Articles by Date : February 10 1997 - February 16 1997

Unions hold out on supergroup
Union leaders are withholding their final seal of approval on the proposed contractors' supergroup - due to be launched this week - until it has.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

M&E delays hit Natwest Tower
Laing's œ80 million Natwest Tower refurbishment contract is running over budget and two months late after problems with the installation of.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

CIB to launch industry image boost bid
The Construction Industry Board is to launch a nationwide Considerate Constructor scheme in May as part of its brief to improve the construction.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

NAO to check PFI road spending
Spending on roads built under the Private Finance Initiative will be checked by the National Audit Office rather than an specific regulator,.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Business confidence is rising says survey
More than seven out of 10 construction firms expect increased sales in the first quarter of 1997 and two out of three forecast a rise in profits,.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Crest Nicholson's profits up in '96
Crest Nicholson's decision to replace the majority of its Midlands and Eastern region staff helped the Surrey housebuilder to lift pre-tax profits.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Merger shelves PFIscheme
A œ44 million healthcare PFI scheme at Pinderfield Hospital in Wakefield is being shelved temporarily while a decision is made on whether to.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Cumbria road tenders announced
Four consortia have picked up tender documents for the œ103 million M6 Cumbria to Bradford road project. The contract should be awarded during.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Crane operators' livelihood threatened
With an operator workforce whose average age is 45, the crane hire industry has reacted angrily to news of the DoT's determination to ensure that.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Rumball's Total FM targets health PFI
Mike Rumball plans to turn his company Total Facilities Management, formerly known as Granada Contract Services, into one of the biggest facility.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Output hits new high at end of '96
The private commercial and industrial sectors showed the largest increases in output in the fourth quarter of 1996. The BEC's Construction.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Bovis poised for Oracle
Bovis looks set to clinch the contract to build the œ70 million Oracle Shopping Centre for developer Hammerson in Reading, beating bids by Sir.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

INBRIEF
AMEC PROMOTES BROMLEY Tony Bromley has been appointed managing director of Amec Construction, the group's design, engineering and.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Innovative bid wins contract
Alfred McAlpine Civil Engineering has won a œ50 million contract to construct the A289 Wainscott Northern Bypass in Kent after proposing an.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Prices rise as Bryant scuttles Admiral
Housebuilder Bryant has lifted the price of its new houses in the south east by four per cent in the past two months. Andrew MacKenzie, chief.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

'Indefensible' price rises attacked
Building materials producers are justifying substantial price hikes against accusations that the rises, ranging up to 16 per cent, are indefensible.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Skills gap fears increase
Lack of training and serious drop-out levels from craft courses will lead to a "massive lack of competent and qualified labour" in the long term.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Laing beats Schal to become Millennium CM
The Laing/Sir Robert McAlpine joint venture has seen off a bid by Schal/Mace to take the construction management contract for the Greenwich.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Accountants offer tax solution
A chartered accountancy firm has come up with a tax-neutral scheme enabling contractors to avoid taking self-employed sub-contractors onto their.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Kvaerner restructures
Kvaerner has restructured its Trafalgar House operations into three business units that will operate under the banner of Kvaerner Construction. .... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Colas tries new contract
Contractor Colas is acting as guinea pig for Kent County Council which is adopting a new type of contract that pushes a greater share of risk on to.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Amec/Tarmac runway victory
The Amec/Tarmac joint venture has won a œ100 million contract to construct the second runway at Manchester Airport. The joint venture saw.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

BP fights it out with Watson Norie over refinery
BP Chemicals is in dispute with M&E contractor Watson Norie over a œ2 million claim on a term contract the contractor had with BP.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Bid battle at Cornish bio-centre
Joint ventures between Tarmac and Schal and Alfred and Sir Robert McAlpine are battling it out in the race to build the œ100 million Eden.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

œ90m treble for Hochtief
Hochtief's UK business trebled last year to œ90 million as a result of a switch of emphasis to industrial and commercial work. "We have.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

When life is a beachÉ
Sometimes an attempt by one party to gain advantage in a contract can have the opposite effect - as shown in the case of Havant Borough Council v.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Tenders invited for bankside Gallery
Tenders for the latest batch of subcontract packages are being invited for works on the new œ106 million Tate Gallery of Modern Art which.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

MBW in deal with Hamm
Compaction equipment manufacturers MBW and Hamm France have joined forces to penetrate the European compaction equipment market. Under the.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Now finance is available from Volvo construction
In line with its competitors JCB, Caterpillar and Case, construction equiment manufacturer Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE)has recently set up.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Expansion the key to future of Schaeff
New products, new dealers and a specialist approach to customers are central to German manufacturer Schaeff's planned expansion into overseas.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Land damages warning
Financial risks faced by contractors dealing with contaminated land have been highlighted in a report just published by solicitors Trowers &.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

INBRIEF
Free advice Swiftbase International is offering CJ readers two months of free advice on how keep computer systems free from Year 2000.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Green roads scheme gets funding
Britain's first scheme to test the environmental performance of roads has secured funding, according to the British Roads Federation. The.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

New products from Softdesk
Softdesk, the supplier of software for the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) markets will be launching a range of new products and.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Sologlas acquisition
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has decided not to refer the proposed acquisition of the Birmingham Guild Group by Solaglas (a.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Clay tiles becoming cheaper
The Clay Roof Tile Council is predicting that the average price differential between the cost of clay plain tiles and other roofing products will.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

New Tate network
Tate Access Floor Systems has announced a multi-dealer network for its leading brand of raised access floors. Hatmet, designer and installer.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Improved system for mine information
The Coal Authority and computer services company Cap Gemini have signed an eight year agreement to improve the quality, efficiency and speed of.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Mapping for the future with OS
The Ordnance Survey (OS) has launched a free, multimedia CD-ROM highlighting the benefits that can be gained by tapping into the agency's huge.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

Stuck in the middle? - Civils specialists and main contractors feel the pain - Mid-sized firms: long term trends
While mid-sized companies in other industries are enjoying a return to boom conditions, those in construction are still battling against a fall.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)

The recovery is only good in parts - View from the regions:London and South East
The New Year message from the Building Employers Confederation chairman was that "construction is now technically out of recession." The view from.... more
(12 February 1997 00:00)