Articles by Date : October 10 2005 - October 16 2005

Rear-steer Axor combines size and manoeuvrability
contractjournal.com newsletter: One of Britain's leading independent builders' merchants has come up with an innovative solution to an age-old.... more
(13 October 2005 16:57)

S Yorkshire firms to get EU training money
Construction companies across South Yorkshire are to benefit from a European Union training fund, which will help pay for employees to receive.... more
(13 October 2005 14:46)

Cutler to become md at Morgan Sindall
Mark Cutler is to move to Morgan Sindall’s infrastructure services provider Morgan Est as managing director early next year. more
(13 October 2005 13:13)

Wates appoints new head of PFI.
Wates Group has appointed Steve Yazdabadi as PFI director to take the division forward along with QED the Wates led PFI consortium. more
(13 October 2005 13:09)

Unanimous call for manslaughter laws
The construction industry has united in calling for the introduction of corporate manslaughter legislation even though Balfour Beatty and Network.... more
(12 October 2005 23:00)

Low contracting margins led to division's sell off
Building contracting's low margins triggered Gleeson's decision to part ways with this division as they "did not justify the associated risks". more
(12 October 2005 22:00)

Equitable Life drops David Wilson claim
Troubled mutual insurer Equitable Life has dropped its claim against David Wilson, current chairman of housebuilder Wilson Bowden. more
(12 October 2005 22:00)

600m Plymouth Hospitals PFI to be relaunched
The revamped Plymouth Hospitals Vanguard PFI Project is to be relaunched this month in the form of two separate contracts worth a combined 600m. more
(12 October 2005 22:00)

New guide to explain work hours
CJ's sister publication Personnel Today has launched a comprehensive guide to the Working Time Regulations to enable firms to stay within the law,.... more
(12 October 2005 22:00)

Johnston purchase goes ahead
The UK Competition Commission has given final clearance for the acquisition of Johnston Sweepers by Bucher Industries, following the sale in March. more
(12 October 2005 22:00)

CIS: coming soon to a site near you...
In the dark about CIS? Frances Strickley from the employment unit of solicitors firm Thomas Eggar explains everything you need to know about the.... more
(12 October 2005 22:00)

editor's comment
Construction benefits all of us more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

ProCure 21 call for Olympics
Specialist contractors are calling for London's Olympic contracts to be delivered using a framework agreement similar to the ProCure 21 initiative. more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Osborne on the mend after margin set-backs
Geoffrey Osborne has unveiled a 1.3% margin for the second successive year. However, the group's problem contract is now completed and through the.... more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Merseytram gets deadline extension
Merseytravel has obtained another stay of execution for its troubled Merseytram light rail project, after its deadline was extended to give it time.... more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Ignore safety scaremongers
Hold your nerve and ignore "drama queen" safety experts is the warning being issued by health and safety consultancy SMTS. more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Network Rail awards road rail deals
Network Rail said it has saved millions of pounds by awarding four companies (Balfour Beatty among them) contracts to supply road rail plant for its.... more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Spiralling legal costs see firms running scared of tribunals
Average legal costs of 4,360 are incurred by firms for every grievance going before an employment tribunal, according to the Confederation of British.... more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Four fight for Gloucestershire roads contract
Four groups should know before the month is out which of them has won Gloucestershire County Council's highways maintenance deal, potentially worth.... more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

HSE warns of trapping danger
Recent fatalities cause Health & Safety Executive to urge caution for mobile platform and telehandler operators. more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

JCB scoops 81m army backhoe deal
JCB has been awarded its largest-ever order - expected to be worth up to 81m - to build a high-speed backhoe loader for the US armed forces. more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Sweeney/Caterpillar
Scottish-based Sweeney Plant and Vehicle has purchased nine new Caterpillar machines from Finning UK: three Cat 301.5 mini excavators; two 303 CRs;.... more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Speedy buys out four Delyn Hire depots in Wales
Speedy Hire said it is approaching its 400-depot target after the purchase of Delyn Hire Centres in north Wales for a cash consideration of 1.2m. more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Framework plea from City Academies firms
Leading schools contractors are calling for the government's 5bn City Academies programme to set up a framework contract similar to ProCure 21 to.... more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

Balfour's bid scuppered on 2.2bn Birmingham roads PFI
Balfour Beatty has pulled out of the 2.2bn Birmingham City Council (BCC) highways PFI contract half-way through the bidding process. more
(12 October 2005 21:00)

