A graphic of the planned new HS2 Euston station
Lobbying efforts are underway to get major infrastructure projects back up and running quickly once the coronavirus lockdown ends.
Schemes including Crossrail and HS2 have been paused since the last week of March, but the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) regards their restart as crucial to kickstarting the wider economy.
The council has asked the government to make construction a key part of the economic recovery once the covid-19 outbreak is brought under control, arguing that major infrastructure schemes will have multiple knock-on benefits for society.
Ann Bentley, global board director of the consultant Rider Levett Bucknall, told a webinar hosted by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) that a lot of smaller projects could also get up and running very quickly, and would play an important part in revitalising the economy.
But she warned that many contracts would have to be re-negotiated to help contractors get through the coming weeks.
“This is an industry that operates on very slim margins so many businesses will struggle to sustain low activity levels for much longer,” Bentley said.
She also urged clients to “behave honourably” and said main contractors had a responsibility to make sure their sites were safe before insisting sub-contractors go back to work.
“Most of the biggest firms recognise this, but there is a tier of contractors who don’t get it. They will be in breach of contract if they don’t provide safe working conditions and you can’t force people to work on unsafe sites – that’s illegal,” she said.
There have been “fantastic examples” of clients working hard to support their supply chains with a number keeping up payments even when sub-contractors are not working, according to Bentley. However, others were trying to take advantage of the situation to cut their own costs.
“My fear is that some sharp operators out there will simply see this as an opportunity to re-tender everything to save 10%.”
