Construction bodies call for urgent action to help firms during coronavirus crisis

A group of respected construction industry bodies, who between them represent the majority of contractor business in Scotland, has suggested a number of simple actions which the Scottish Government could introduce immediately to help with cashflow and protecting jobs.

SELECT, the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbers’ Federation (SNIPEF), the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA Scotland) and the Scottish Building Federation (SBF) are among the 10 organisations who have sent a joint letter to Fiona Hyslop, Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, urging her to support the Scottish construction sector.

The group, which also includes the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA), the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), the Scaffolding Association, the Stone Federation and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC), said that without immediate action, the industry would face “business closures and loss of jobs and skills”.

In its hard-hitting letter, the group – which calls itself the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum – says: “Most of Scotland’s economy is made up of micro and small businesses, many of whom are already facing the closure of construction sites and a reduction in domestic work. This will undoubtedly lead to business closures, loss of jobs and skills at a time that Scotland can least afford and would seriously dent Scotland’s future economic growth.

“However, what we would do need Scottish Government to do, in this unprecedented time, is to use its influence with clients to ask that payments are accelerated as quickly as possible to ensure that the flow of cash will continue.

“It is also vital that clients ensure that payment must be cascaded down the supply chain to ensure that everyone who is legitimately due cash is paid more quickly. We would also request that all public sector clients immediately release any retentions due to boost cash flow in the sector.”

The CICV Forum is also asking the government to allow public sector clients to:

• Suspend the use of open tenders

• Use the Quick Quote method of tendering where possible

• Ask public sector clients to provide clarity on existing contracts and on the contractual position regarding delays

• Keep the momentum going to ensure the industry survives.

Alan Wilson, Managing Director of SELECT, the electrical contractors’ trade association, said: “We are at the beginning of what is likely to be a prolonged and very difficult time for a sector which has already been struggling during recent years.

“If the Scottish construction industry is to survive this crisis, it is absolutely vital that the Scottish Government and public sector clients continue to procure a steady pipeline of work.

“Given the unprecedented challenges ahead, we would urge the Scottish Government to relax current procurement rules and procedures, in the short term, to help industry and public sector clients overcome the inevitable staffing issues all employers will face over the coming months.

“We’re also requesting that the government adopt a light touch, because the private sector may not have the staff to compile large specifications and the public sector won’t have the staff to mark it.”

Vaughan Hart, Managing Director of the SBF, added: “We are already seeing a significant impact on the way the industry is having to alter its mode of operations and we are sure there will be many more issues to be dealt with as things develop.

“Cashflow has always been a major factor for companies operating within the construction sector and this is even more important now, as work streams are restricted and the potential impact on future workload is unknown.

“Any measure which improves cash flow and easies the route to future work opportunities has to be looked at seriously in these times, otherwise we may not have the industry we will need to grow the economy, once the worst of the impact of the coronavirus is over.”

Fiona Hodgson, Chief Executive of SNIPEF, said: “These are desperate times for everyone. If we go into lockdown, firms will simply not be able to afford to keep staff on and with redundancies comes a loss of a skilled workforce which is already in short supply.

“The new CICV Forum will now share views weekly and feed into the Scottish Government. It is vital therefore that members keep us abreast of the issues they are facing as they develop.”

The move comes after Aileen Campbell, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, this week announced a package of measures to help Scotland’s communities cope with the “worldwide public health emergency”.

This included an additional £350million for local hardship funds, £45million for the Scottish Welfare Fund and a £20million Third Sector Resilience Fund to help organisations cope with cashflow.

Ms Campbell also urged the UK Government to reconsider its approach to welfare and increase levels of Universal Credit, statutory sick pay and reverse its cap on children, saying these were “not normal times”.

Mr Wilson said: “We have now set up an online advisory group where CICV Forum members will share intelligence, advice and information across the whole sector. We will also use it to keep the government informed.

“These are not normal times, which is why it is vital that the construction industry is helped with these vital issues, just as other areas are being assisted.

“Now is the right time for Scottish Government to show leadership and take bold and decisive actions as quickly as possible to keep the industry afloat.”