Looking for a supplier? Interested in becoming a SAPCA member? Tel: +44 (0)24 7641 6316 •
www.sapca.org.uk
THE HIGHLIGHTS:
The Pitch & Track Registration Scheme protects investments in pitches and tracks by making sure they are fit for purpose and of a high standard of construction. Any facility owner using a member
of SAPCA’s Pitch & Track Divisions for its synthetic sports pitch or ath- letics track project is encouraged to ensure that their project has been registered on the scheme. It offers valuable feedback mech-
anisms to further boost industry standards. Facility owners are ad- vised to only use SAPCA members as contractors involved in sports and play installations to safeguard quality and combat poor workmanship and low standards.
the SAPCA member is making a commitment to enforcing strict quality guidelines to ensure the build is fit for purpose.
The benefits are simple Mark Oakley of SAPCA approved contractors Hunter Construction, explains that the scheme is there specifically to safeguard facility own- ers. He outlines some of the key benefits to the end user: “We see a number of problems with projects involving non-specialist designers and contractors, whether it’s through inadequate designs being put forward or simply because a contractor has said a proposal would work when it was, at best, an unrealistic timeframe, or even worse, an unfeasible concept. “I would like to stress that the Pitch and
Track Registration Scheme is intended as a further safeguard for a client and to offer re- assurance of the quality of an installation and its contractors. It is by no means intended to replace the role of a consultant engineer or designer on a project. Contracts with difficult ground conditions, retaining walls and many oth- er issues need the services of a consultant with a civil engineering background to ensure that the base-works and drainage are competently designed and built.” In spite of this, like many contractors under the scheme, Oakley is adamant that it brings clear
Issue 3 2013 © cybertrek 2013 The scheme will improve standards
Many facility owners expect work to be car- ried out under independent quality assurance schemes overseen by the contractor; however, Mark argues that the SAPCA scheme “is ulti- mately of more worth because it is specific to the individual contract. For me, the benefits are simple. It offers assurance that the correct con- struction standards have been followed and that construction of the pitch, or track, is by a com- pany that has been approved to build facilities of that type.” It’s important that facility owners understand
RECEIVING FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS USEFUL TO ADDRESS ISSUES OR TO KNOW WHERE SYSTEMS WORK WELL
advantages: “We have found the scheme brings added value to purchasers as an assurance that the contract will be carried out to the required standard,” he adds. “And there’s always the ben- efit of the technical mediation service in the unlikely event that things go wrong.”
the real life applications of the scheme and the inherent benefits. Contractors such as Oakley serve to clarify key points and add credibility be- cause they are actively making use of the scheme for the benefit of the sports facility developer, owner and operator.
Vital feedback to improve standards The feedback aspect of the scheme, coupled with SAPCA’s initiative to operate a programme of random inspections to maintain a high quality of work and ensure quality standards are being met, means that any feedback received is often more likely to be objective and include any is- sues that otherwise may not have been raised with the contractor. “Receiving feedback from clients is always useful to address issues or to know where
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