Contractors team up with clients in industry secondment initiative

Contractors are planning to second project management staff to major clients following an initiative by the new head of the top clients body, the Construction Round Table (CRT).

The move could see opportunities for hundreds of project managers from junior level upwards being seconded to big clients for duties in both procurement and general management. One top contractor said that secondments could be three months on average but many could be longer, depending on relationships with clients.

CRT chairman Martin Reynolds plans to open talks on secondment next week with the top contractors, represented by the Major Contractors Group. The move comes hot on the heels of the 'Egan' report that plans to see clients and the construction industry working closer together.

Secondment plans were first suggested last December by Keith Clarke, chief executive of Kvaerner Construction and a leading player in the MCG. He was speaking at the launch of the CRT's Agenda for Change report, where clients were calling on the industry to better understand their business needs.

Clarke's idea was given a good reception but nothing happened as all eyes this year were on Sir John Egan's Task Force, which reported its revolutionary proposals for the future of the industry to the Government in June.

The idea has now been revived by Reynolds, who plans a more "open" dialogue between clients and construction during chairmanship, starting with next week's meeting (See Analysis, page 12).