The Hackitt Review will not end contract practices which can lead to poor build quality, according to Assad Maqbool, partner at Trowers & Hamlins, who also sits on the Housing Forum.
"The report rightly asserts that the priorities and drivers set out in procurement processes and the structuring and terms of contracts can encourage poor behaviours that lead to poor outcomes," he said.
But those poor behaviours could only be tackled with "a very prescriptive and authoritarian set of rules" absent from the report, Maqbool argued.
"Without such prescription, there is likely to be little impact as a result of the contractual and procurement recommendations: bars on value engineering that in any way impact safety will be only be enforceable by reference to minimum standards (i.e. the building regulations).
"Layering of additional obligations in relation to fire safety on the responsible parties pursuant to the CDM Regulations will still lead to contractual allocation of risk no matter that ‘accountability’ might not be transferable, and clients are unlikely to voluntarily agree to a minimum level of profit for contractors," he said.
Comments
Comments are closed.
Prescription IS NOT the way forward – a change of culture is required. Best Value must be sought, not Lowest Price. High Performing Contractors, Consultants and Individuals should be rewarded and lauded; low performing equivalents should be avoided (no matter the cost advantage of using them).
Change the culture; no amount of prescriptive legislation will work otherwise.
What is Hackitt paid for? What is her role?
Adam, clients listen first, second and third to their QS, in my experience.
Get the RICS members to change their approach (and frustratingly I’m an Architect and have a QS as a boss) and maybe you will see a change.
But then, you’d have to get them to understand that sometimes Value is more important than Price, and what happens after a project is delivered is ethically more important than being able to walk away from problems, so I’m not holding my breath.