Appendix B: Contracts informed by systems-thinking can overcome the silo effect

In 1993 the first NEC (New Engineering Contract) was published by the Institution of Civil Engineers. It was designed to be simpler than previous contracts and to stimulate more collaboration and better management. After 2 years a second edition appeared and, after a decade of use, in 2005 the NEC3 suite of documents was launched (NEC, 2016a). NEC3 is now widely endorsed by governments and industry. In this appendix we explore how, although NEC3 does not explicitly refer to systems-thinking, it embodies much of the integrative approach of Doing it Differently, and used together they can stimulate even greater collaboration.