Harsh reality

摘要

I Have A Large Postbag. The Contents mostly consist of bundles of contract documents sent in by contract monitors based in all parts of the UK. Reading all this rubbish provides me with a regular reality check. All this talk of allocating risk to the party best able to manage it... and I'm struggling to find any hard evidence. I pick out of my postbag a subcontract used for highway works. Ah, I think, surely this one will reflect a fair allocation of risk since the client is the Highways Agency (HA). I know that my friend Steve Rowsell, procurement director at the HA, has been doing some fantastic work in promoting integrated project teams. HA insists that its main suppliers provide regular health checks on their supply chain relationships. HA sets out to be an exemplar client and expects its main suppliers to follow its lead. In fact, HA goes so far as to say that there should be no difference in working for HA directly or through the main supplier.