The proposed merger between the UK Contractors Group and the National Specialist Contractors’ Council – due to take effect from 1 September – has been warmly welcomed by Alasdair Reisner, chief executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association.
Reisner believes that the merger, due to be confirmed in a formal vote next month, also manifests a spirit of greater collaboration among the industry’s trade associations that he says first took hold during the recession.
“It’s great news for the industry, a really positive sign which hopefully builds on the stronger collaboration across the sector,” he said.
“Obviously we have many areas of common interest with the two bodies – such as skills, payment, procurement, promoting the industry – and we’ll now be looking to see how we can work more closely with the joint organisation on these areas, which will certainly be easier than dealing with two organisations.
Aladair Reisner: ‘Great news’
“All the trade federations [in the sector] are very positive about this. I feel there is now more appetite for collaboration than there has been before, we all get on better and there are common goals.
“It’s a continuation of what we’ve seen in the past two to three years – the recession focused people on thinking about what they were doing, and then there is the question of how to respond to growth. The answer has to be by working together, and not in silos.”
A statement on both organisations’ websites confirmed that the conversations that began in February have been fruitful, describing “overwhelming support” from the contractors who make up the membership of the two organisations.
The first meeting of a new strategy board has apparently already taken place. The new organisation will be led by current NSCC chief executive Suzannah Nichol.
President of NSCC Kevin Louch, managing director of Stanford Industrial Concrete Flooring, said: “I believe that by sitting around the same table we will be able to have honest conversations about how projects can be delivered more effectively and there is the definite prospect of addressing major industry issues such as pre-qualification, skills and, of course, payment.”
And UKCG chairman James Wates said: “This is a huge step forward for the supply chain and, whilst there are some undeniable anxieties about how the new organisation will function, all our discussions to date have been extremely positive.”
NSCC and UKCG will formally vote on the merger in June 2015.
