Fighting for fairer payments for all

We know that Members continue to suffer from poor payment practices, with late and withheld funds impacting on vital cash flow.  

We also know that such practices put our Members’ livelihoods in jeopardy and can lead to stress and mental health issues. 

That’s why, working alongside industry partners, SELECT has spent years pressing the Scottish Government to improve how, and when, payments are made. 

One such measure is asking government to ensure that they support the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act, which requires public bodies to make payment down the contractual chain within 30 days. 

Through lobbying and other behind-the-scenes endeavours, our other work is currently focused on two key areas: 

Project bank accounts 

One measure that we believe could help our Members is project bank accounts (PBAs), in which monies are protected in a separate ‘pot’. 

The threshold at which PBAs are used for building works was reduced from £4.1 million to £2 million early in 2019, but we still believe more can be done to protect Members’ hard-earned money. Therefore, we will continue to lobby to ensure all firms are paid simultaneously out of this ‘pot’. 

Retentions

The ongoing blight of contract retentions is another area in which we are heavily involved. Once again, we have joined forces with other organisations to fight for a solution, maximising political support for a change in legislation and pressing hard for the introduction of some form of deposit. 

Progress has been made but we’re still not satisfied – which is why we’ll keep working on Members’ behalf behind the scenes, fighting for a fairer payment landscape for all.