Construction groups have launched a call for urgent action on the regional procurement process.
Construction Alliance North East (CAN) and Construction Industry Council North East (CIC NE) have come together to reach out to local authorities and procurement chiefs, in a bid to improve procurement practices and create a fairer construction business environment in the region. Launched in 2015, CAN champions the interests of hundreds of regional contractors, while the CIC represents a broad range of built environment professional bodies.
The two organisations met recently with companies including Surgo, BCE Northern Ltd, RE:GEN Group, Persimmon, XSite Architecture and Studio SP, amid growing concern for the resilience of the North East construction sector. Concerns have been raised by architects, builders and contractors about the plight of the planning and procurement systems, saying there is a disconnect between planning and procurement teams and those tendering for contracts.
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CAN board member and NCBF junior vice president Matthew McCarrick said: “The actual gripe seems to be that many bodies appear to be hiding behind the computer screens and red tape. We just can’t engage with them sufficiently. In some ways it doesn’t drill down into procurement and whether or not it helps to have a local contractor or a national one, but if you can’t speak with the person who is the gatekeeper, how do we try to get the projects started?”
CIC NE regional chair Chandra Vemury said: “The scale of the problems which have been identified has surprised me. We have a need to build local resilience in complex situations, which can be achieved through improved understanding, and communication between various professional teams operating within construction projects and by creating fair opportunities for companies based in the North East of England.
“Fair pay is one of those campaigns we are tackling, essentially improving conditions for local professional firms, local consultancies and local contracting firms so that if things get much harder economically these companies don’t necessarily end up being pushed to the tether.”
CAN and CIC NE are now set to approach mayoral candidates for the newly-developed North East Combined Authority to discuss their concerns.
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