Pro Installer July 2015 - Issue 28 | Page 48

48 JULY 2015 PRO INSTALLER PRO BUSINESS www.proinstaller.co.uk Global coalition to unify construction industry standards Credit for selfemployed tradesmen Over 30 professional bodies from around the world, including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), met last month at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C. to launch a major initiative which seeks to create international standards in construction measurement. Following the success of the “Employer backed Loan’’ product which was launched in December 2014, SubMe Limited, a responsible credit facility provider, has announced the launch of its brand new product “Self-Employed Loans (SEL)” on the 1st July. The International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS) Coalition was established by non-profit organisations representing professionals in more than 140 countries. Collectively, the group aims to create overarching international standards that will harmonise cost, classification and measurement definitions in order to enhance comparability, consistency and benchmarking of capital projects within the construction industry. In an industry projected to be worth a staggering $15 trillion by 2025 according to Global Construction Perspectives, inconsistency in something as fundamental as construction measurement and reporting can create huge uncertainty, misunderstanding, and risk. The ICMS Coalition will continue to grow as further professional organisations come forward to join the effort to align high-level principles. Before the end of this month, the coalition will be formally launched. Industry corporations, contractors, and RICS Senior Vice President, Amanda Clack, signs the ICMS Coalition declaration alongside representatives of other Coalition organisations at the IMF in Washington D.C. key government stakeholders will also be encouraged to contribute to, and lead adoption of, the new international framework in their capital markets. The work to draft and consult on ICMS will be led by an independent committee of construction experts, due to be appointed by the coalition in the coming weeks. The Washington meeting represented a landmark moment for construction, project management, cost engineering and quantity surveying sectors as a whole. This is the first time these professions have come together in this way to develop unifying standards which reflect and enhance an increasingly international construction market. The coalition has stated its ambition to make tangible progress immediately and to deliver an internationally agreed and adopted standard in the near future. Amanda Clack, RICS Senior Vice President, said: “The fact that so many international organisations came together in Washington DC shows there is a strong desire to develop a single standard for construction measurement. It was evident there was a real willingness to work together collaboratively for the benefit of the public and our clients. Whilst not everyone was able to attend the meeting in person, the support from the construction industry around the globe has been incredible and I can only see the coalition becoming even stronger as more organisations are able to sign up in coming weeks and beyond. This is about making a difference and I believe is something we will all look back on as a momentous moment in creating a better industry for the future: standards work and construction needs them.” ROTO PRESENTS SubMe is a Limited Company and part of the dynamic OBK Group, established in 2009, comprises of four well established, complimentary and specialist companies, SubMe Limited, OBK Tax LLP, Sprite Technical Services UK LLP and Boss Projects LLP. As the name suggests, SubMe’s new product is available exclusively to the self-employed market and has been designed to provide easy access to short-term credit for self-employed individuals. Greg Kitchen, Chief Executive of the Surrey based Lender said: “A lot of self-employed people may find themselves in a situation where they need help with their finances to deal with unexpected expenses, but find they are ignored by traditional lenders.” “As a responsible, compliant and ethical lender (authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority), we provide credit in accordance with strict underwriting criteria and based upon the Individual’s current year to date earnings and affordability.” SubMe is launching “self-employed loans” with specialist sub-contractors and fellow OBK Group members - Boss Projects LLP and Sprite Technical Services UK LLP. ‘’We work with a lot of self-employed individuals within the construction industry and working with an entity such as SubMe will allow us to enhance our offering to contractors and clients. In case of an emergency or an unexpected bill, operatives can avoid falling into the trap of pay day loans” said Lorraine Crinson, Managing Director of Sprite Technical Services UK LLP. Greg added: “I worked in the construction trade for over 20 years so know how hard it was to get credit being self-employed. We always found it very difficult to get credit, solely because of the risk of not being in work, or having three years of consistent accounts, that were favourable to main stream lenders.” ‘’With utilising our group accountancy services we are now able to offer tradesmen an all year round credit facility that they can call on whenever needed.” SubMe Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Licence No. 654597). To find out more visit www.sub-me.com Become a VIP* at the Brands Hatch Gp Track Order minimum 5000 pcs TSL in 2015 BECOME VIP AT BRANDS HATCH ON SEPTEMBER 13 PHILIPPE BONNEEL and receive a VIP ticket worth £ 300, - * Orders placed for delivery in 2015, minimum 5000 pcs. * There are a maximum of 20 VIP tickets available on a first in first out Order them right now with your Roto dealer!