It was disappointing to read the promotional waffle being put forward by the likes of Robert Gerrard in support of the NEC (The NEC pitch, QS News, 21 April).

While the aims of the NEC might be admirable, experience has shown it to be hopelessly aspirational, overly bureaucratic and procedural and hardly client friendly.

An example of this is the process for assessing compensation events and agreeing extensions of time. It is subject to serious abuse by contractors issuing overblown quotations and manipulating the programme to suit their own needs.

A real rethink of this procedure is required with serious consideration being given to joint ownership of the programme information and the manner in which it is regularly statused. Paper programmes are generally worthless.

Notwithstanding this, Rudi Klein is right to remind everybody that the form of contract is not the real key to a successful project - it is how a project is set up that matters and it is in this area that the most effort is required.

John Grounds, director, Currie and Brown

Source

QS News