HVCA chief executive Robert Higgs OBE has had a hand in many of the most significant developments in building services history during 38 years with the association. As he prepared to retire, he took time to look back on a long and successful career.
Seven years ago, during the HVCA's Centenary Conference in Harrogate, Robert Higgs OBE was subjected to a very public grilling. The conference facilitator took on the role of the HVCA's very first president David Nesbit. The event had taken The Time Machine as its theme and the theory was that Mr Nesbit had travelled forward in time to see if the association had met the aims and objectives created by the founding members.

'Mr Nesbit' was unhappy that some of the problems facing the sector, discussed at the very first meeting in London on 16 March, 1904, were still around 100 years later, including the perennial unfair tender practices and payment problems. 'Yes, he did give me a bit of a hard time,' recalled Mr Higgs with a rueful smile. 'He did, however, give us due credit for always taking on the big issues of the day, leading the process to solve them and creating a far more stable and secure future for our members.

That has always been the role of the HVCA and I see that continuing well into the future.' As he prepares to retire this July, there is much to reflect on for a man who has had a hand in many of the most significant moments in the industry's history.

Fingerprints

The Construction Act is probably the most important piece of legislation relevant to the building services sector and it has Mr Higgs' fingerprints all over it. This was largely thanks to his ability to work closely with key industry reformers and politicians.

'We had an excellent relationship with Sir Michael Latham and Nick Raynsford [then an opposition MP who became Construction Minister the following year]' said Mr Higgs.


'They consulted us widely throughout the process and it is a source of considerable pride that the association has always been expected to lead in such matters.

'If you don't show leadership, what are you there for? We have always aimed to be a 'premier' trade association and that means sometimes you have to go out on a limb and put your head above the parapet - we have never shirked that responsibility.'

It is sometimes forgotten just how significant it was for the industry to secure an Act of Parliament that enshrined fairness over payment practices to contractors. It was a huge advance and one that would not have been possible without the prompting of Mr Higgs and his executive staff at that time.

Mr Nesbit would still be worried about payment issues, however, and Mr Higgs agrees that the problem has not gone away: 'We will never crack the poor payment nut until companies enforce their legal rights. The legislation only enshrined what was legal and morally right. The tools are now in place, but they count for very little if they are not used.

'However, I do believe those tools have made a huge difference during the current economic downturn. Specialist sub-contractors are suffering tough times, but they do at least have more weapons in their armoury to help them secure fair payment terms than they had during the last recession.'

Momentous as the Construction Act was, there are many other highlights of his 38 year career with the association - 22 as director and chief executive (the title was changed to reflect current trends in 2005).

He first joined the association as assistant commercial secretary in September 1973 and moved quickly through the ranks to the position of deputy director in 1980. Nine years later he replaced Geoff Cutting in the top job - to become only the second person in the 107 year history of the association to hold the post on a full time basis.

He was straight in at the deep end when the HVCA Council voted to withdraw the h&v sector from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) statutory training levy during his very first Council meeting as director.

It was a momentous decision that totally transformed the industry's approach to training and continues to have ramifications today. It led to the creation of the HVCA's own managing agency for apprentice training Building Engineering Services Training (BEST) - the first of a number of expansion steps taken during Mr Higgs' tenure, which also included the development of the UK's register of hvacr operatives that led to the creation of engineering services SKILLcard.

Crucial

There have been very few dull days since as he has led the association through stormy recessionary waters and calmer periods of healthy business growth in the boom years. Mrs Thatcher famously claimed to have run the country on just four hours sleep a night, and Mr Higgs says his own ability to work extremely long days has been crucial.

He presided over the creation of a proper regional structure of the association - in the face of quite vociferous opposition at the time - and faced even greater dissent when he set about the most significant reform in the history of the association; the introduction of independent Inspection & Assessment (I&A) for all members.

Quality standards

Established in 2003, this requires all members to submit to in-depth third party checks on their technical and business practices and to meet certain quality standards.

'Yes, it was risky,' admits Mr Higgs. 'But it was the right move and set us apart from other trade associations. We did lose members as a result, but not many - and it was, after all, a member-led initiative; they wanted it as a way of making sure membership of the HVCA stood for something meaningful to their clients.'

His role has also taken him well beyond the normal bounds of a trade association. He was the first coordinating director of the Specialist Engineering Contractors' (SEC) Group when it came into being in 1992. This umbrella body unites six trade associations representing the interests of over 60,000 specialist engineering firms and a total workforce of over 300,000.

He also played a significant international role by helping to establish the International Alliance of Mechanical Contractors' Associations (IAMCA), which links the HVCA with sister bodies in the US, Australia and Canada, and the development of the pan-European body GCI-UICP.

His dedication and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty received the ultimate recognition in 2006 when he was awarded the OBE by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. And it is tempting to mark the career of such a significant industry figure in major milestones and big sector changes, but Mr Higgs prefers to concentrate on the personal relationships that frame those events.

'It has always been about the people,' he says. 'That is why I have stayed so long. There was a time when I thought it would be nice to be headhunted for some major public role, but two things kept me here: the people around me and the fact that the role kept changing all the time. There was always so much to do.'

For the future, he is convinced that specialist sub-contractors and HVCA members, in particular, can adapt to the market changes ahead. However, he recognises that big structural changes in the way the industry is organised are needed.

Reinforced role

'If nothing else, our efforts to reform contract conditions and project processes have helped to reinforce the role of the specialist contractor, but the old linear, hierarchical supply chain must (and I believe will) change,' he said.

'Integrated teams, where all parties share risk and rewards on an equal footing, must become the norm and will be absolutely crucial if the industry is to deliver the sustainable building stock so vital to the country's future.'

Robert Higgs retires as chief executive of the HVCA on July 22.