I was interested to read ‘The client is king’ (EMC, September, p19-20) since the format of the survey was closely aligned with a benchmarking study that we undertook last year. The findings of EMC were, however, very different to our own, especially in the area of ‘factors determining a main contractor’s selection of an m&e specialist’.

We sent questionnaires to all of our major customers and 76% of respondents placed price as the most important factor when placing a contract. While I appreciate that all of the factors listed on the EMC survey are relevant when a client is placing business, it seems inconceivable to me that the main factor when placing work is a potential contractor’s ability to work as part of a team.

Teamwork is the way forward sure, and FSD is a firm advocate of working closely with customers, but all too often it is still a case of get the price right and we can talk about teamworking afterwards.

The unfortunate consequence of placing a contract based on the initial price alone is that a contractor must bid a scheme rigidly to a specification if they are to win the order, which doesn’t leave any space for any future changes or issues during the contract. Consequently, some contractors are seen by the main contractors as “reverting to a contractual stance”, simply because there is no breathing space within the confines of the original order.

True partnering involves working together from day one, understanding each others issues and potential risks, but most of all trust!