AN email alert service has been launched to ensure the region’s small and mediumsized (SME) construction firms do not miss out on green contracts.

Government spending cuts and a slowdown in major private sector developments has heightened competition among contractors looking to secure work.

The service is being offered to businesses in the region by the Cut the Carbon campaign, a partnership between CITB-ConstructionSkills, the National Specialist Contractors Council and the Federation of Master Builders.

The free alerts are aimed at reducing the confusion surrounding green building policy and will count down to impending low-carbon policy and legislation such as the Green Deal, Renewable Heat Incentives and the Green Investment Bank, pointing SMEs to the skills and knowledge they need to respond and ultimately help them win new business.

New research by the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks indicates that small businesses are struggling to cope under mountains of red tape, and many fear missing out on business and grants as they do not have the resources to keep track of the latest legislation.

Mark Freeman, sustainability officer at Redcarbased registered social landlord Coast and Country Housing, believes the scheme can offer a valuable service to SMEs.

“Navigating through lowcarbon policy and legislation can be extremely timeconsuming for small businesses such as ours and it can often be difficult to know what to do when.

“A simple alert that not only updates us on impending low-carbon requirements but importantly also tells us how we can obtain the skills and knowledge to respond will be invaluable.”

Steve Housden, sector strategy manager for CITBConstructionSkills in the North-East, the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for construction, said: “The drive for a lowcarbon construction industry is prompting a number of changes to policy and new legislative requirements, which can be confusing.

“But it is also creating great opportunities for SMEs to win low-carbon work.

“We know that it can be difficult for small businesses in this challenging climate to stay up to speed.

“The Countdown alert service helps them to understand what they need to do to be compliant, to make the most of opportunities.”

Interested businesses can sign up for the Countdown alerts at cskills.org/cutcarbon