Italian piler goes under

The collapse last week of Italian groundworks contractor Imter Scavi UK just three years after its aggressive entry into Britain has strengthened calls for an accreditation scheme for piling contractors.

Some foundation firms have claimed Imter's fate was sealed by what was described by one contractor as a 'ridiculous low price policy which was a recipe for disaster,' and expressed satisfaction that the policy failed.

Imter Scavi UK called in receiver Stones Jones last week as financial problems brought the company to its knees. The company's 14 staff were immediately made redundant.

One major contract - at the second Severn crossing approach roads for Balfour Beatty - has been left just 20% complete and is now expected to be finished by Stent.

The firm's brief foray into the UK market has been dogged by controversy. Its low bid policy angered UK pilers who are now demanding subcontractors should have to achieve minimum standards before carrying out work.

Imter's work began when it won a œ4.5 million contract to build diaphragm walls at the Butetown Link for Italian main contractor CogefarImpresit. It set up an office near the project in Cardiff.

At the time rival subcontractors criticised the low price bid for the work by a firm which had no track record in the UK.

The subcontractor also won a œ1.5 million diaphragm wall subcontract for Costain on the A31 in Surrey, but this ran into problems last year when the work failed integrity tests (see CJ, 12 August 1993).

Imter Scavi UK md Simon Le Bon said: 'The receivers came last week because of an accumulation of factors which have led to cashflow problems. We have been unable to resolve money matters on recently completed contracts. The A31 certainly did not help.'

One groundwork subcontractor this week criticised the way Imter Scavi was set up and won work.

'They took work, which we could all have done with, by bidding very low with prices that meant they would eventually go to the wall.'

He said he was backing the Federation of Piling Specialists' drive to get the Department of Transport to set up an accreditation scheme for geotechnical companies that would ensure that the firms had a good track record before winning work.

FPS chairman Chris Wallace said: 'It looks like sour grapes when we moan if overseas firms win work.

'But we don't mind competition - it is unfair competition we do not like. What has happened to Imter Scavi UK boosts our case for a registration scheme.'

l See Patrick Nicholls, p16