Specialist contractors are to lobby the Scottish government to introduce project bank accounts on all public sector schemes worth more than ￡3m, write Sarah Richardson and Olivia Boyd. The Specialist Engineering Contractors' (SEC) Group is hoping to meet MSPs at the Scottish parliament in January to push for the move, which the trade body says could cut up to ￡750m off the cost of construction in Scotland. Project bank accounts, under which a project's funds are held in escrow, are designed to protect contractors against payment disputes and the impact of insolvency in the supply chain. A pilot project is being trialled in England by the Highways Agency this year, and several other public sector clients, including Crossrail, are considering adopting the initiative. It is expected that another large public sector client will announce a trial within the next month.
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