Dynamic new specialist engineering group aims to end outdated procurement and wasteful tendering practices
A new organisation which aims to create an authoritative voice for specialist trades across the Scottish construction industry is being launched at a ceremony to be held in Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on Tuesday 26th June.
The principal aims of the Specialist Engineering Contracting Group Scotland (SEC Group Scotland) include lobbying to banish outmoded procurement methods, wasteful tendering procedures and contractual practices that encourage late payment and damage cash flow. It will also promote the reduction of waste and inefficiencies throughout the sector.The formation of the new group, whose members collectively contribute more than £2bn to the Scottish economy and which will represent the interests of electricians, plumbers, heating and ventilation engineers, lift and escalator specialists and structural steel engineers, is a major step forward in advancing collective interests. Together these trades represent the largest single component (by value) of Scottish construction output.
It follows the success of a similar grouping in England and Wales and SEC Group Scotland will take advantage of the original grouping’s established procedures and constitutional experience.
Trade bodies which will join SEC Group Scotland at launch will include SELECT, the authoritative body for the electrotechnical industry; SNIPEF, the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation; B&ES, the Building and Engineering Services Association; LEIA, the Lift and Escalator Industry Association; BCSA, the British Constructional Steelwork Association.
Prof. Rudi Klein, chief executive of SEC Group Scotland, said, ‘These are the trades which really bring a building to life. They are the ones who make it function, and they are all highly trained specialists. They account for a significant amount of employment and they make a major contribution to the Scottish economy.’
Prof. Klein added that SEC Group Scotland will be designed to strengthen the representative voice of specialists within the construction industry in their dealings with both national and local government.
As well as support for green investment, consideration will be given also to various aspects of the procurement process, including purchase and payment and means of protecting the supply chain as contracts and projects progress.
He said SEC Group Scotland would be strongly recommending the institution of project bank accounts, in which payments due at particular times are paid into the account to create a safety net for the supply chain in the event of a main contractor or other vital party failing.
Prof. Klein said, ‘All trades companies are operating in a complex contractual and financial environment these days and the formation of SEC Group Scotland is a very positive step towards acting in a concerted manner to advance our legitimate interests.’
