Let's talk about bribery in the construction industry

By Michelle Lowe, Founder of Redshell Consulting.

Money makes the world go round. That good old infamous phrase, and offering cash, bribes, kickbacks, and other incentives in exchange for business is a model as old as time.

Although it’s been the way of the world since trading began, it doesn’t curry favour in the modern world. Well, actually, I’m sure it does. But it shouldn’t.

This bold sweeping statement may seem naive and innocent, foolish even, and possibly excludes me from some of the games still played in the grand arena.

The construction industry historically has been – and, I suspect, continues to be – rife with these practices. A little teamwork, networking, negotiating, mutual support and partnering is of course entirely beneficial, gracious even and this does indeed keep the wheel turning as a combined fruitful effort. People supporting people and businesses supporting businesses has its place in the world and it is indeed how it should be.

My distain here is with the unashamed offers of cash or kickbacks to gain business, to be involved in a project or to offer benefits in return for opportunity. Bribery in its perhaps smallest and simplest terms, but still bribery nonetheless.

The world stage in recent times has been episode after episode of corruption, underhand practices, global fraud and conspiracy theories that make our toes curl and our blood boil. You couldn’t make it up. First, it was the domain of the longhaired and tinfoil hat wearing, then it became mainstream media. Before you know it, we are all seasoned and almost desensitised to the immoral, unethical and lower vibration behaviours that continue to play out in the world.

We’ve all had enough, right? We all judge, complain and react in disbelief at the rigged elections, the political donations for contracts or favours, the parliamentary whose friends and family are granted positions of power. This is bribery and corruption on a macro scale, of course. But really, a smaller, simpler ‘payment’ in kind is the same practice, is it not? A harmless few grand here and there, what does it matter? Well, it does matter. And I’ll tell you why.

We all have an inner compass. Morals, ethics, values. Plain and simple. In our profession as construction consultants, we of course have ethical obligations in order to deserve our chartered status and our respected professionalism. Both the RICS and CIOB have required competencies based solely on ethics and moral behaviours and any party found to be operating in a less than savoury practice would warrant investigation and a stripping of our acclaimed ‘charteredness’ - undermining all that we train for, all those accomplishments and our own personal character.

Yet, there are some people to whom this does not matter; they’re interested in the financial gain without the work – they want the perks, the deals, the quick cash for free. Why wouldn’t you want that? I hear you question. Well, I don’t. And if we want the world to be a nicer and a more honourable place, nor should you.

It’s no secret that I take my industry seriously and with a personal passion that cannot be denied. The work that I do is a reflection of my own self, and the projects I work on are sometimes formidable. These come my way on the back of nothing more than my reputation. My own hard grind - doing the long miles whilst others were taking the shortcuts. I wouldn’t change this for the world. Or the cash.

As such, bringing any company, supplier or person into a project of mine is a direct reflection of myself and the reputation I took 25 years to build. You are downright crazy if you think that a bribe would let me risk that by introducing an unverified, untested and unprofessional element into the mix.

There is no question that the ‘it’s who you know, not what you know’ can indeed be lucrative. Deals and introductions can give hefty cash, quick and seemingly for not much effort. But these aren’t in question; these are upfront open agreements and for the genuine use of someone’s network – again, a network that can take decades to build. Quick cash and fruitful, yes. But underhand and shady, no.

At Redshell, I have recently been offered incentives. My reaction, of course, was as you would expect. But then my thoughts changed to almost sympathy. I could feel the frustration from the source of the offer, where previous opportunities and orders had been lost to another more expensive supplier because a golden handshake had been offered. It’s not fair, and it’s not just. It’s not a level playing field out there. Those that then try to join the game are condemned for the approach. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

It’s the way of the world, I was told. Well, it’s not the way of my world, I am afraid.

Everyone deserves a chance, and I’m fond of an underdog, a fighting spirit and a chancer. But this simply must be backed by unwavering professionalism and commitment to the project, the job and the delivery in hand. Put your best professional foot forward and I’ll see you on the even and fair playing field. Pay and blag your way in, and I’ll show you the benches quicker than it takes to pull a red card.

I cannot change human nature. I cannot simply put my cross face on and expect people and practices to change. What I can do is make sure that my part of the playing field is fair and just, and that the game, as far as we can, is played fair.

With 2020 being, well, 2020, it’s more important than ever to rethink our approach, rethink the importance of things and establish our values. What really matters is a job done right and well and a wholesome approach where we treat each other fairly and with respect and we all feel better as a result. The high of a quick fix of cash is short term and sometimes empty. Can we do better?