TIME FOR THE HARD SELL

Since launch in September 1992, the CIoB's Chartered Building Company scheme has a very major 'plus' to its credit - but, in addition, an equally major 'minus.' Its deficiency, though, is in danger of negating its merit - and a critical stage in CBC development has been reached.

The plus first. Just over 270 building companies, ranging from the very largest in the country (though by no means all - shame on them) to the very smallest, are now members of the scheme. This means that the majority of those running these companies are professionally qualified, in whatever discipline, and that a significant proportion are CIoB chartered builders. It also means these companies abide by a comprehensive code of professional conduct which aims to ensure client satisfaction on every job.

Taken together, the two corporate virtues should send strong signals to clients everywhere that here, in a world of cowboys, is a firm to trust. Leave aside the CBC's lack of a guarantee scheme and its still negligible national presence, this is a powerful message to transmit.

The 'minus' of the CBC scheme is that this message has yet, in any significant way, to get through to the people who matter. A handful of enlightened clients like British Gas and Boots are starting to express interest. But as far as the vast majority of clients are concerned, it is safe to assume that CBC means as little as did BS5750 to any builder a decade ago.

Realistically, 'a new era in the commissioning of work,' as CIoB president Colin Harding first hailed the scheme, does not arrive overnight. Or as Bob Heathfield, the new man driving the scheme forwards similarly remarked last week, 'the march to Rome starts with one step.' However, at the current rate of progress, one is forced to ask if the golden city will ever be reached.

Marketing - or the lack of it - has long been acknowledged as one of Construction's cardinal sins, and the CBC scheme is yet another example of builders failing to promote themselves properly. The CIoB has itself produced many earnest brochures on the value of self-promotion - but in the two years since launch, there has been just one national newspaper advertising campaign to educate the world about chartered building companies, and precious little in the local press.

This type of marketing is, of course, expensive but a random sample of CBC members by CJ suggests that - in return for greater media exposure - many would support an increase in the modest subscription fees currently charged.

Newspapers are not the only answer. The efforts at local level must be intensified, and the roadshows for clients and professionals stepped up. Nevertheless, these small scale meetings can go only so far and until a more powerful marketing strategy is devised, the scheme will continue to flounder.

The industry can ill-afford this to happen. All power, therefore, to Bob Heathfield's elbow.