Contractors condemned for offsite ignorance

The UK's leading manufacturer of modular buildings has hit out at main contractors' lack of understanding about the capabilities of offsite construction systems.

Keith Blanshard, director and general manager of Yorkon, expressed his frustration to CJ after he had embarked on a major campaign to promote his company's products to the 15 contractors shortlisted for ProCure 21.

"We're finding a real lack of knowledge on the part of the main contractor," he said. "We've taken them all around our factory, and they were surprised; they didn't think we could deliver an open plan, four-storey building off the shelf. They seemed to think we were just about pods."

Health has been a key market for Yorkon in the past, and it was recently awarded a £7.5m design and build contract for a new healthcare facility for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust [pictured].

However, with the advent of ProCure 21, Yorkon will be dependent on the main contractor rather than the client where choice of construction method is concerned.

"It's a key challenge for us to get contractors to understand what we're about," said Blanshard. "We think we could help ProCure 21 contractors meet their deadlines, but it's critical that we're approached early."

The successful ProCure 21 contractors are due to be announced later this month.