CONSTRUCTION BODY CALLS FOR SCOTTISH PROCUREMENT OMBUDSMAN

13 May 2014 - On the day that the Scottish Parliament debates the third and last stage of the Procurement Reform Bill the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group Scotland has urged the Scottish Government to appoint a Procurement Ombudsman.

SEC Group Scotland – which represents the largest sector of the construction industry in Scotland (by value) – believes that a Procurement Ombudsman will help deliver the main policy aims of the Bill:

• obtaining best value from public procurement;
• facilitating SME access to public procurement;
• improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of local communities.

SEC Group Scotland’s Chairman, Eddie Myles, said that an Ombudsman would help facilitate as well as enforce the changes required by the legislation:

“This Bill is about improving public sector procurement practices but unfortunately large swathes of it do not have any compliance or enforcement mechanism.”

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has not ruled out the possibility of having an ombudsman but this is only likely to be considered when the Scottish Government amends existing EU procurement regulations to implement revised directives from Brussels.

Eddie Myles added:

“At that stage, if not before, we hope to persuade the Deputy First Minister that a Procurement Ombudsman for Scotland is in the interest of both the taxpayer and the business community.”

ENDS

Issued on behalf of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) by Next Step Marketing Ltd

For further information please contact Bob Dyer, SEC Group Scotland’s National Executive Officer on 07860 794734, email: (bob.dyer@b-es.org).

NOTES FOR EDITORS

SEC Group Scotland represents the premier trade associations in Scotland’s construction industry.  They are the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA); the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES); the Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA); the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF); and SELECT, representing electrical contractors in Scotland.

Attached is the briefing note sent to MSPs in preparation for today’s debate.

For further information please contact Bob Dyer, SEC Group Scotland’s National Executive Officer on 07860 794734, email: (bob.dyer@b-es.org).

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