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Fair enough? T


Progress is being made on improving industry fair payment practices, but more still needs to be done – and ECA members can help, as SEC Group chairman Trevor Hursthouse explains


imely payment and adequate cash-flow are the life blood of any business, and so it is not surprising that promoting ’fair payment‘ on behalf of all member associations has


always been a high priority for the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group. For the purpose of addressing payment issues, through a


concerted and effective lobbying campaign, back in 2006 SEC Group secured a meeting with the then Financial Secretary to the Treasury – John Healey MP – to talk about payment issues facing the construction industry,


particularly SMEs and Tier 2 contractors. In the short time available, SEC Group representatives were able to get their concerns across in a way that appeared to have some impact on the minister and his officials. This was confirmed by the fact that, soon afterwards, the Public Sector Construction Client’s Forum (PSCCF) set up a Fair Payment Working Group. The working group – chaired by Archie Robertson of


the Highways Agency – included representation from public and private sector bodies and all sectors of the construction industry, including SEC Group Arising from the efforts of the Robertson working group,


the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) demonstrated a clear commitment to improving payment practises in the industry, and published the Guide to best ‘Fair Payment’ practices in 2007, setting out cross-industry agreement on the principles of fair payment, a model Charter and guidance on Project Bank Accounts (PBAs). The aim of the guide and recommendations was to


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ECA Today March 2011


SHUTTERSTOCK


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