Money for old rope

In these times of project cutting and retailer under spend, I’ve come to the conclusion that most of the retailers could save a small fortune and get rid of all the various consultants/ advisers that I bump into on various sites across the country.

 Take the consultants that look after the client’s finances on projects, to make sure the client gets value for money from the contractor – it could be argued that they look after themselves and not the client’s interests.

I have heard of the consultant meeting with the contractor and advising them of what they can and cannot price for.

The contractor submits the price, thinking that they will get what they have priced for. But alas not. What seems to happen is the consultant then deducts the items he advised the contractor to price from the package, and then shows the client the cost savings they have made for them - thus justifying their existence/fees.

 Does this save money? I don’t think so. But it makes the consultant look as if they are earning a crust and saving the retailers thousands.

If you really want to save money, go back to having your own in-house refrigeration department and deal direct with the contractor and build up the relationships they once had.

 Another cost saving is to take out the guys who now permeate our sites, checking that the contractors are doing it right. They take a few photos here and there, and post it in a site diary as evidence of work. What they should say is “Wondered about a couple of times on site and sat in the car most of the day reading the paper.”

In days gone by, there was a build-up of trust between client and contractor. But now all there is is a level of suspicion – the type you only ever seen in eastern bloc countries. They are starting to make the Stazi look approachable.

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