Articles by Date : July 03 1995 - July 09 1995

Amey picks up œ33m work
Amey Building has picked up œ33 million worth of new contracts in the last two months. The pick of the new work is an œ8 million contract.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

CIoB: industry must be innovative
Innovate or stagnate is the message to contractors in a report published this week by the Chartered Institute of Building. The report,.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Clients get guidance on best value
An independent guide for clients on how to assess their building needs, how to choose the best procurement path, and how to find the right.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Acclaimed as the saviour of the monolithic Battersea power station, John Broome was one of Margaret Thatcher's favourite entrepreneurs of the.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

SED success leads to new features in '96
Next year's SED, the national event for construction, will be even more attractive and dynamic for exhibitors and visitors than ever before. .... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Tender prices activity depends on election
Construction tender prices will rise 3% in 1995 and 4% and 5% respectively in 1996 and 1997, according to an industry survey from consultant.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Updated NEC includes trust fund option
Provision for secure trust funds is one of a number of important changes incorporated in the second edition of the New Engineering Contract (NEC),.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Amec chosen for œ64m Yorks shop centre
Amec Building has been chosen as main contractor by Land Securities for the massive œ64 million White Rose shopping centre in Yorkshire. .... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

View from the Regions
Mid-1995 and we are expecting little improvement over last year. Certainly, expectations were not set high but with local authority re-organisation.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Tender list charges under fire
Some of the privatised utilities are now adopting bad contractual practices which have been legally banned in the public sector, according to the.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Berkeley chief slams govt policy
Berkeley group chief executive Tony Pidgley hit out at government policy towards house building last week as the firm announc- ed a rise in annual.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Loyal workers get benefit boost
The B&CE benefits company has launched a new scheme which will allow employers to make extra contributions to reward loyal directly-employed.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Thames crossing eight years away, says BRF
Two years after the East London River Crossing (ELRIC) was abandoned following concerted opposition from environmentalists the Government is no.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Kuwaitis increase stake in Costain
Kuwaiti builder Kharafi has lifted its stake in Costain to 13% through its third bout of share buying. Costain has welcomed the move - in which.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Birse awarded œ9m twin-lift bridges build
Birse Construction has been awarded a œ9 million contract by Humberside County Council to build twin lifting bridges to complete the œ30.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Schal manages œ100m Tate Gallery job
Schal International, Tarmac's construction management specialist, has been chosen to manage the œ100 million transformation of the former.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Independent monitoring ensures 'right first time'
Sir; I refer to Michael Moorhead's article, 'Finding Latham's holy grail' (page 19, CJ, 1 June 1995) and the pull-out quote statement: 'The direct.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Ucatt council trio found guilty
Three former members of the full-time executive council of Ucatt have been found guilty of charges of improper conduct of union affairs. In a.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Mitchell group to sue C&L for 'fraud'
Shareholders in failed contractor Mitchell have formed an action group which plans to sue Coopers & Lybrand for alleged fraud - the group wants.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Belgium gets the best, UK gets the worst
Sir; A number of articles and letters about the quality of roofing slates have been published recently. Several have referred to the testing and.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Miller and CTP given go-ahead in Glasgow
Work on the œ170 million leisure and business development at Pacific Quay, the site of the former Glasgow Garden Festival, is set to start.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Grove buys mobile crane firm Krupp
Hanson company Grove Worldwide has paid œ29 million to buy the mobile hydraulic crane business of Krupp. The transaction is subject to.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Local support for A27 gathers in Eastbourne
The South Coast has become a focus for the anti- and pro-road lobbies. Ben Roskrow gets the views of the people of Eastbourne more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Forces of law
When seeking extensions of time, the term force majeure is widely used precisely because it is so imprecise more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Try sent off court as tennis begins
Contractor Try has had to disappear from Wimbledon half way through the job. Nick Barton finds out how more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

CREDITS
The articles in this First Thursday are highly condensed versions of talks given at Benchmarking in Construction - a conference organised by the.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

