COMMENT
Construction’s new voice The newly-formed Guernsey Construction Forum aims to act as a conduit between the Bailiwick’s construction industry and the States. Here, John Bampkin, head of the group, tells us more.
The Guernsey Construction Forum (GCF) was formed at the end of 2020 in order to work closely with the States whilst representing the Bailiwick’s construction industry. The GCF replaces the previous body, called the Construction Industry Forum (CIF), with immediate effect. In fact, the main former members of the CIF now sit on the GCF committee. The committee is comprised of members of the GBTEA (Guernsey Building Trade Employers Association), the CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building), the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce, the Guernsey College of Further Education, CIAT (Channel Islands Architectural Technicians), the local arms of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and Guernsey Society of Architects, CIGPE (Channel Islands Group of Professional Engineers) and RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors).
WE HAVE THE EXPERIENCE AND THE NETWORK TO GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN FRONT OF THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME. THIS CAN ONLY BENEFIT ALL CONCERNED.
We therefore have all arms of the construction industry covered and to add to that the GCF is now the fully recognised representative of the GBTEA and the CIOB. This means that we can speak for their members with full authority. We are working with the other bodies mentioned above to work towards a point where we can do the same for them. Together, the 14 members of the committee have approximately 400 years of experience in the construction industry under their belts, which is a phenomenal amount of knowledge and expertise to call on. This covers building contractors of all sizes from the largest to the smallest one-man bands, through the architects, the surveyors, specialist trades such as engineers and also the College of Further Education, which is pivotal to what we wish to achieve. We are a not for profit entity who aim to be an impartial voice for the construction industry in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce whilst operating within our own constitution.
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Guernsey Property and Construction
Our objective is to engage in constructive dialogue with the States and the community to benefit the Bailiwick’s economy, quality of its built environment and local employment opportunities. To do that we will need to have sight and input into the planned infrastructure works that the States are proposing to ensure that we have the required expertise within the industry to keep as much work within the Bailiwick as possible. Having sight and input into the pipeline of works will also allow us to plan our workforce in advance, allowing for the correct training programs to be run to equip the industry with the right skills at the right time. It will also mean that we can stagger the works correctly so the demands on the local workforce and the local supply chain are not over-reaching in an effort to deliver the contracts. We also believe that we have huge expertise and skills within the Bailiwick that some parts of the States are not fully aware of and it is in our interest to work closely with them and advise them on all matters regarding construction. As I said previously, we have the experience and the network to get the right people in front of the right people at the right time. This can only benefit all concerned. In order for the GCF to be a really effective gateway for the construction industry we need the full trust and support of all the previously mentioned construction professional bodies. With this behind us we will commit to working hard to ensure that we are impartial and we are working to keep as much work local as we can whilst providing the States and the community with good value for money. It is early days but the GCF has made a really positive start with its formal launch in front of a large number of States Deputies in January.
