SEC Group identifies poor procurement as major cause of waste in construction industry
Poor procurement practices represent the major cause of waste across the UK construction industry. This view was highlighted by the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group in its evidence to an enquiry being undertaken by the House of Lords Science & Technology Sub-committee chaired by Lord O’Neill of Clackmannan. Speaking for the group, Cal Bailey of national M&E contracts NG Bailey insisted that if it persisted with its current procurement practices, the industry would continue to waste materials on a huge scale. ‘He said, ‘We need an integrated delivery process in which design teams comprising consulting engineers, contractors and manufacturers buy into more efficient designs and methods of construction. ‘By reducing waste, we will significantly reduce energy use and increase profitability throughout the supply chain.’ He added that inappropriate design solutions, often involving over-specification, were resulting in ‘a phenomenal amount of waste and energy use over the lifetime of a building’. SEC Group is preparing a further written submission to this sub-committee, which is due to publish its report before the end of the current parliamentary session.
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