Treasury procurement document slammed

One of the Treasury's draft documents on procurement has been blasted as based on "blind prejudice" by a senior director of the Construction Products Association. CPA technical director Anthony Davies' outburst centres on draft guidance document No 7, which deals with whole life costs.

Davies said: "The document should be based on cogent argument and scientific research and measurement, and not on blind prejudice that seems to judge any outdoor work as inherently undesirable."

He was referring to comments in the draft guide that state: "Insitu concrete, blockwork walls and plasterboard erected on site without the use of pre-assembly are current systems that are very inflexible. Careful consideration should be given to using alternatives to these building systems and, in particular, avoiding use of wet trades on site."

CPA's technical director also queried the Treasury's understanding of whole life costs and said that there were a number of inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the draft. Davies commented: "The guidance document is likely to have significant commercial implications. It must, therefore, be consistent, logical and its conclusions fully justified. The current draft does not meet these criteria."