Mandatory 30-day payments for all government jobs

Launched by the Strategic Forum, the construction commitments come simultaneous with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's (BERR) Strategy for Sustainable Construction and are designed to enforce its goals, which include: recruiting 230,000 extra workers by 2010; cutting deaths at work by 10% year-on-year; ensuring a quarter of construction materials are responsibly sourced by 2012.

Building magazine reported that although 30-day payments are supposed to be standard practice, some public sector contractors, including Carillion, have been known to operate far longer periods on some contracts. It is understood that the government will insist on the 30-day clause in all future contracts, said Building.

The full list of construction commitments include: 30-day payment periods, with no unfair witholding of retentions; project bank accounts where practicable; project-specific agreements between unions and employers; local employment projects and training initiatives; clear identification of client structure and responisibilities; best practice approaches to resource use, waste minimisation and low-carbon performance; client to produce clear brief before design commences; occupational health strategy for every project.