Scottish electrical trade body, SELECT, has signed up to the Conflict Avoidance Pledge (CAP) – a joint initiative by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Institution of Civil Engineers and other major professional bodies in the built environment.

The Pledge aims to use early intervention techniques throughout the supply chain to try and resolve differences of opinion before they escalate into disputes.

By signing up, organisations vow to work proactively to avoid conflict, facilitate early resolution of potential disputes and promote collaborative working.

Alan Wilson, SELECT Managing Director, said: "We are delighted to sign the Conflict Avoidance Pledge and add SELECT's name to its signatories page.

"Disputes in the construction industry cost billions of pounds, causes immeasurable harm to business relationships and reputations, and are extremely slow and difficult to resolve.


"Such problems mean that projects are frequently delivered behind schedule and over budget, which adds further strain to an already stressful industry.

"That's why we're joining others to encourage collaborative working and the use of early intervention techniques to try and resolve differences of opinion before they escalate into full-blown disputes."

SELECT has joined a host of leading UK construction and engineering bodies who have pledged to reduce the cost of conflict and deliver major infrastructure and property development projects on time and on budget.

The collaboration aims to promote greater understanding and use of conflict avoidance techniques, which help contracting parties deal with differences of opinion early and amicably, and avoid costly, slow and potentially damaging litigation.

The CAP is also developing initiatives to inform high-level decision-makers about the added value of these techniques and how to access and use them.

In addition, the Conflict Avoidance Coalition Steering Group has developed a toolkit which offers a guide to best practice, tips for implementation and other tools to effectively apply the Pledge within an organisation.

Shaped by feedback from industry partners to ensure it meets the needs of users, the toolkit aims to educate people working across the industry about the lifecycle of conflict avoidance and early intervention to prevent disputes.

(MH/JG)