“Just doing enough is not good enough,” Frise told the 300 delegates at The Brewery. “We need competent people. We can try to drag them up…or drive them out of the industry.”
Frise outlined a three-tier view of the workforce: one third are highly professional and compliant, another third are willing to improve with support, but the final third “simply don’t care.” His comments came as BESA launched its Member Pledge initiative, which commits signatories to embed competence and compliance across their operations and supply chains.
The initiative aims to strengthen client confidence in BESA members, backed by the Association’s technical audit process. Frise noted that 14 members had been expelled earlier this year for failing to meet required standards.
“It might seem counter-intuitive for a membership organisation to do that, but it works. Membership needs to stand for something.”
Procurement under fire
The conference also spotlighted procurement practices that continue to undermine specialist firms. Remi Suzan, Managing Director of Gratte Brothers Group, cited recent insolvencies and warned that unfair risk transfer and poor tender documentation were eroding margins and driving aggressive contract behaviours.
“Procurement is killing our industry,” said Suzan. “Clients are not bad people, but they won’t voluntarily take risk off the table—and someone will always accept a project on any terms.”
Lilly Gallafent of Cast Consultancy acknowledged that consultants often advise clients on risk levels, contributing to the problem. She called for more equitable models and better client education. “Even if clients feel they’ve ‘won’ a negotiation now, they won’t feel that way in a few years when the problems surface.”
Noble Francis of the Construction Products Association added that public sector procurement faces similar challenges, with Treasury constraints limiting long-term value decisions.
Building Safety Act shifts incentives
Delegates heard that the Building Safety Act is beginning to reshape client behaviour. Gallafent noted increased interest in supply chain competence, while Francis emphasised that legal risk can no longer be subcontracted.
Neil Hope-Collins from the Building Safety Regulator confirmed that clients must ensure safety-related work is adequately resourced and that contractors must verify client understanding of legal duties before starting work. “Otherwise, you are breaking the law,” he said.
Jon Vanstone, Chair of the Industry Competence Committee, said targeted guidance for clients is in development, though identifying the responsible party remains a challenge in the MEP sector.
Late payment and retentions
Build UK CEO Suzannah Nichol described the safety regime as a “massive game changer” for tackling late payment and retentions. She urged contractors to challenge clients on the true cost of “cheaper” delivery and questioned the logic of applying retentions to trusted suppliers.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something about this. Clients should be using members of trade associations, but we need to make it clear what membership stands for.”