Small building firms miss out on public sector work
08/02/2010 11:55:00
Builders belonging to smaller firms believe the Government is not doing enough to help them find public sector work, according to a new survey from the National Federation of Builders (NFB).
Some 36% of the 600 building contractors interviewed by the NFB said that they have been less successful at winning public sector contracts over the last two years. More than half of the builders who had won contracts blamed a change in Government procurement processes for the overall fall in activity.
The NFB has reacted angrily to the findings, and suggested that the Government is failing to keep its promise to boost work in the construction sector. Julia Evans, Chief Executive of the NFB, commented:
“Despite all the rhetoric from politicians and the development of policies as embodied in the Glover Report, it is harder for small and medium sized contractors to win work than it was in 2007.
“What concerns us most is that, at a time when private sector development and house building remain in the doldrums, smaller contractors are being shut out from what little available work there is.”
Last month, figures from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) showed that the construction industry had entered its 22nd consecutive month of decline. Builders will no doubt be looking to the Government to act on the NFB’s latest findings and boost public sector work to support the sector’s recovery.
