dilligaf Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 26 minutes ago, Doitonce said: So, some MACCS members: A.M. Tree Care Ace Carpets Ltd Blastaway Ltd Castle Carpets Curtains & Blinds Chris Bell Tree Surgery Ltd Cleervu Aerial Specialists Ltd Countryside & Garden Contractors Ltd Countryside Maintenance Ltd D.G. Wood & Son Garden Maintenance Dave The White Van Man David Noble Gardening Discount Plastic Merchants How many of the above are construction companies? The list goes on - this is only a small amount of companies who do not fall under the category of construction for their core services. So, MACCS accreditation is clearly, and PROVEN, to not be required for Government work, if the work is not construction related. If this is the case, why are the above contractors afforded the opportunity to be awarded government work in their specific, non construction related fields, but other contractors in the same line of business, not allowed, due to them being unwilling to stump up the £250 odd quid to pay for membership of the prawn and pork pie brigade. Stinks. Unbelievable. !!! I thought the whole idea was to give the public a choice of credible tradesmen to choose from. White Van Man may be and probably is a great guy and offering a fantastic service, but why is he on the Gov. Reg. ???? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlo Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 11 minutes ago, dilligaf said: Unbelievable. !!! I thought the whole idea was to give the public a choice of credible tradesmen to choose from. White Van Man may be and probably is a great guy and offering a fantastic service, but why is he on the Gov. Reg. ???? To poke a finger the pension dyke! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dilligaf Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 1 minute ago, finlo said: To poke a finger the pension dyke! makes one wonder ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doitonce Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 (edited) So, reputable tradesman ehh? I will make one example here, and whilst i'm not knocking or criticising any contractors here, can anyone tell me how a current MACCS accredited contractor (with no qualifications for this type of work, or work in this arena) was permitted to spread 100 tonnes of sand, heavily contaminated with glass onto one of the islands football pitches, leading to a significant 6 figure rebuild, ensuring the new surface was safe, and free of all glass fragments, yet not receive any sanction from MACCS, or removal from the so called 'list of reputable tradesman'. What makes this more ironic is the following statement from the MACCS constitution: "Clause 5.4.2 - Membership shall cease and all privileges shall be forfeited if the Executive Council orders the name of the Member to be removed from the list of members because the Executive Council believes it not to be in the interests of the Federation for such a Member to remain in membership. The Executive can only take such measures at, or after, a meeting to which the member has been invited within fourteen days notice, and at which the Member has been given the opportunity to present their case and be heard. The Executive Council shall not invoke this article vexatiously." To take the above a stage further, when the owner of one of the companies that took part in the repair works (and milked significant sum off it) is a board member of MACCS, it smacks in the face somewhat. This is one example of many, similar scenarios which have occurred, courtesy of these 'reputable contractors'.... Edited April 2, 2019 by Doitonce 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doitonce Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 (edited) I'll take things further again - are MACCS checking the professional qualifications of the companies on their list? Another example, on the list I have provided above, there are 6 companies that offer tree surgery to their customers, one of which being the government. The problem with this is, there are multiple 'layers' of qualifications required to work in this field. A basic chainsaw qualification does not qualify someone to climb a tree, or to dismantle a windblown tree for example, yet there are examples of members of MACCS undertaking these works on behalf of private clients, and government departments, where their qualifications do not extend to cover the level of works that they are undertaking, thereby rendering their insurance for said tasks null and void, as well as being bloody dangerous.. The subscription is little more than an opportunity to put a sticker on one's van which 'suggests' they are a reputable tradesman, when the reality of the situation is that in some cases, there are no checks being carried out which prove that the work is being carried out by reputable tradesman, the quality of the work isn't checked/measured against industry best practice, and where situations arise like the football pitch referred to above, a situation which puts people in significant danger, there is no sanction or comment from MACCS. I could go on and on about this, but there is more than enough content contained in this thread to show this shambles for what it is. Edited April 2, 2019 by Doitonce 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul's got wright Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 13 hours ago, TheTeapot said: Hmm. Try bidding for government work when you aren't on the scheme and you'll quickly find you won't get any. Thus illustrating the point being made 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizo Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Not read much of this thread. I’m not a tradesman either, however, why would you want to be on a gov registered list longing for gov work. I’d say you’d only be doing it cos you a. Can’t be arsed looking for real work or b. Shit at what you do. If you were any good you wouldn’t need to rely on gov to bottle feed you. Fortunately over here you either know someone or someone knows someone. And word of mouth is pretty powerful for good and shit tradesman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doitonce Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 (edited) The general gist of it Gizo, is the fact that you rarely have to chase money where government is concerned, so you aren't so reliant on the general public, where a percentage can be slow to pay. For me personally, the appeal is only for a limited number of contracts, with my target being long running contracts i.e., 5 year terms where you are the sole contractor, as this assists with budgeting purposes. This combined with prompt payment is very valuable to small businesses. For me, the so called 'reputable' tag, and free sticker aren't worth a carrot - I don't need MACCS, or anyone else, to endorse my credentials or workmanship. Edited April 6, 2019 by Doitonce 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyconcrete Posted April 8, 2019 Author Share Posted April 8, 2019 Reading between the lines and based on your experience, if the scheme was better administered and the members skills scrutnised - there would be some value? I can only assume that was the original purpose, and that has been lost somewhat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpb Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Government registered trades persons will have achieved an NVQ certificate in their respected field, but with the caveat that it is not a guarantee of workmanship. I've been a registered Decorator for several years. To be registered I had to provide proof of my apprenticeship and pass a skills test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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