The games people play!
Bigger than the Commonwealth Games - and even the London 1948 Olympics - the Corporate Games is a unique marketing opportunity. Tony Whitehead.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

British standards have never sunk so low as this
Collateral warranties - do you know exactly what's included in the lists that you use? Or do you just copy the last one and hope? If.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Private deals for public schemes
Geoff Brewer of James R Knowles explains what makes a Private Finance Initiative project, what the risks are and who benefits more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Authenticity of slate test certs questioned
Sir; I have read with growing concern the articles and correspondence surrounding the latest spate of failures of imported roofing slates. As this.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

A dirty job but Taywood's gotta do it
Taylor Woodrow is bringing a new meaning to a dirty weekend in Brighton. In difficult conditions the contractor is driving a tunnel under the.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Latham's holy grail is good for specialists
Sir; I wish to congratulate Michael Moorhead of Cyril Sweett and Partners on his excellent article, 'Finding Latham's holy grail' (CJ, 1 June 1995).... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Ballast's chemical reaction
John Leitch interviews Mike Robertshaw, managing director of Ballast Nedam, about the changing fortunes of his company more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

AIRPORT ENERGY CHECK
Since BAA introduced energy benchmarking, it has been able to set energy targets for new terminal facilities and monitor its environmental.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

can european studies help uk construction
The factors that influence construction costs in different countries are so varied that working out the ..... Euro-comparisons is not easy more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Desert Cats in Egypt
Only 7% of Egypt is populated, the rest is desert. But schemes to alter that situation are well-advanced. Fiona Kingston braved the heat to.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

U-Hire chooses JLG platforms
U-Hire of Wallasey has branched out into access platforms. It has bought two JLG units, a 30e 'up and over' boom and a Commander CM2033 compact.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

'Castle' sunk by Vibropower
Except it isn't a castle - it's BP's gravity base tank, eventually to be sunk 220 miles NE of Aberdeen on the Harding Field. The 87,000t.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Quarryman goes for Leyland DAFs
Sussex-based quarry operator Steve Dudman runs a fleet of more than 20 trucks. When he decided to add 10 more he looked hard at what is currently.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Don't put your son or daughter in the trade
Actually you would think MPs and builders would get on together - united by a common bond. What common bond, you may ask. Well, the fact that their.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Howard makes a big splash in Poole
Howard Plant of Poole, Dorset has just splashed out œ400,000-plus on a rake of JCB kit. The firm bought nine 3CXs, three 2CXs and an 803 mini.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Great demand for telescopic Versalift units
The TEL 25NF is a lightweight van-mounted telescopic work platform from recently-established access specialist Versalift UK based.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Hogg offers PFI challenge
Douglas Hogg, deputy director general of the Government's Private Finance Panel's executive, threw off contractors' criticisms that PFI has led to.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

The benchmarking process can be broken into 12 steps:
The analysis stage 5collect data and select partners 6determine the gap to be benchmarked 7establish process .... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

BENCHMARKING: a WINDOW ON BETTER PERFORMANCE?
Baffling though it is, benchmarking could be the answer to construction's need to cut costs. Academics and consultants say it is - and.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

MSF gives Lump health warning
The unrestricted growth of the 'Lump' or construction self-employment has seriously reduced the industry's health and safety standards, according.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

SIMPLE APPROACH FOR BAA MAINTENANCE
Benchmarking should be carried out on a 'keep it simple' basis to avoid 'paralysis through analysis' more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

Six out of 10 clients could be wrong!
Okay, so 62% of clients for new buildings feel the contractor needs to improve his performance. And true, the opinion is most prevalent among.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

The shortlist
Eurorail (BICC, Trafalgar House, GEC, National Westminster Bank and Seeboard) wants to build the line in two phases and wants the most expensive.... more
(06 July 1995 00:00)

BUILDERS FACE UP TO PROBLEMS
Construction could benefit hugely from benchmarking - but how could it be implemented? more
(06 July 1995 00:00)