The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
High standards are key to growth at Robertson
Chief executive of the Robertson Group, Elliot Robertson, talks about the challenges facing the construction sector
Q. How strong is the construction sector at the moment?
A. Construction is facing one of its biggest challenges to date, but we are a resilient sector.
Robertson Group is fortunate that we operate with no debt and have done for a number of years.
The financial security of the group means it is excellently positioned to be able to offer security and comfort to customers.
The whole sector needs to address its carbon footprint and requires to refocus and look at how we will assist our customers in a green future by providing sustainable, efficient buildings with lower operational costs and flexibility to meet future requirements.
The built environment
will continue to play a pivotal role in the economic recovery and the employment market, both now and in the future.
Q. How can construction firms diversify their portfolio?
A. At Robertson, we took the decision to diversify our portfolio some time ago geographically across the UK, but the most important thing was to expand our high-quality product and service across all that we do.
Everything you do must be of the highest standards, customers don’t remember a good or bad experience with a particular part of a business, just the company name.
We have always made sure that whatever sector we moved into we had the best people to run that part of the business.
You can understand a sector, but it doesn’t mean that you are in the position to create a business that will have positive inroads and deliver. The construction sector has a lot of specialist contractors who deliver an excellent product or service, but may not wish to expand their offering.
Innovation and development of new products and services that enhance sustainable outcomes and productivity will be key to not only diversifying but widening portfolios and contributing to the agenda for the decarbonisation of cities.
Q.
What can government do to support the sector?
A. Funding needs to be made available to support an economic recovery for the sector, following the recent impact of Covid-19.
The Scottish Construction Leadership Forum is having positive engagement with Scottish Government and various advisory boards, and the leadership forum is addressing a construction recovery plan, but there is a need to gain some more momentum.
The sector would benefit from visibility of the capital spending that is available and a message of confidence and support from the government to local authorities and registered social landlords to press on with their programmes would be beneficial.
A government fund to cover the additional costs of operating enhanced Covid safety procedures and an attempt to alter standard contract forms would help release a number of projects to the market at an accelerated pace.
The cost of borrowing is at an incredibly low level and there is a green pipeline of work which could be deployed pretty quickly and strong interest from private sector investors who would like to co-invest in equity.
There is a sense of nervousness from councils who during the pandemic have suffered a loss of revenue. If we can keep the sector moving, we keep people in jobs and help to keep the social issues at bay that are raised as a result of people not being in work.
Q. How do you envisage Brexit impacting the sector?
A. Throughout the Brexit campaign, the sector has had mixed views, particularly around a skill shortage and the import and export of material.
Many sites use European
labour for both skilled and non-skilled roles and a restriction on the freedom of movement could result in higher project costs as labour demand outstrips supply.
Within Robertson we engage with a predominantly Britishbased supply chain for the supply of materials and have been working with them to identify what mitigating steps and measures have been put in place.
Many of our supply chain have material agreements in place which should limit an element of risk, but with an unknown factor surrounding the strength of the pound following Brexit, we remain as best prepared as we can be.
Cost inflation will be factored into our assumptions on an ongoing basis.
It is impossible to predict exact market dynamics at this moment, but we remain diligent and comfortable that we have a supply chain in place that is positioned to support us through the initial stages of any potential disruption.
Q. How can the sector diversify its workforce?
A. Robertson has taken great strides in diversifying its workforce.
The stereotypes associated with our sector are antiquated in the present age, certainly within Robertson, and education has been a key factor here.
The gender balance is improving and the sector itself offers a broad spectrum of careers and opportunities.
A career in construction provides rewarding opportunities and is open to all.