

• Contractors/Construction Managers

• Specialty Contractors

• Industry Associations

• Labor Organizations

• Suppliers