Rebuilding Britain campaign gathers pace after Northern Ireland infrastructure announcement

From April 2014 the Register of Qualified Steelwork Contractors Scheme for Bridgeworks (RQSC) will be a requirement for constructional steelwork on highways and bridges projects across Northern Ireland.

The announcement by the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Regional Development was one of the first responses to The Rebuilding Britain campaign, which was launched in February 2013 by the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA).

It aims to place UK-based manufacturing and construction businesses at the heart of the Government’s National Infrastructure Plan and in turn ensure the economic benefits of the £100bn investment are felt in the UK. The campaign is calling for procurement guidelines to prioritise best value and recognise the economic, social and environmental quality benefits that UK firms can offer.

Sarah McCann-Bartlett, Director General of the BCSA, said: “Since the campaign was launched in February, we have held very positive meetings with key stakeholders across our industry, as well as in Westminster and with local and regional politicians. This, combined with the businesses who have pledged support through our website www.rebuildingbritain.com, shows that there is real backing for the campaign. Now it is time for individuals and organisations to convert support into action.”

One of the campaign’s principal asks of government is that the constructional steelwork supply chain on all government funded, endorsed or PF2 infrastructure projects is procured using a BCSA quality assurance scheme, to ensure that UK companies can compete for this work.