The Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group Wales was formally launched at the Senedd in October. They key aim of the group that has been active for some time, is to improve and modernise procurement and delivery across the Welsh construction sector – to the long-term benefit of the customer, the taxpayer, the industry and the Welsh economy as a whole. The group will work closely and collaborate with the Welsh Government, Constructing Excellence in Wales and other construction industry bodies to reach its objective. A Manifesto for Welsh Construction was published at the event.

The SEC Group Wales manifesto focuses on three key areas including delivering “more for less” through an inclusive approach to construction procurement and delivery, reducing waste and maximising efficiency by ditching outdated industry practices, and the need to acknowledge and prioritise those engineering specialists who have invested significantly in their own “green” credentials.

Chairman Mel Roberts confirmed SEC Group Wales’ ongoing commitment to implementation of proposals for procurement reform contained in the Maximising the Impact of Welsh Procurement Policy report, which was submitted to the Welsh Government in August this year.

“Such implementation is essential not only to add value for the taxpayer, but also to meet the challenging energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets to which the Welsh Government is fully and publicly committed,” Mr Roberts said.

Milica Kitson, chief executive of Constructing Excellence in Wales, praised SEC Group for its support of the Latham and Egan agendas over many years, and for its persistence in “proving the business case for procuring and delivering construction in a more holistic way”.

The launch event was sponsored by Edwina Hart MBE, Welsh minister for business, enterprise, technology and science. She said: “I am delighted that SEC Group Wales shares the Welsh Government’s aspirations in terms of enhancing the business environment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), improving payment security for all firms involved in the construction supply chain, and reducing the financial and administrative burden imposed by unnecessarily complex pre-qualification arrangements.” TBC.

In closing the proceedings, SEC Group chairman Trevor Hursthouse OBE reminded his audience of the importance of “SMEs and micro-businesses” to the construction industry, which would be unable to operate without their input, in Wales as elsewhere in the UK.

Secretary of SEC Group Wales is Andrew Marchant, who combines the role with that of manager of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) in Wales.