Articles by Date : December 13 2004 - December 19 2004

'Don't link retentions and defects', Sec Group tells minister
“There is no link between retentions and defects”, the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group has told the Office of the Deputy Prime.... more
(17 December 2004 14:10)

Verry scoops deals worth £15.5m
Verry Construction has won two contracts worth a combined total of £15.5m. more
(17 December 2004 13:02)

Travis Perkins eyes Wickes
Builders' merchant Travis Perkins is considering a £950m deal to buy DIY retail chain Wickes. more
(17 December 2004 12:27)

Patten steps down as Scottish Building chief
Sid Patten has decided to leave Scottish Building - the principal employers' federation for the construction industry in Scotland - after recovering.... more
(17 December 2004 12:17)

Manchester Metrolink delivery questioned
Questions have been raised over the delivery of the £1bn extension of the Manchester Metrolink after the Department for Transport (DfT) announced.... more
(17 December 2004 12:06)

Kier wins two huge Crest Nicholson deals
Kier Build, the major building projects arm of the Kier Group, has been awarded two projects on behalf of Crest Nicholson (South West) at the Bristol.... more
(17 December 2004 11:48)

InterRoute wins first highways EMAC
The Highways Agency (HA) has awarded its first Enhanced Managing Agent Contract (EMAC) to InterRoute, a jv between RCS/Mott MacDonald and Balfour.... more
(17 December 2004 11:22)

New Hanson chairman named
Mike Welton will become the new chairman of Hanson next April. more
(17 December 2004 10:07)

Rising energy costs expected to hit Baggeridge's profit in 2005
A cooling in the market and higher energy costs will see Baggeridge Brick post a reduction in first-half profit. more
(16 December 2004 13:24)

Montpellier dips into the red
Another construction group has plunged into the red after Montpellier today (Thursday) unveiled a pre-tax loss of £6.9m in its latest financial.... more
(16 December 2004 13:24)

Rail performance improving after track maintenance brought in-house
Bringing track maintenance back in-house has seen Network Rail (NR) produce its best second-quarter performance for four years, the rail operator.... more
(16 December 2004 13:23)

Wilson Bowden looking forward to record figures
Housebuilder Wilson Bowden has issued a trading update stating that the group’s full-year results are “in line with expectations” which indicates.... more
(16 December 2004 13:14)

Bath Spa steamroom leaks mystery resolved soon
Exactly who is to blame for the steamroom leaks at the £36m Bath Spa project are expected to be known by the end of the year. more
(16 December 2004 13:13)

Constructing Excellence chief reveals future plans
Constructing Excellence (CE) has revealed this week how over the next couple of years it will save the UK economy an estimated £800m by engaging 150.... more
(16 December 2004 13:12)

Prescott backs new planning service
The new Planning Advisory Service (PAS) will help planners to provide a more responsive proactive service, according to deputy prime minister John.... more
(15 December 2004 15:33)

FSA offers guidance on PFI insurance
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has issued new guidance on insurance mediation in a bid to calm PFI contractors’ fears that they could be.... more
(15 December 2004 15:30)

Have your say on CIS
CJ readers have until 7 January to have their say on the amendments to the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), due for introduction in April 2006. more
(15 December 2004 15:29)

Red diesel ban consultation
The government is set to withdraw concessions that allow plant to use highways while running on red diesel. more
(15 December 2004 13:03)

Civils firms improve their second-round CAT scores
Roads contractors are achieving much improved Capability Assessment Toolkit (CAT) scores in the second round of assessments, according to early.... more
(15 December 2004 13:03)

Pavement maintenance is a major problem says CSP
Nearly 90% of pavements in an east London borough are in need of repair, according to a survey released today (Wednesday) by the Chartered Society of.... more
(15 December 2004 13:02)

Safety barriers ‘inadequate’ on UK bridges
A repeat of the Selby train crash remains a strong possibility as more than one-in-five bridges have inadequate safety barriers, according to a.... more
(15 December 2004 11:08)

Greenpeace timber guidelines
Greenpeace has presented the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Lottery with proposed guidelines for timber procurement on the projects they fund. more
(15 December 2004 11:07)

DoH considers fifth wave of LIFT deals
A fifth wave of NHS LIFT schemes is on the cards. Department of Health (DoH) officials are considering whether to launch another round or create a.... more
(15 December 2004 11:06)

