10-point plan announced by CECA to save civils sector

The Civil Engineering Contractors Association has launched a 10-point economic action plan for small and medium-sized contractors, following its bleak membership survey:

• Accelerate expenditure on  planned public sector infrastructure works
• Ensure prompt payment of amounts due to small and medium sized firms
• Demand fair treatment of small and medium-sized contractors by banks
• Encourage the use of local firms on work under EU procurement regulation threshold
• Reinstate rate relief on empty commercial property
• Prevent the use of on-demand bonds and remove retentions from future contracts
• Cut planning, environmental and heritage consent bureaucracy
• Take steps to reinvigorate the housing market
• Streamline procurement of construction work, selecting on quality, rather than solely on price
• Protect the next generation of skills