SEC calls for better procurement

27-04-2010

Trevor Hursthouse, chairman of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) group has written to the leaders of all three main political parties to call for more emphasis on procurement best practice.

"Major new initiatives are not needed. The solution is for the public sector to implement best practice procurement," he said in his letter. "Outdated procurement practices are a recipe for decline. Modern procurement delivering cost-efficient outcomes will promote economic recovery.

“You might think this is already happening - sadly it is not. Therefore, we should now make funding of public sector projects conditional on a demonstration of best practice procurement that includes identifying specific and measurable savings to be achieved," he continued.

Hursthouse recommends that to achieve this, procurers must appoint project teams of architects, engineers, project managers and suppliers, working together at the planning and design stage of projects.