FMB NEWS
FIVE YEARS AFTER THE LAUNCH OF THE ‘LICENCE TO BUILD’ CAMPAIGN, GAVIN MCGUIRE, NI DIRECTOR OF THE FMB, EXPLAINS WHY A LICENSING SCHEME FOR THE UK CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IS MORE CRUCIAL THAN EVER, AS THE MARKET AND CONSUMERS BECOME MORE DEMANDING…
For a more professional industry
I n the UK, any person or company is legally allowed to undertake construction work without having to demonstrate a minimum level of competence. This means our construction industry is not as safe, professional or productive as it might
NIB: Why is there still resistance to licensing the building industry while electricians and gas installers, for example, must be licensed to take on a job? GM: I presume that there probably were times when gas and electric weren’t necessarily given the same scrutiny they have received in the later years but, in the construction industry, maybe people feel that measures like building control or standards are sufficient. We would always encourage clients to have a written quote and a contract in place. Some professionals do like that kind of more formal approach and itemised written quotes, while others prefer not to operate like that.
biggest expense they will have other than buying a house,” Gavin McGuire, NI Director of the FMB, commented. “You basically hand your savings to someone to say you trust them to do the work. Most companies will honour that, but there is a considerable portion of the industry that operates in a way which doesn’t respect quality and business, and that doesn’t
otherwise be. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has been campaigning for the past five years for a licencing scheme to professionalise our sector, improve its image for the current and new generations, and increase the quality of the built environment. “As a society, we shouldn’t settle for poor quality in workmanship. For many folks, a construction project at their home is the
Gavin McGuire, FMB.
seem fair.” In this interview to NI Builder Magazine, Gavin explains why companies and sole traders may still be resistant to the scheme, and how the benefits of a regulated profession would outgain the paperwork.
The licence would offer a level of credibility that can be proved to
“A considerable portion of the industry doesn’t respect quality in business, and that is not fair.”
36 | NI BUILDER
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