Clients' charter 'too soft'

by Kathy Watson



The Construction Clients' Forum is bracing itself for criticism following the launch last week of a draft charter aimed at improving clients' performance.

Within a day of its launch, the charter was attacked for being too soft on clients. According to an industry commentator: "The proposed regime allows clients to be self auditing, so we will only have their word that they are adhering to the charter. It should be more of a rigid regime, but at the moment it seems purely a guidance document and the messages in it are not as strong and focussed as we need." Others contacted said they would be studying it in depth before commenting. They have until 31 May to deliver a response.

CCF executive secretary Tony Pollington responded: "The consultation is designed to draw out that sort of comment. Everything that is said will be seriously considered."

The concern surrounds the proposed management board to oversee the charter process, which will not be independent, but located within the Confederation of Construction Clients, although it will include representatives from the supply side. It will report annually, but without identifying individual clients. The board will be backed up by a data management organisation that will help clients to benchmark their performance against pooled information. The data will be totally confidential.

Clients who apply for chartered status - a category certain to include government procurement organisations - will have to give a commitment to continually improve performance but they will monitor themselves. They will record how their improvements are reflected in their overall performance measured against nationally adopted key performance indicators.

However, there will be an element of supplier feedback through management board surveys of supplier satisfaction with client performance. They will also survey client satisfaction with supply side performance and with the product.

The charter will measure treatment of the supply chain, a fair payment regime, a team-based non-adversarial approach or partnering wherever possible, risk identification and management. It also covers promotion of sustainability and waste elimination or minimisation, plus maximising the benefits from standardisation and off-site fabrication.

It deals with respect for people including health and safety and welfare, site conditions, equal opportunities, training and certification, and training of client staff.

The charter was developed at the behest of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott last year with support from construction minister Nick Raynsford. Last July Raynsford challenged the client community to draw up a charter that would set out "minimum standards, their aspirations for the future and a programme of steadily more demanding targets that will drive standards up year by year."