28.10.2006

Government contracts to demand training cards

The Office of Government Commerce (OCG) an independent office of the UK Treasury, has issued a new ‘Common Minimum Standards’ document as a guidance for public bodies and contractors working on publicly funded projects.

The OCG says that its brief is to work with public sector organisations to gain the best possible value for money from procurement.

On page six of the new standards it says: “Clients are to include a contract clause requiring that all members of their supply teams who are workers on or regular visitors to a construction site, are registered on the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) or are able to prove competence in some other appropriate way.

It goes on to say: “Whilst the CSCS scheme does not yet provide certification for all skills, as a minimum site workers should hold the Operative level card, which includes basic safety training”.

CSCS the card issuing company, is suggesting that the new standard that was quietly released, means that British government is making its cards mandatory on any public works in England. (The standards do not apply at all in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland).

In reality the Common Standards say nothing of the sort, and simply recommend that when selecting contractors, government agencies should insist that all those working on the project have a recognisable proof of training.

The OCG’s brief is to reduce government spending and it footnotes the standards by saying:
“Compliance with these standards is considered to represent cost effectiveness, however their practical application by individual procurers should be considered on a project specific basis, within the context of practicality, achievability and value for money, defined as the optimum combination of whole life cost and quality to meet user requirements”.

Vertikal Comment

It is a shame that a body whose role is to help save costs and increase the value obtained for every public penny spent, wastes its time and money with issues that are already covered by a dozen other government departments.

Why anyone would publish such a standard that references a single business, rather than simply stating that employees should be fully trained to a recognisable standard, heaven knows

After suggesting that the standards are mandatory the document goes on to totally undermine that by saying, sensibly, that when it comes down to it, procurers must use their own judgment.

One wonders why money was wasted including it in the first place…was lobbying from parties with a vested interest involved?

The problem now is that CSCS has already jumped on the bandwagon and is publicly pushing the notion that its card scheme is mandatory on all publicly funded projects.

It is not, nor should it be.

On the basis of this publication it looks as though the OCG itself needs to be subject to government money saving initiative and disbanded.