T5 strike off as workers agree to go to arbitration
A major strike has been averted at BAA's T5 after steelworkers agreed to take their pay dispute to arbitration. more
(12 October 2005 20:00)

Balfour nets 110m contracts hat-trick
Balfour Beatty confirmed to the City this week that its construction arm has won three contracts worth 110m in total. more
(12 October 2005 20:00)

Lifting Equipment Engineers relocates HQ to Huntingdon
The Lifting Equipment Engineers' Association (LEEA) has moved into a new head office in Huntingdon, which will also house its first training centre. more
(12 October 2005 20:00)

Peninsula offers 150m framework contract
Peninsula Development Partnership, a consortium of housing associations in the South West, is asking firms to pitch for a framework deal to construct.... more
(12 October 2005 20:00)

Traditionalists slam timber frame claims
The row continues to rage over whether changes to Part L of the government Building Regulations will satisfy brick and block methods of building. more
(12 October 2005 20:00)

Optima devises safety check
Optima highways maintenance consortium of Jarvis, Accord and Atkins is looking to improve worker health and safety on the road network. It has.... more
(12 October 2005 20:00)

Industry retentions 'scam' uncovered
Around 500m in retentions is being held unnecessarily as a "scam" by main contractors at any one time, even though clients aren't specifying their.... more
(12 October 2005 20:00)

CJ Awards winners in mood for celebration
It was two in a row for Clugston Construction at the Contract Journal Construction Industry Awards last week as it claimed the Silver Helmet Award.... more
(12 October 2005 19:00)

Persimmon in contract row
Persimmon Homes and its parent Persimmon plc are facing an 8m court battle in a row over a development. more
(12 October 2005 19:00)

Two share 110m rail electrification
Balfour Beatty Rail, in tandem with Carillion, has coupled up to a 110m deal on the West Coast Main Line electrification upgrade project. more
(12 October 2005 19:00)

Operators win bank holiday pay pledge
Many employers are facing an increase of up to 40% in the cost of operatives' holiday pay. more
(12 October 2005 18:00)

How to
Social events connected with business present a prime opportunity to network and build contacts, which in turn will help to advance your professional.... more
(12 October 2005 18:00)

Time to bring in corporate manslaughter bill - 13.10.05
contractjournal.com Newsletter - 13.10.05 more
(12 October 2005 17:54)

Balfour Beatty looks favourite to win 175m A421 road job
Industry insiders are putting their money on Balfour Beatty to scoop a Highways Agency (HA) deal in Bedfordshire, worth between 160m and 175m. more
(12 October 2005 17:00)

CIC unveils new form of collateral warranty
The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has published a new form of collateral warranty. more
(12 October 2005 16:12)

Framework plea from City Academies firms
Leading schools contractors are calling for the government’s £5bn City Academies programme to set up a framework contract similar to ProCure 21 to.... more
(12 October 2005 15:10)

Construction and civil engineering top poll for unpaid bills
The construction and civil engineering industries top ICC Credit’s annual poll of sectors with the largest number of unpaid debt. more
(12 October 2005 14:44)

£1bn to build and improve schools
Schools across the country are set to benefit from a share of record funding of more than £1bn. more
(12 October 2005 14:35)

End of an era as JR Knowles head stands down
Roger Knowles has announced that he is to stand down after 32 years at the head of JR Knowles, the construction dispute resolution group. more
(12 October 2005 11:20)

Strategic Forum task group reports on safety initiatives
The Strategic Forum’s Health and Safety task group has unveiled the progress being made to help improve the industry’s safety record. more
(12 October 2005 11:12)

Merseytram gets deadline extension
Merseytravel has obtained another stay of execution for its troubled Merseytram light rail project, after its deadline was extended to give it time.... more
(12 October 2005 09:49)

Unanimous call for manslaughter laws
The construction industry has united in calling for the introduction of corporate manslaughter legislation even though Balfour Beatty and Network.... more
(12 October 2005 09:48)

Osborne on the mend after margin set-backs
Geoffrey Osborne has unveiled a 1.3% margin for the second successive year. However, the group’s problem contract is now completed and through the.... more
(12 October 2005 09:47)

T5 strike off as workers agree to go to arbitration
A major strike has been averted at BAA’s T5 after steelworkers agreed to take their pay dispute to arbitration. more
(12 October 2005 09:45)

GE event generates client interest
GE Equipment Services Plant Hire said it received a number of enquiries while participating in a company-wide GE day. more
(12 October 2005 04:00)