Considerate Constructors to sign up clients

The Considerate Constructors Scheme, which monitors contractors’ behaviour on site, is to ask clients to join.

In return for registering all their sites, developers would receive regular reports on how quiet, safe and environmentally sensitive their contractors are.

Grosvenor Estates, Stanhope, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, the Highways Agency, the Peabody Trust and Hillingdon Homes have all expressed an interest.

Edward Hardy, the director of the scheme, approached the firms after the idea was discussed over lunch at the Savoy hotel in central London earlier this month.

“Nearly half of all registered sites are there because the client has stipulated registration,” said Hardy. “I’ve written to the clients that expressed an interest and am waiting for their replies. We’re going through the formalities.”

Under the terms of the initiative, client partners will ensure registration with the scheme on as many sites as possible and will provide a director or other senior representative as a contact.

The Construction Clients Group, a sub-section of Constructing Excellence, said it would help promote the scheme.

Clients will be able to join the scheme for free because contractors will still pay about £600+VAT to register each site. At present, contractors can register each site individually or become an associate member for three years, agreeing to sign up all of their sites for £3,000 a year.

All projects lasting longer than six weeks are eligible for the scheme. It currently monitors about 30% of the UK’s sites and inspects about 1,000 of them every month.

The scheme will name the country’s most considerate construction companies, from a shortlist of 48 firms, at an awards dinner next month.