A contractor’s wish list

Getting paid was a serious issue for the founding members of the fledgling association way back in 1904 and it is a problem that refuses to go away. However, we have high hopes for this year’s Government Review of the Construction Act and that it will finally deliver real payment security for specialist contractors. The original Act was a huge step forward for the industry, but its benefits have still not reached the furthest recesses of our sector and recent research showed that late payment was as bad as ever – here and in the rest of Europe.

It is a fundamental human right that one should be paid the agreed price for work honestly and professionally completed. I cannot think of any other business where it would be considered just or even legal to withhold a percentage of a professional fee in the casual and arbitrary way it is in construction. The HVCA hopes that 2005 will be the year when the scandal of retentions is sorted out once and for all. We might even see some benefit for small to medium enterprises from the decision by the European Commission to undertake, early in 2005, an in-depth review of the practical impact of the Late Payment Directive.

There is a direct link between how business partners treat each other and the sustainable agenda. There is no chance of our industry delivering buildings that work better for the long-term good of society and the environment, if we can’t even work together in civilised and well-structured teams.

People who feel valued, rewarded and trusted are more motivated and inclined to deliver a better end product time after time. You cannot have one without the other and this is a message that must be rammed home during 2005 as our search for sustainable solutions gathers pace.

On the domestic front, CORGI seems determined to spread its influence far and wide. No one would dispute that it has done a great job to improve gas safety standards, but it has developed far-reaching ambitions that threaten to distract it from this core task. With major new health and safety objectives to be unveiled in the early part of this year, it is more important than ever that the HSE keeps a firm grip on CORGI and its remit.

On the procurement front: The principle of PFI and PPP cannot be faulted, but the delivery has left something to be desired. The HVCA would like to see continued commitment from both the public sector and the industry to this method of delivering vital amenities, but with positive strides taken to refine, improve and develop the concept further.

In the area of consumer protection from rogue traders, we look forward to the introduction of the Government supported Quality Schemes (the successors to Quality Mark). The HVCA will maintain its lead position as ‘champion’ of the cause and will capitalise on our established independent inspection and assessment regime by being among the first of the Quality Scheme operators in 2005.

Now that little lot should make a very satisfactory year’s work!

Robert Higgs, director of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association (HVCA)