Fair payment is the key to unlocking true supply chain collaboration, and now we have the tools to achieve it, says HVCA president Gareth Vaughan.  Gareth Vaughan has been at the sharp end of building services contracting since 1973 so knows all too well that good cash flow is critical to keeping construction projects on track.

There are now 1.4 million freelancers contributing to the UK economy today and that figure is all set to grow if the last ten years are anything to go by; since 1998, there has been a 14% growth in freelancing.  And, whilst the credit crunch is certainly having an effect on the British economy, it would seem that many are not being put off and are taking the chance to set up on their own.

Those with longer memories or, at least, those aged over 40 will recall the construction industry of the early 1990s.  The industry was in recession with main contractors and sub-contractors slugging it out in order to survive.  Procurement and contractual malpractice such as “dutch-auctioning”, set-off abuse and unwarranted termination of or sub-contracts were becoming a frequent incident of main contractor/sub-contractor relationships.