We join Construction Scotland in welcoming the recommendations made in the independent review of Scottish public sector procurement in construction. Announced by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on 15 May, the report emphasises the need for the public sector and construction industry to work more closely together than ever to address the challenges they face.
We are delighted to work closely with Construction Scotland and our Senior Partner Alastair Wallace is chair of Construction Scotland’s Procurement Working Group and a member of its Industry Leadership Group.
Alastair said addressing the “over complicated†and “prohibitive†will benefit the industry as a whole.
He continued: “Influencing the direction of procurement within the construction industry as a whole is high on Construction Scotland’s agenda and we were happy to see the Scottish Government announcing that the majority of the recommendations contained within the Review of Scottish Public Sector Procurement in Construction 2013 accepted as the way forward.
“Moving forward we are particularly keen to help steer the industry to focus on the strategic issues associated with achieving change in this area which will, in turn, influence the more operational processes which currently challenge all of us on a daily basis.
“The particular recommendations that Construction Scotland made in our response to this consultation centered on industry and government working more closely together through forum-based liaison to encourage adoption of transparency and best practice in procurement exercises, which over the last few years have become over complicated and prohibitive for many potential participants.
“Addressing this will significantly contribute towards creating an even playing field when it comes to procurement across the board in construction, which can only be good news for the 31,000 plus businesses in the industry here in Scotland. We are encouraged with the progress made to date by the Scottish Government in this area and are committed to working in partnership with them on moving things forward so that we can represent the views of all trades and professions – from large organisations to small companies – to the benefit of all involved.â€