In association with
NEWS
Contractors’ Corner
On 18 April 2016, Scottish contracting authorities with large annual procurement budgets became statutorily bound to declare how they intended to ensure 30 day payments along their supply chains.
SEC Group Scotland has conducted a survey of contracting authorities to examine compliance levels in relation to supply chain payments. The Specialist Engineering
Contractors’ (SEC) Group Scotland has since surveyed contracting authorities to establish the extent of compliance with this requirement. Responses were received from 29 contracting authorities. The survey resulted in a number of key findings: ■ 13 (45%) authorities were not considered to be compliant.
■ From the evidence provided, it was not absolutely clear whether four (14%) authorities were compliant.
■ Three (10%) authorities were taking steps to comply.
■ Nine authorities (31%) were considered to be compliant.
According to SEC Group Scotland, the primary reasons for non-compliance were:
■ Lack of evidence demonstrating that 30 day payments were required in tier 2 and tier 3 contracts, that is, sub-contracts and sub-sub-contracts.
■ No indication of measures such as performance monitoring to ensure compliance along the supply chain.
■ Failure to accurately reflect the requirement in the legislation – [Section 15 (5)(d), Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014] – that the 30 days commences from presentation of invoice or similar claim.
Eddie Myles, SEC Group Scotland’s chairman, said that it was still “early days” but contracting authorities required clearer guidance on what they needed to do to ensure compliance.
He added: “Anecdotal evidence from SMEs in our sector suggests that little has changed. The easiest way to ensure compliance in many cases is to use project bank accounts as suggested in the statutory guidance accompanying the legislation.” SEC Group has incorporated the survey results in a report to the
cabinet secretary for finance and the constitution and the minister for business, innovation and energy. The report holds a number of recommendations, including the appointment of a ‘construction regulator’ to oversee compliance and promote best practice in public sector procurement.
Alan Lusty, the chief executive of Birmingham engineering firm adi Group believes that teaching children of all ages practical engineering skills through ‘pre-apprenticeship’ schemes will help to grow the next generation of qualified engineers:
“It’s no secret that UK industry is struggling to recruit the home- grown talent it needs to compete in an increasingly globalised world. Technology has changed the face of engineering immensely; fully automated production lines and other high-tech devices are now commonplace in many manufacturing environments.
“Those of us who work in the industry know how cutting-edge and exciting it is, but this message sometimes gets lost in translation.
Add to this the fact that it can be a struggle to find quality work experience and it’s easy to see why today’s young people aren’t being pushed in the right direction. “This is why businesses and schools must work together to offer practical training from an early age. Children are naturally curious, and if we harness this instinct early on we can instil an appetite for engineering in them that will influence their choices in later life.
“We believe the pre-apprenticeship model we currently offer provides a useful framework for companies wanting to support this initiative. Through a structured and accredited course, the pre-apprentices learn the practical, hands-on skills needed to carve a career in either mechanical or electrical engineering. These include welding, basic wiring, health and safety and reading technical drawings. “There is no short-term solution to the skills gap or low levels of productivity, but if we can educate children and get them excited about a career in engineering, we will make considerable progress in growing the workforce.”
D National distribution Next day delivery ry
E
Thermofrost SPECIAL
10 October 2017 London / Birmingham m / ManchesterLISTS S Exclusive brands Experts support
www.acr-news.com
N
R
I
R
I N
T O
A I
T
N
G U
R I
T
I
O R D
A
C F N
N
I
G
A
R
I
L
O
E
I
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
