C O N S T R U C T I O N E M P L O Y E R S F E D E R A T I O N T H E V O I C E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y
which we have relied upon has been shown to no longer be fit for purpose, contractors in GB have contractual remedies in their contracts which NI procuring bodies have seen fit to delete or chose not to include. CEF has demanded their reinstatement and a more robust contractual model to take us forward, future-proofed for any future ‘unforeseen’ series of circumstances. We are working together to manage a scale and range of risks that only eighteen months ago would have seemed fanciful and unnecessarily dramatic. Ultimately construction is a core economic industry, central to all government investment in society and it is now time we were treated as equal partners for the betterment of the built environment. We areworking together to manage a scale and range of risks that only eighteenmonths agowould have seemed fanciful and unnecessarily dramatic.”
RISING COSTS
by the pandemic, the issues are equally threatening and much more dependent on individual relationships with clients and strength of contractual terms. For contractors carrying out home improvements or facilities management, or those in the supply chain of larger contractors, the issue is how to deliver on prices given in good faith and having to rely upon working in partnership and under sub contracts to ensure viability of the work being undertaken. Perhaps developers and housebuilders might be viewed with jealous eyes as having some opportunity to pass on additional costs to purchases. However, despite a recently buoyant market, there is always a natural ceiling to house prices which we may be beginning to see, beyond which homebuyers cannot raise funding and leading to decisions having to be taken about continued viability of new phases. No corner of the construction industry is untouched, suppliers and manufacturers are occupied with protocol bureaucracy and sourcing new relationships to
address reduced choice as one in five GB suppliers have withdrawn from supplying NI, through either choice or ignorance of the protocol requirements. This scenario risks becoming worse when conformity marking legislation will require GB manufacturers who wish to sell into NI to gain either the CE or the new UKNI conformity in addition to the new UKCA. This additional layer of bureaucracy and cost may be enough to further limit choice. It is also unclear at this point where the burden of monitoring will fall between contractors, suppliers and statutory authorities. So what is the industry to do to protect itself in these uncertain times? We are renowned for our resilience, perhaps too much so as we absorb the impact of various pressures that arise as part of daily business. The current circumstances however are unsustainable for an industry that was left directionless by an absent Assembly for three years followed by a pandemic during which pipeline stalled and then resumed in bursts. The procurement model upon
For more information on the Construction Employers Federation,
T: (028) 9087 7143 E: mail@cefni.co.uk www.cefni.co.uk
www.northernbuilder.co.uk
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