So how can you protect yourself? First things fi rst – be careful who you work for and check their credit rating. Always read your subcontracts and look out for onerous conditions, particularly in relation to payment. Next, agree a payment schedule with the employer or contractor, and with any subcontractors make sure you meet the dates. In addition, make sure your applications for payment are fully detailed and keep records of the project, including photos of progress or delayed areas. And above all – chase, chase and chase payment. Another thing to consider is collecting retentions, which as you will know, many contractors aren’t good at doing. Make up a list and chase them down. Also keep on top of your quality on site, and keep rectifying defective workmanship as you go – DON’T leave it till the end of the project.
T e impact on health I now want to turn to the serious issue of health. With many of my clients, I see fi rst-hand the impact of fi nancial concerns on home and family, with business owners suff ering sleepless nights as they fi ght for survival. The answer is to fi nd a good adviser to talk
DO YOU NEED HELP?
If your mental health is suff ering as a result of payment issues, the
Electrical Industries Charity can help. To fi nd out more, call 020 3696 1710 or go to
www.electricalcharity.org
to and share your problems with – and of course SELECT can help you there.
Some good news Now one piece of good news for the industry. On 18 March, the Construction Industry Council (CIC) launched the CIC Low Value Adjudication Procedure. This is aimed at low value disputes up to £50,000, with fi xed costs for the adjudicator as follows to gives parties complete certainty of costs: ●Claim value up to £10,000 – fee of £2,000 ●Claim value £10,001 to £25,000 – fee of £3,500 ●Claim value £25,001 to £50,000 – fee of £6,000 ●Claim value of over £50,000 – fee to be negotiated. Disputes like this should easily be dealt with in 28 days and you probably
don’t need lawyers if it’s a straight- forward payment issue. This is very good news for the construction industry and you should seriously consider putting this process into your subcontracts. If you want to hear more about this, then please contact myself or Alan Wilson at SELECT.
So where will we be in three months’ time? The answer is, goodness only knows. As I write this, I’ve had seven calls this morning about payment problems so I feel gloomy about the future of the industry. To me, it’s incredible that in Scotland we seem to run into trouble continually in relation to the procurement of major construction projects and now in building ferries. Government and the industry need to work closely to resolve it, but I know this is an area that SELECT and SEC Group will continue to be very actively involved in.
i
If you have any comments or questions about the industry that you would like addressed, please email len@
buntonconsulting.co.uk
CABLEtalk APRIL/MAY 2020 35
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
