CALLS are growing for Scotland to appoint a Chief Construction Adviser to liaise between the government and the building industry.
The suggestion was put forward by the authors of a report commissioned by the Scottish Government into the way the public sector procures construction work.
And it has now received high level backing from influential figures in the industry.
The Chief Construction Adviser’s role would include being a conduit for the construction industry to raise concerns or to approach ministers directly.
The role was one of a number of recommendations made by review authors Robin Crawford and Ken Lewandowski.
They also called for greater leadership of construction procurement, improved construction skills across the public sector and design to be at the heart of procurement.
Scottish Building Federation Managing Director Vaughan Hart said, “The appointment of a Chief Construction Adviser would create an important new impetus for reforming construction procurement to make it fairer, more efficient, less costly and more open.
“Crucially, the success of this appointment will depend on finding someone with a detailed knowledge and understanding of the industry and the key issues facing it.
“With the right person in place, there’s no doubt the sector would benefit significantly from having a champion at the heart of Scottish Government decision-making. That would apply not just to procurement but a broad range of other policy areas affecting the industry.”
CECA Scotland Chief Executive Alan Watt said, “CECA strongly supports the creation of the Chief Construction Adviser because there is a bit of a void in expertise within the Scottish Government when it comes to construction matters.
“The new adviser would mean the Scottish Government has recognised conduit with the industry at a time when it is committed to investing in infrastructure as a pillar of its economic recovery strategy.”
