Becoming accountable at latest PBA seminar
A recent seminar held on behalf of the Society of Construction & Quantity Surveyors explained the benefits of using Project Bank Accounts, with the keynote speakers delivering some vital messages to local council representatives
Nearly 30 delegates representing over half of Scotland’s 32 local councils took part in a seminar on the use of Project Bank Accounts (PBAs). Held in Stirling Council’s offices on 14 June, the seminar was arranged on behalf of the Society of Construction and Quantity Surveyors (SCQS ) by the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group (SECG) (Scotland) and the Scottish Building Contract Committee (SBCC).
The aim of the event was to provide information and to ‘debunk’ some of the myths around PBAs.
President of the SCQS, Willie Gwynne, from South Lanarkshire Council, co-chaired the event with the SECG Scottish chairman, Eddie Myles.
In his opening remarks, Eddie reminded the delegates that the Scottish Government had published guidance on the implementation of PBAs in construction contracts in September 2016, following a series of trial projects.
He said that while at the moment only Scottish Government bodies must use PBAs, there is a real opportunity for local authorities to assist in helping SMEs in the contractual chain as PBAs improve subcontractors’ cash-flow and ring-fence it from upstream insolvency.
Speakers on the day included:
Colin Judge, Scottish Government Principal Construction Adviser
Hilary Cameron, Transport Scotland Procurement Branch
Professor Rudi Klein, CEO of the SEC Group
Ann O’Connell, Chair of the SBCC Drafting Committee
Scott Culbertson, Client Services Manager, Royal Bank of Scotland.
More information on the use of PBAs can be found on the Scottish Government’s website. at www.gov.scot
