4th July 2014, 02:44 PM
Discussion is good, the world would be a boring place without people articulating differing opinions.
Are they though? Except the very smallest builders and PCC's it has been my experience that most clients want surety. Cost, although a factor, is not always the deciding factor. They want confidence that the company they employ to undertake their archaeological work will not hold them up and will deal with their archaeological constraints. This is why many of the larger companies employ consultants to manage this process on their behalf. Personally I think some consultants have a lot to answer for in maintaining the status quo. Understandable though as they are representing their client first and the archaeology second.
It has not helped that for the last 5 years there has been a recession which has forced companies to produce cutthroat tenders and hammer down on pay and conditions just to survive in a much diminished market. Hopefully that is all in the process of changing and that some enlightened managers will realise there might be different ways of doing things.
Jack Wrote:Pay and conditions are set by market forces.
Are they though? Except the very smallest builders and PCC's it has been my experience that most clients want surety. Cost, although a factor, is not always the deciding factor. They want confidence that the company they employ to undertake their archaeological work will not hold them up and will deal with their archaeological constraints. This is why many of the larger companies employ consultants to manage this process on their behalf. Personally I think some consultants have a lot to answer for in maintaining the status quo. Understandable though as they are representing their client first and the archaeology second.
It has not helped that for the last 5 years there has been a recession which has forced companies to produce cutthroat tenders and hammer down on pay and conditions just to survive in a much diminished market. Hopefully that is all in the process of changing and that some enlightened managers will realise there might be different ways of doing things.