The National Federation of Builders (NFB) is to hold its annual conference for its larger members, the Principal Contractors’ Group (PCG) on Tuesday October 23 2012 in association with CITB-ConstructionSkills and Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS).
The PCG is made up of the largest contractor members of the NFB, with a combined turnover of £2.7bn. This year’s conference, entitled ‘UK Construction: The Road to Recovery’ will be taking a positive approach to meeting the challenges facing the industry in the midst of a severe and prolonged recession. From the need to improve procurement practices and regulation, to the continuing drive for excellence in training and in health and safety, our speakers and our audience will have the chance to map out the industry’s route back to growth.
The event is to be hosted by well known Olympic medallist Roger Black MBE. Delegates will also hear from the government’s Chief Construction Adviser, Paul Morrell and Crown Representative for SMEs, Stephen Allott. Other speakers include Philip White, the Health and Safety Executive’s Chief Inspector of Construction, Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, Lord Curry, Chair of the Better Regulation Executive and Chloe Smith, Parliamentary Secretary to The Cabinet Office.
Central to the challenges faced by many firms is the changing world of public procurement, not least the tendency for frameworks to ‘bundle’ projects together, presenting ever higher barriers to all but the very largest contractors. However, the tide is slowly turning in favour of more intelligent procurement, influenced by the extensive work done by the Federation, and its productive and ongoing dialogue with government departments, local authorities and industry partners. This work culminates in the launch of the findings of the NFB’s latest procurement report, to take place at this conference.
Julia Evans, Chief Executive of the NFB, said: “This conference is a great opportunity for large and small construction businesses to network and meet valuable contacts, whilst enjoying the busy and thought-provoking agenda. The conference will bring together high profile speakers, leading industry players, decision-makers and experts to look at the critical challenges facing our industry and how, together, we can seek to address these to steer the industry’s fortunes in a positive direction.”
Commenting on the conference Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, said: “We welcome the opportunity to be part of this conference. There is a shared understanding across every sector of the industry that we have to work together if we are to ride out the economic storm. Working together is about sharing best practice and presenting a united front to government.”
