Articles by Date : October 09 2006 - October 15 2006

GrantRail unveils pre-tax profit of £1.8m
GrantRail, the railway track laying and maintenance contractor, has unveiled a pre-tax profit of £1.8m on a turnover in 2005 of £110m. more
(13 October 2006 15:00)

Highways Agency announces shortlist for £4.5bn M25 DBFO
The shortlist for the £4.5bn M25 DBFO (Design, Finance, Build and Operate contract) has been announced by the Highways Agency. more
(13 October 2006 14:00)

Sir Robert McAlpine leads race for Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is to open negotiations with a team, headed by Sir Robert McAlpine, about designing and constructing the 2012.... more
(13 October 2006 13:25)

Mansell workers rewarded after saving colleague's life after heart attack on site
Two construction workers have received awards for saving the life of a colleague who suffered a heart attack on site last February. more
(12 October 2006 17:29)

Architect group SMC trims debt with £6m new share issue
SMC, the architecture and design group, has raised £6m as a result of issuing almost four million new shares. As a result, the rapidly expanding.... more
(12 October 2006 15:00)

Stonehenge: Still Britain's greatest wonder?
Stonehenge is the sole British contender in an international competition to select the "New7wonders" of the world. Is this ancient site really the.... more
(12 October 2006 11:44)

Babcock & Brown to float £300m PFI investment fund on London Stock Exchange
A new name is about to float on the London Stock Exchange – BBPP – and its £300m funds will be exclusively devoted to strengthening its portfolio of.... more
(11 October 2006 12:00)

George Wimpey says UK housing market remains stable
George Wimpey has issued a trading statement this morning. The good news is that in the UK, the housing market has remained stable….but the bad news.... more
(11 October 2006 09:00)

Case rebuilds UK network
■ New franchisee takes on some Saville staff after death of parent firm founder leaves dealer in administration. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Imtech to spend £100m on bid to join top three
Dutch group Imtech has a £100m war chest for further acquisitions in the UK. The plan is to either strengthen its M&E presence through one national.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Frameworks: 'Adapt or lose out' on work (CJ conference report)
If local and regional contractors want to keep working for local authorities they must adapt to the world of frameworks or lose out. That was the.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Tower Hill statue to mark builders’ role
A 9ft bronze statue of a building worker was unveiled on 11 October at Tower Hill in London by Alan Ritchie, UCATT general secretary, and Ken.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

City watch: 11 October 2006 - Interserve, John Laing
Interserve share price rockets; John Laing's name set to disappear in a burst of glory. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Driver killed by Bardon lorry
A digger driver working on the extension of the Masterfoods headquarters in Leicestershire was killed last week when a Bardon Aggregates lorry.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Group voices fears on 2012 retentions
The Specialist Engineering Contractors (SEC) Group has added nine new clients to its retention-free list but is still campaigning to get the Olympic.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Balfour jv leads in East London deal
■ Phase one of the £450m rail scheme will see the line extended and new stations built. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Waterman profit rises to £4.2m
Waterman, the consultancy group, has reported a pre-tax profit of £4.2m (£3.8m). Managing director Bob Campbell said he was “delighted” with the.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Two Stratford DLR deals move on to next phase
■ Five firms line up for £100m package as Hochtief and Skanska fight for £50m package 8. Two major projects totalling up to £150m on London’s.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Strike early for keys to framework success (CJ Frameworks conference)
Smaller sized contractors wanting to win framework contracts need to identify opportunities early and get to know the client in the pre-bid phase, if.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Heating operatives to vote on new pay deal
Operatives in the heating and ventilating sector are set to vote on a new three-year pay settlement said to be worth about 11% overall. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Holiday pay scheme boosts B&CE profit
■ Income for holiday pay, pension, and accident and death cover schemes up by 11%. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Sustainable housing: The big beast stirs
Britain’s biggest housebuilder is finally climbing aboard the sustainability bandwagon. But is Persimmon really going green – or it just playing the.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Editor's comment: A damning indictment?
After a year that’s been the best on record for safety on sites, the past couple of weeks have been a tragic reminder that things can go badly wrong..... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Whitfield thrown out of federation
The Federation of Master Builders has expelled Whitfield Construction (Staffs) Ltd for bringing the organisation into disrepute. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Brighton sewage work down to the final two
Southern Water now has only has two teams to choose from for a £200m deal to build a massive sewage treatment plant near Brighton. Sources say that.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

