CECA works closely with its members to advocate policies which reflect their key concerns. Our policy publications can be found here.
Health & Safety
This must always be industry’s top priority and this year is no exception. CECA will continue to roll-out Stop. Make a Change, an annual national site stand down day to focus on working together to build a healthier safer industry across the whole construction sector.
Procurement
The UK infrastructure procurement process can be extremely lengthy and costly for CECA members. To this end, following the publication of our procurement policy report and frameworks policy report, we are taking forward a series of workstreams aimed at streamlining the procurement process for our members.
CECA’s procurement work centres on two streams. The first will focus on procurement between supply chains, the second, on the issue of inappropriate procurement (for example all-risk, lowest cost contracts). Both these pieces of work will have a strong SME focus.
Procurement between supply chains
CECA’s work in procurement to date has focused on driving change in the way our customers procure and pay. However, we also believe that civil engineering contractors should work towards best practice within their own supply chains. Such best practice could include for example, early engagement and collaboration.
Inappropriate procurement
CECA members have long raised concerns over contractual conditions between customer and contractor. The aim of this piece of work would be to formalise these concerns to take forward in our lobbying.
Building relationships
CECA welcomes the roll-out of devolved bodies across England. We are focusing on developing our relationships with the established and emerging Sub-National Transport Bodies (STBs) across the UK. Our workstream seeks to ensure that as these devolved bodies gain powers over investment in infrastructure, CECA develops relationships with them that are equivalent to those for major national infrastructure customers. We are also lobbying for positive outcomes in terms of rail expenditure in England, Wales and Scotland and of the third Road Investment Strategy in England with any uplift in investment reflected in the Barnett consequentials for Scotland and Wales.
People
The CITB is reforming, introducing substantial changes to its operation and governance. During this process, CECA will work to ensure the voice of its members is sustained and enhanced as part of the CITB’s restructure and that the reformed body is valued by civil engineering contractors. The above reforms will see CITB move away from the management of card schemes. This will impact on the CSCS and CPCS and it is vital that CECA members retain the ability to oversee and influence the management of industry card schemes. Developing our people is vital for the long-term success of our industry. To this end we are continuing our seminars and leadership & management training, as well as our training and development support and Fairness Inclusion and Respect work. We will continue to lobby Government and the IfA to ensure that businesses paying apprenticeship training levies receive the funding for apprenticeship training they are entitled to in order to increase the number of apprenticeships offered. We will also continue to monitor the impact of Brexit on our industry and address the challenges with Government where appropriate. At the same time, we recognise the need to develop the next generation and are focusing some of our resources on schools and young people engagement and the promotion of detailed career pathways in civil engineering.
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
The Civil Engineering Contractors Association represents the full range of UK infrastructure contractors, from the very largest multinational companies through medium-sized and regional firms down to smaller specialist and local companies. A majority of CECA’s membership are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
CECA’s research indicates that the majority of the issues that have an impact upon the industry affect companies equally, regardless of their size.
However there are a number of issues that are of particular importance to small and medium-sized members.
For this reason CECA continues to provide continuing support to members to address these concerns. In recent years this has included working with the Cabinet Office’s Crown Commercial Representative for SME firms to help the government to understand the concerns of smaller civil engineering companies.
CECA also works with major public sector bodies including National Highways and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to help improve their engagement with smaller firms.