FIEC urges return of UK firms

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) is ready to welcome the UK back into the fold in order to gain support for its fight to improve conditions for the construction industry across Europe.

The FIEC says that it is in contact with UK industry members and hopes that the UK - which is the only EU country not represented - will rejoin in 1998. The BEC withdrew three years ago followed by the FCEC less than two years later.

The return of UK employers would help strengthen the FIEC's pledge to improve contractors' position with regard to public investment which accounts for 20 per cent of total investment in construction in Europe.

In March the FIEC issued an official response to the European Commission's green paper on public procurement.

Domenico Cambogrande, assistant to the FIEC director general, Ulrich Paetzold, told CJ that the organisation was taking further action on several urgent issues, including the problem of abnormally low tenders.

He said: "It's an increasing problem, particularly during difficult times when companies are fighting to land contracts and some, in order to survive, are tendering prices that are below cost because it's better to earn some money than nothing at all.

"But its killing lots of contractors, particularly smaller ones who haven't the financial backing to keep going.

"We are debating the issue at our conference in Copenhagen in June when we will decide how to proceed. But it's a matter of changing the mentality among contractors as well as forcing public authorities to exclude tenders that are abnormally low."

Cambogrande said that the FIEC is also pushing for a change in EC directives and member states' legislation to encourage the growth of public-private partnerships to invest in infrastructure schemes including the long-delayed Trans-European Transport Networks.

The FIEC is also pushing for the introduction of a pan-European information service on construction regulations.