Over the last year SEC Group has been receiving a number of inquiries from organisations representing specialist contractors.

The group said the interest has been triggered by its strong messages on payment security, greater collaboration in the procurement and delivery processes and on professionalising the industry.

These messages now have greater resonance in the aftermath of the Edinburgh schools inquiry, the Dame Judith Hackitt interim report on building safety and more recently the Carillion collapse, the group added.

Robert Candy, CEO of the Scaffolding Association, said: “We feel that there is a strong synergy between our aims and objectives and those of the SEC Group, through effective collaboration we will be able to create a stronger voice for specialist contractors.”

Welcoming the Scaffolding Association, SEC Group’s CEO, Professor Rudi Klein, added: “We are now the only UK construction representative body that exclusively acts on behalf of the interests of specialist contractors which deliver the bulk of the industry’s added value. I look forward to working with Robert and Scaffolding Association members.”