Special branch

Trevor Hursthouse is busy building. Busy building better relationships with clients as chairman of the Specialist Engineering Contractors' Group, and busy building more space at his fast-growing firm Goodmarriott & Hursthouse.

The company has gone from strength to strength in recent years, fuelled in part by Trevor's early adoption of, and clear enthusiasm for, all things Latham and Egan.

Turnover has grown to £19 million and profitability is better than most in the industry. Hursthouse needs no convincing that the brave new world of partnering and alliances is proving a better bet than dirty old competitive tendering.

This experience stands him in good stead to drive forward change in the m&e sector as chairman of the SEC Group. The group is the umbrella lobbying body for six specialist engineering trade associations, including the ECA and the HVCA, and represents the interests of over 7000 firms.

Hursthouse is adamant that his time has been well spent: "I'm annoyed with the cynics who say nothing's changed. There has been change, and change for the better. There are still problems, and we haven't solved it overnight, but it is up to us to promote ourselves to clients and to tell them how important our contribution is."

With life cycle costing and PFI schemes moving the industry away from its chronic obsession with cheapest price, Hursthouse believes that the m&e engineers' contribution can only become more significant. "Up to 60% of a project is m&e work and ours is the only equipment that actually does anything. The lighting, heating and ventilation have to perform to a specification, and if they don't they will have an adverse effect on the performance of the building."

Increasing client awareness is just one part of the work of the SEC Group. It feeds in to the lobbying work of the Constructors' Liaison Group, and the campaign against retentions is top of the hit list.

"We have to ask ourselves why retentions exist. If there are post-completion problems there are other solutions: contractual remedies, bonds, the ECA Warranty, for example," points out Hursthouse.

The campaign achieved early success in the public sector, with the Defence Estates abolishing retentions within prime contracting. In the private sector, Hursthouse draws confidence from the likes of Tesco and Thames Water, who have put faith in long-term relationships and that important concept: trust.

"It's archaic. I can't think of another industry that works this way. If we adopted some of these alternative methods it would release a lot of funds."

The CLG's early day motion campaign has drawn widespread all-party support. While it may stutter until the election is out of the way, Hursthouse promises that the issue will not be allowed to fade from view. "As soon as the dust has settled after 7 June, the SEC Group will be in there campaigning."

Also high on the hit list is security of payment. With insolvencies rising, those down the payment chain suffer. "It is an enormous commercial risk," says Hursthouse. "Again, other models exist and are working in the States and Europe."

The SEC Group would like to see industry-specific insolvency protection introduced. In this respect the Construction Act has proved "disappointing", but as Hursthouse points out: "Amending an Act is much easier than getting one in the first place. As a lobby group we are continually tap, tap, tapping on the door to get it changed."

The Government has recently come tapping on the door of the construction industry, demanding that its appalling record on health and safety be improved. What role can the SEC Group play? "The industry is rightly being challenged. Where we can play a part is with the smaller firm who can't afford a full-time health and safety manager. Because how you manage safety is the issue – you shouldn't address health and safety on a wing and a prayer."

Does Hursthouse think the right breed of managers are coming through? "We do take safety seriously and we have got the skills to manage it and implement it. A lot of managers have worked on the tools, so they should have a direct understanding of the issues."

While Hursthouse would be in favour of some sort of mandatory safety qualification, he acknowledges that implementation would be an "enormous struggle".

And safety reps? Hursthouse believes that "the industry should put itself in a position where they are unnecessary".

"The government is right to flag this up, but the problem will be solved by the industry itself," thinks Hursthouse.

The issue of safety and who will drive it forward is further confused by the involvement of two government bodies. Will it be the new Strategic Forum for Construction, or the body being set up following this year's safety summit? Confused? You should be: both bodies will be chaired by Sir John Egan, architect of the Rethinking construction report.

Hursthouse doesn't care what the grouping is as long as clients are involved. "We have to have a dialogue with clients. Things move on and we have to put ourselves in the best position to achieve our aims."

Contractors can be forgiven for wondering where the SEC Group's lobbying ends and the CLG's begins. Indeed the two groups' roles are being looked at, particularly in the light of the disbanding of the Construction Industry Board. Whatever happens, Hursthouse believes that there will always be a need to get the voice of the specialist engineering firm heard by clients.

Hursthouse is fast approaching two years as chairman of the SEC Group. Long enough to judge whether his time has been a success. "I think the SEC Group ought to be better recognised for the work that it does. We've been extremely successful on a number of issues and achieved a lot of benefits for members." Definitely something for Trevor to build on.