The company has now signed three-year deals with suppliers of timber frame and light-gauge steel frame systems to reduce reliance on on-site trades.

To help provide economics of scale for its nationwide residential building capability, Willmott Dixon has signed the sole supplier agreements with Robertson Timber Engineering timber frame products, and Fusion Building Systems to provide light-gauge steel frames.

Willmott Dixon’s residential construction chief operating officer Charlie Scherer said: “This is an important step in our strategy to provide a high quality product that utilises all the benefits of factory-made systems while also reducing our exposure to the labour price escalation we’ve seen in recent years.

“We aim to be building 1,000 homes a year by 2017 using systems provided by Robertson and Fusion, with the consistent quality also aiding our zero defects strategy.”

Tim Carey, product director for Willmott Dixon, said: “If we are to address the significant capacity gap that currently exists in the construction sector, we need to think strategically about our supply chain.

“The selection of Robertson and Fusion will help maximise efficiencies across our projects, enabling us to deliver as many high-quality homes in as short a time frame as possible while ensuring they are delivered to the quality our clients deserve.”