NFDC launches guide on high-reach rig use
The National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) has launched guidance notes on the use of high-reach demolition rigs, in a move to promote.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Energy price hikes to hit construction
Spiralling energy prices are set to add £2.4bn to the cost of construction in the UK over the next two years, threatening the progress of the.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Laing O’Rourke betters profit by £10m
Laing O’Rourke’s pre-tax profit has jumped to £34m, a rise of £10m over the figure achieved in the previous year. Latest annual results (12 months to.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Take on big firms with an alliance (CJ Frameworks conference)
Forming an alliance of smaller like-minded contractors is an alternative way of competing with large national contractors on winning framework.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Metronet consortium profit down to £29m
Metronet Rail, the consortium that holds two of the three 30-year PPP contracts for the £15bn upgrade of the ageing London Underground, has made a.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Osborne sells CWO to management buy-out
Osborne has sold its stone-masonry subsidiary, which employs 81 people, to a management buy-out team. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Deutz extends life of lube oil
Deutz has developed a lube oil analysis system that it claims will extend standard oil change intervals by up to 100% (maximum 1,000hrs). more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

EP progresses on Milton Keynes and Wallingford hospital work
Six developers are vying for a flagship redevelopment deal in central Milton Keynes. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Four vie for £15m Leeds uni project
Four outfits are chasing a £15m deal for the University of Leeds. Allenbuild, HBG, Miller and Balfour Beatty have worked up stage one design and.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Length-of-service salary increases get thumbs-up
Despite at least one national press report to the contrary, the consensus of legal opinion is that pay increases linked to length of service remain.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Tenders to be vetted to improve efficiency
■ OJEU Watch initiative wants local authorities to share information and best practice. Local authority tenders are being monitored by a newly.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Four set sail with £20m Southampton office bids
Four outfits are vying to sail away with a £20m deal for cruise shipping company Carnival, which owns famous lines such as Cunard and P&O. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Confusion over safety resolution
An error in transcription led to some confusion over last week’s report on the Labour Party conference. A resolution on safety moved by the TGWU.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Wrekin wins fight for £8m RAF scheme
Wrekin has risen to the challenge with a price of £7.97m to snatch from five rivals the enabling works for Project Phoenix at RAF Menwith Hill, near.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

CPA publishes shoring and piling manual
The Construction Plant-hire Association’s (CPA) Shoring Technology Interest Group has published Safety in Shoring – the proprietary Shoring and.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Partnerships for Health has new chief executive
Dr Sue O’Connell is the new chief executive of Partnerships for Health (PfH), which oversees the NHS LIFT initiative. Dr O’Connell, a GP by.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Politicians back industry on its green performance
The construction industry’s role in delivering environmental performance has received belated backing from both main political parties. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

ASI demos road resurfacing for TfL
Infrared road repair specialist ASI held a demonstration on the Old Kent Road last week to persuade Transport for London (TfL) of the merits of its.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

CPA appeals to councils as filter rules progress
■ London Code of Practice requiring some sites to fit DPFs will be published next month. The London Code of Practice, which will require plant on.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

New Grove crane saves space
Manitowoc Crane Group has launched a crane that it claims will use a new concept in lifting engineering. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

A McAlpine rakes in £120m-worth of work
Alfred McAlpine has clinched a raft of contracts totalling £120m-plus. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Employers neglect migrant site safety
Migrant workers are risking their lives every day on UK construction sites with many employers not checking whether they speak English, have the.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Summer stall for orders
New construction orders in the three months to August showed no overall improvement compared with the previous three months. Justin Stanton reports. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Corus steels itself for crash barrier dispute
■ Manufacturer adamant that its new steel barrier complies with all safety standards. Corus has waded back into the row over the most appropriate.... more
(11 October 2006 00:00)

Tarmac urges recruitment drive
Materials giant Tarmac has warned of the “huge potential impact” of failing to recruit enough people into the sector. more
(11 October 2006 00:00)