Edward Quigg, the director and head of procurement at Quigg Golden, speaks about the policies that every company should have in place in order to be guarded against procurement corruption. With this form of corruption still alive and well in the construction industry, it is important for companies to know how to protect themselves. As stated on the Action Fraud website, procurement fraud is a criminal offence and is regarded as “any frau relating to a company purchasing goods, services or commissioning construction projects from third parties”. The fraud can occur at any point during the procurement and contract management processes, including price fixing, market sharing and bid rigging. Procurement fraud could cost a construction business millions of pounds and damage its reputation; therefore Edward has created a list of eleven preventative actions: As part of the risk management process, acknowledge that fraud and corruption is a business risk, include it in the corporate risk register, assess the likelihood of risk occurring, have it on the board meeting agenda and establish an operational strategy to minimise such risk. Increase the awareness of all members of staff and the supply chain in counter-fraud and anti-bribery and make sure they are aware of the consequences at corporate and personal levels. Have clear conflict of interest, anti-bribery and confidentiality internal policies and get all involved in the procurement to sign a statement that they will comply with them. Ensure that the internal policies and processes are transparent to enable you to detect and investigate any suspected fraud and bribery. Ensure that procurement procedures are in line with best practice. Exclude suppliers on the grounds of mandatory and discretionary exclusions in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Do not let one person make the decision because it is much harder to bribe a team of three. Include a covenant provision in employment contracts to prevent employees using the knowledge they have if they move to a possible supplier or client. Regularly audit, scrutinise and improve resilience of the internal fraud prevention process. Run an effective whistleblowing arrangement to encourage fraud and corruption reporting. If fraud and bribery is suspected, escalate it to the management level and take action immediately to secure evidential records against removal or alteration.

A new study commissioned by Foxtons estate agent has revealed that after viewing a property online, it takes home hunters an average of just eight minutes to decide whether to physically view the home[1]. As first impressions are important to purchasers, the interior design within the show home is a crucial element to selling homes. However, what about the interiors and use of marketing suites? In the last 10 to 15 years, there has been a huge shift in the use of the marketing suite, with developers keen to add value to the customer experience. With 20 years’ experience, Suna Interior Design, a boutique design consultancy based in London, have witnessed first-hand this change – and have been instrumental in moving developers away from a portakabin to a fully immersive experience for potential buyers. Helen Fewster, Director at Suna Interior Design comments: “Fifteen years ago, most marketing suites were simply sales offices and were often in a cabin on site or in the dining room of the show home. The sales offices were generally designed to be functional, providing a practical space rather than considering the potential aesthetic impact. However, in recent years there has been fundamental changes to this and today we are seeing the residential property sector recognise that marketing suites are an important part of the customer journey. When a purchaser views a development, their experience in the marketing suite is often their first impression. This presents house builders with an opportunity to give the purchaser an insight into the aspirational lifestyle that comes with the homes they are selling and it is important to make this first impression count. We have seen lots of clients investing in state of the art, purpose-built marketing suites in order to deliver a bespoke customer experience.” “At Suna Interior Design some of the main questions we ask ourselves before we begin work is ‘who are our clients selling to?’, ‘what do they want their purchasers to see and feel’ and ‘how does that affect the customer journey?’ From high end luxury to modern urban locations, all our marketing suites combine the developments own unique brand, with the aspirations and unique requirements that reflect the local market. Meanwhile, we also ensure all functions are considered to make sure the end result is a practical working environment. For example, plan in enough storage space, plentiful desk areas with room to hide things away, meeting rooms or offices for private conversations, even down to the back of house considerations such as kitchens and WC facilities. Depending on the nature of the Marketing Suite this can all be achieved in an informal and relaxed environment, more akin to a nice café than a sales office or it could be more like the ambiance of a high-end hotel entrance and residents lounge.” For example, Helen continues: “We created a bespoke two-storey statement marketing suite at London Square’s The Star and Garter development on Richmond Hill, which was designed to reflect the luxury brand and lifestyle being offered to purchasers. Once completed the developer even used some areas of the marketing suite to hold events such as art gallery exhibitions, which encouraged potential purchasers to revisit the development. We even incorporated a champagne bar into the design which provided an impressive focal point and came in handy during these events!” Helen concludes: “Tech has certainly influenced marketing suites, rather than plans on walls which would you have seen 10 years ago, everything is interactive including models and fly through CGIs. In the future we expect to see this develop even further with virtual reality headsets in suites, so purchasers can enjoy a fully immersive experience.” For more information on the work of Suna Interior Design, please visit www.sunainteriordesign.com.

One Guarantee has had a successful first 3 months. Since launching the company has had a significant impact in the insurance and construction industries. The team has managed to quote more than £200 million worth of commercial development. These developments are located throughout the UK and cover projects from single-storey care homes to more expansive hotel casinos. The company has been featured in Insurance Age and has also presented One Guarantee products for a range of industry events. The team working for One Guarantee has managed to build on their reputation for providing structural warranties. The company has also had an impressive few months after receiving positive feedback from both clients and established brokers who have expressed an interest in forming a relationship with the new warranty market entrant. The One Guarantee scheme has also been praised for its swift response time as well as offering a personalised and friendly service to clients and competitive premiums offered for a wide range of comprehensive AA-rated policies. Looking ahead, the team at One Guarantee are wanting to build on their first few months. There are plans to grow the technical services offered by the team as well as introduce their own residential warranties at some point next year. One Guarantee is a service that has been offered by One Broker Ltd, and the company has expressed their delight in regards to the progress of their commercial building warranties. These warranties have managed to make it into the latent defect market. Those working on One Guarantee have managed to form a number of promising relationships over the course of a very short period of time. Going forward it will be essential for the company that they consistently evolve their product offering to offer their clients and potential clients a service that suits their requirements.