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COMMUNITY www.thefis.org 17 grasp this opportunity and continue themomentum in the realisation of the Roadmap, working towards a common goal, then finally the principles set down in the Egan report (andmany more before and since!) may finally be realised. Another beacon of hope has been the newly formed CICV Forum a working group of trade bodies active in the construction sector in Scotland. This group has been incredibly pro- active, again meeting online weekly to ensure that the industry was aligned and working together. Any differences were set aside to support the development of, without doubt, some of the most high-quality resources I have seen produced. Throughout my time working with this group I have been impressed by the fact the tragedy of the virus and the impact on lives has always been central to the discussion and put before all else. FIS Four Step Approach – Responding to COVID-19 Inform: Targeted, accurate, clear and tight information based on filtering and abridging official sources and helpful information shared through the FIS. Delivered through website, daily bulletins and social channels. Engage: Reach out to members on the phone to see how they are coping, check if our guidance is getting through and whether they have any specific needs we can meet. To ensure that they know we are there to help, to listen if they want to talk things through and reassure that they are not alone. Develop: Creating new resources, tools and template resources to help members to develop their own business continuity plans and spare their resources to deal with the day-to-day. Influence: Continue to feed intelligence into the Government, civil service and Construction Leadership Council to ensure that they are acting on the very latest information and feed in ideas around how support could be targeted for our sector. Critical is keeping sites open for as long as is practical and safe, should sites close the focus is emergency support for businesses. There is already talk of this group evolving and I for one am very supportive of this. So in adversity, I amnot naive enough to think we have left all of the negative behaviours behind us and hope has been confronted by underhand contractual practices and reprehensible payment decisions that has left me withmy head inmy hands. But there are glimmers. TaylorWimpey’s advanced payment to self-employedmembers of its supply chain sent out a strongmessage to the supply chain and the new collaborative procurement model for upcoming work at Sheffield Hallamare all steps in the right direction. I am looking forward with some hope as in a dark time have been inspired by leadership, encouraged by collaboration, humbled by generosity and I have been very proud to be part of the FIS community. “Throughout the pandemic I have seen the Construction Leadership Council grow in stature and strength.”