The Specialist Engineering Contractors' (SEC) Group has published a Manifesto for Welsh Construction, which was unveiled at the formal launch of SEC Group Wales.
Held at the Senedd in Cardiff, home of the Assembly for Wales, chairman Mel Roberts confirmed SEC Group Wales' ongoing commitment to the implementation of proposals for procurement reform contained in the report 'Maximising the Impact of Welsh Procurement Policy', which was submitted to the Welsh Government in August.

Mr Roberts said: '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.'

He also said that the industry 'must be prepared to do things differently and to espouse radical change', if it was to 'achieve all that needs to be achieved'.

The SEC Group Wales manifesto concentrates on three key areas:

Delivering 'more for less' through an inclusive approach to construction procurement and delivery

Reducing waste and maximising efficiency by ditching outdated industry practices

The need to acknowledge and prioritise those engineering specialists who have invested significantly in their own 'green' credentials

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.'

The secretary of SEC Group Wales is Andrew Marchant, who is also manager of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) in Wales.