Procure smarter

In his speech to the Tory Party Conference this week, cabinet office minister Francis Maude said that the Government was entitled to receive "handsome discounts" from its suppliers.
The Construction Alliance is very concerned that the existing procurement practises and mechanisms for awarding work continue to be used and that the savings that Government needs are simply being achieved through reducing the overall budgets.

It would be far more effective to ‘procure smarter’ than procure traditionally.

We believe that there are many inefficient practises in procurement and our members would be pleased to support the work of the Government’s spending advisor Sir Philip Green on waste. If he is successful then the industry will be able to combat the effects of falling turnover and the significant impact of reduced training of apprentices and young managers.

The member federations of the Construction Alliance have been suggesting mechanisms to improve the efficiency of Government procurement. The Strategic Forum for Construction, which is construction’s only pan-industry body, is now concluding a number of initiatives aimed at improving efficiencies within the industry. Key amongst these are better integration of supply chains, preparations for the carbon economy, better health and safety and work on Construction Commitments. Also on the agenda is better regulation to reduce some of the structural inefficiencies within the industry.

- Mark Wakeford – chief spokesperson, the Construction Alliance

posted by The Construction Alliance : 09:40