SEC chief asks 100 peers to back changes to Construction Bill that would favour specialist contractors

The news follows the withdrawal of amendments by SEC Group president Lord O鈥橬eill in the wake of recent corruption allegations against four peers.

Rudi Klein, SEC Group chief executive, is meeting members of the House of Lords to convince them to support his revisions in the chamber. O鈥橬eill had proposed clauses that would have enabled specialist contractors to demand proof of ability to pay by main contractors before taking work.

However, he withdrew the first amendments to the bill last week saying he 鈥渇elt it inappropriate in the current climate to pursue them鈥�. This followed a Sunday Times investigation that alleged to show lords willing to table amendments in return for cash.

Klein admitted his campaign comes at a tough moment. 鈥淟ord O鈥橬eill鈥檚 withdrawal makes it hard to regain ground,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut everywhere I go people ask me what we鈥檙e doing about this.鈥�

That the president is not prepared to table the amendments looks a bit odd

Rupert Choat, lawyer

Rupert Choat, partner at CMS Cameron McKenna, said O鈥橬eill鈥檚 action had made things extremely hard for the SEC Group. 鈥淭hat the president and secretary is not prepared to table the amendments looks a bit odd.

He鈥檚 washed his hands of them.鈥�

Choat said 鈥渃ollateral damage鈥� from the 鈥渃ash for amendments鈥� scandal was stifling debate on the bill. 鈥淭here is no discussion in committees on banning equivalent project relief clauses, for instance, which is an important and neutral matter.鈥�

O鈥橬eill did not break House of Lords rules because he did not accept cash directly for the amendments, despite being paid an undisclosed sum as president of the SEC Group.

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