CHANGES A'PLENTY FOR CONTRACTS COULD LIMIT USUAL CHOICES

This article discusses the possible effects of the advent of the Single European Market (SEM) in January 1993 on the activities of British civil engineers involved in highways and bridges contracts. Most guidance on the required re-evaluation of contracting has been provided by the Department of Transport's new Manual of Contract Documents, which is now mandatory for UK motorway and trunk road contracts. The main changes are in a new conceptual approach to specifying road works, which places more constraints on customers, to meet requirements of the Treaty of Rome that there should be 'no trade barriers' between member states of the European Community. Surprisingly many civil engineers have not been aware of the new changes required. They include: (1) severe restrictions on the customer's right to choose specific materials; (2) ability of contractors to use materials complying with European rather than British standards; (3) a requirement that many structures and their parts will now have to be chosen and designed by contractors, with customers and engineers having less say; (4) responsibility of an engineer for a contractor's design, after he has checked it; (5) complex rules about measurements of structures. The new requirements will have many other far-reaching implications.