Contractor competitiveness can hurt specialist contractors

摘要

The prolonged difficulties besetting the construction industry have had a dramatic effect on the natural order of things. It seems that the rewards and benefits of managing successful, prudent and innovative specialist businesses are being seriously eroded by increased main contractor competitiveness. This limits the numbers of specialist contractors that can support them in the bidding process. A particular concern is the worrying increase in some main contractors' willingness to procure specialist fagade and roofing materials directly from system manufacturers and then employing design and installation labour to undertake the works for them.