It was 50 years ago that I first got to know Tony Bingham: he was then a suspended ceiling subcontractor. He also represented specialist subcontractors on the Committee of Associations of Specialist Engineering Contractors. In this forum he was able to advocate proactive co-ordination between M&E specialist subcontractors (whose design skills he cites) and firms such as his, for example in the integration of bracketry and fixings.

Let us therefore not underplay the contributions of specialist and trade contractors to design, assembly, logistics and installation, together with innovations in product design and application.

The criticisms of the design and build contractor in the Grenfell Phase 2 report are indeed merited; the failings are replicated on many projects, but there are exceptions. To explain them as due to the fact that contractors are mere “putter-uppers” is, with respect, superficial.

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