The government has a well-established public and private procurement accreditation system in Constructionline. It was set up to specifically pre-qualify contractors for public and private sector procurement and is an established route of repute.
So, am I alone in the industry at being stunned by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) introducing yet another accreditation system for contractors and subcontractors wishing to secure work from the ODA for the 2012 Olympics.
Why does the ODA not stick with the job it has been given to do, without attempting to introduce yet another system (Compete For)?
Is this necessary for a project with a limited shelf-life? Why can't the ODA use Constructionline, an established "government owned procurement route of repute"?
As a 2012 Tier 2 Contractor, having gone through one of the most rigorous pre-qualification processes this country has ever seen, we are now being told - like every other contractor in the UK - that to get any future work from the ODA, we must subject ourselves to this new and additional accreditation system. What a waste of taxpayers' money.
In order to be introduced to this new system, I was invited to a meeting at Canary Wharf hosted by a director of Grant Thornton, who took two of us through a "buyer presentation" of Compete For.
If Mayor Boris Johnson wants to reduce some millions of unnecessary administrative costs at a stroke, here's an opportunity for him to do so.
Michael Lynch
Head of Business Development
The Erith Group
Comments (1)
In the wake of the Olympics Delivery Authority’s (ODA) new pre-qualification scheme – CompeteFor – The Confederation of Construction Specialists (CCS) has launched a major campaign to encourage the Government to stand by its own Constructionline initiative.
It is a move that Spokesman Richard Noble hopes “…will breed common sense within public sector procurement.”
The CCS will be canvassing the views of its members on the subject, many of whom have already complained about the new accreditation scheme. It will then write to all MPs to outline its views and objections, and to seek changes to a scheme the CCS believes is totally unnecessary.
The Confederation is staggered at the introduction of yet another pre-qualification system, which it sees as a ridiculous waste of tax payer’s money in a tough economic climate. Not to mention the additional administration costs for a project that is already haemorrhaging money.
All this when the industry already has Constructionline – the Government’s own pre-qualification initiative, endorsed by OGC Common Minimum Standards and the Local Government Task Force.
According to Noble: “Now is the time for the Government to step in and endorse Constructionline over the myriad of other schemes.”
“The introduction of CompeteFor does little else than muddy the waters and add another link into an already complex chain. More importantly, it is making the 2012 Olympic Games prohibitive to specialist contractors who are already wondering which way to turn.”
CompeteFor’s own website states the only difference between itself and other procurement portals is that it is the only one endorsed by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and, as such, will list all available 2012 contracts.
To this, Noble continued, “So the message is ‘you can only see the opportunities if you tow our line’. Why then does it exist when Constructionline already does effectively the same job? Is this a question the industry needs to dig into more?
“For too long now, the construction industry has lacked a robust Construction Minister, capable of hauling in the reins on the growing mountain of administration and red tape – something the Government has promised to reduce many times, without delivering. We can only hope, for the sake of our members and the industry as a whole, the Government addresses the issue and knocks some common sense back into the industry.”
The CCS is a campaigning body, run by construction specialists for construction specialists, aiming to create a level contractual playing field for specialist contractors. Its members represent around 5% of the UK’s construction output with a combined turnover of £2.5billion and include some of the UK’s most high profile specialist contractors.
Posted by Tracey Lawrence | June 24, 2008 5:09 PM
Posted on June 24, 2008 17:09