NEC Annual Conference 2026: Scaling excellence in a new age of delivery

18 June 2026
NEC Annual Conference
One Great George Street, Westminster, London

NEC Contracts has announced the programme for its flagship NEC Annual Conference 2026, taking place on 18 June 2026 at One Great George Street, Westminster. This year’s theme, ‘Scaling Excellence in a New Age of Delivery,’ sets the agenda for a full day of sessions, breakout workshops and peer-to-peer networking, culminating in the prestigious Martin Barnes Awards ceremony.

Moderated by Matthew Garratt, Commercial Director at Dalkia, EDF Group and Member of the NEC Contract Board, the conference will address some of the most pressing forces reshaping infrastructure delivery today. Sessions will cover driving resilience and innovation in volatile markets, rethinking long-term value, the implications of the Procurement Act and the Construction Works and Associated Services 3 (CWAS3) framework, and the future of collaborative alliancing through NEC.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Peter Higgins, Chair, NEC Contract Board
• David Hancock, Director of Construction, National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA)
• Professor Lewis Barlow, Decarbonisation Head of Profession, WSP UK, and ICE Trustee for Carbon and Climate
• Alison Nicholl, Head of Constructing Excellence, BRE
• Claire Kirk, Carbon Performance Lead, Environment Agency
• Dawn Mathias, Commercial Deputy Director, Government Commercial Agency (GCA)
• Helen Sturdy, National Head of Construction and ProCure23 Framework, NHS England
• Amanda Meeder, Manager, NEC4 Knowledge Center Oosterweel, Lantis
• Oliver Conde, Global Work Winning Director, Mace Consult
• Stuart Grant, Director of Asset Management and Operations, Tideway
• Sam Costello, UK Major Programmes Lead, Turner and Townsend
• Luke Butler, Professor of Public Procurement Law and Regulation, University of Nottingham
• Anusha Shah, CEO and Founder, Plan for Earth
• Katherine Drayson, Senior Environment Manager, TfL
• Jamie Hillier, Partner, Akerlof
• Ambrose McGuire, Program Director, AECOM
• Jyoti Sehdev CEng MICE, Senior Sustainability Engineer, Costain

In addition to headline sessions, a programme of interactive breakout sessions will offer delegates the opportunity to explore practical challenges in smaller groups, with a focus on collaboration, knowledge-sharing and peer insight.

“The agenda for the NEC Annual Conference is carefully curated to ensure we address the challenges our global industries are genuinely facing,” said Rekha Thawrani OBE, Global Director, NEC Contracts.

“We are proud of the quality of those who join us every year – speakers, sponsors and attendees who each bring genuine expertise to the room. This year the conference follows our first global industry research report, Trust, Contracts and Outcomes: A Global Study of Construction Supply Chain Relationships, which draws on perspectives from professionals across the UK, Australia, Peru, Singapore and Hong Kong. The research shows that industries are under significant commercial pressure, but there is growing recognition of the value of collaborative contracting. The challenge now is giving more organisations the confidence and the mechanisms to act on it. The NEC Annual Conference is an ideal platform to do just that.”

The day will culminate in the Martin Barnes Awards ceremony, celebrating outstanding achievement in the application of NEC contracts worldwide, followed by an evening drinks reception.

For full agenda details and to book tickets, visit neccontract.com/conference. Tickets are priced at £435 per person, with discounts available for NEC Users’ Group Platinum and Gold members.