Jarvis chief reveals his two-week rescue plan
Jarvis chief executive Alan Lovell has revealed his high-risk, two-week plan to save the troubled group to The Sunday Times. more
(15 December 2004 10:42)

SEEDA plans £350m redevelopment of shipyard
The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) needs developers to take forward the regeneration of the former Vosper Thornycroft shipyard in.... more
(15 December 2004 10:39)

Saint-Gobain Pipelines increases prices
Saint-Gobain Pipelines has increased its prices and has warned that price pressures could force smaller suppliers to the wall or to look for.... more
(15 December 2004 10:38)

Hanson expects steady year end results
Hanson expects its pre-tax profit before exceptional items for the year to end December to be in line with expectations, the company said today.... more
(15 December 2004 09:19)

Jarvis sells interest in TWS and Laybond
Jarvis has disposed of its interests in Telford & Wrekin Services (TWS) and The Laybond Group more
(14 December 2004 16:41)

And O'Rourke's current agreement is...
The amendments to O'Rourke's working agreement include: more
(14 December 2004 16:28)

BPB unveils £150m profit
BPB, the world leader in plasterboard and gypsum plasters, has unveiled a pre-tax profit of £150m (£95m) in the six months to 30 September. Interim.... more
(14 December 2004 16:27)

Changes to adjudication in the Construction Act
In March of this year, the Chancellor announced in his budget statement that the government would review the operation of the adjudication and.... more
(14 December 2004 16:26)

Protestors jeopardize O'Rourke negotiations
Union officials fear that negotiations with Laing O'Rourke over its working agreement could collapse after renegade protestors hijacked two tower.... more
(14 December 2004 16:25)

Thames Water offers training
Contractors working for Thames Water must send their staff to the client's new training centre to ensure they do not hit buried pipes or cables when.... more
(14 December 2004 16:25)

Pearce facing losses on Brum ProCure 21 project
Pearce Group is facing substantial losses on a ProCure 21 contract in Birmingham for the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) NHS Trust. The news comes.... more
(14 December 2004 16:24)

And O'Rourke's current agreement is...
The amendments to O'Rourke's working agreement include: more
(14 December 2004 16:22)

CJ Pearce returns after MBO
CJ Pearce has been restored to independent life just eight months after being gobbled up by Martyn Meade's rapidly expanding Meade Corporation. more
(14 December 2004 16:22)

Clients' Charter leads the way
Increased competitiveness through lower costs, higher returns on assets, more focused leadership from clients and an engaged supply chain could.... more
(14 December 2004 16:21)

Design and build reaps rewards at Carey
Carey Group, a main contractor involved in building and civil engineering, has reported a surge in profit margin to 7.7%. more
(14 December 2004 16:21)

Eden's easy window fit
Australian firm Eden Windows has invented a joining system, which allows contractors to assemble window modules without hammers and nails. more
(14 December 2004 16:20)

Glenigan and ABI merger deemed anti-competitive
The Competition Commission (CC) has provisionally concluded that the acquisition of ABI Building Data by Emap, the owner of Glenigan, is.... more
(14 December 2004 16:20)

Jarvis given Cork deadline
Jarvis has been warned it could lose the £39m Cork School of Music contract in the Republic of Ireland if it doesn't provide a building schedule by.... more
(14 December 2004 16:19)

Jurisdiction rule clarified
In April I reported the case of Amec Capital Projects -v- Whitefriars City Estates, in which the court had refused to enforce an adjudicator's.... more
(14 December 2004 16:18)

Laing gives backing to Olympic bid
Laing O'Rourke is the first contractor to become a major sponsor of the London Olympic bid. more
(14 December 2004 16:18)

GMB gets on O'Rourke CTRL site to talk terms
The conflict at Laing O'Rourke's £311m Contract 105 for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) looks to be drawing to a close after the GMB was finally.... more
(14 December 2004 16:17)

Mixed bag for Americium in Scots PFI bids
A new consortium appearing on ever-increasing numbers of Scottish PFI schools deals has had a week of mixed fortunes. more
(14 December 2004 16:16)

Multiplex site gets timber green light
Greenpeace found "no immediate" breaches of timber procurement on its visit to Multiplex's £757m Wembley project last week. more
(14 December 2004 16:15)

PEFC slams government's timber buying guidelines
Government guidelines on timber procurement are "blatantly unfair" and judging was biased, according to accreditation scheme Programme for the.... more
(14 December 2004 16:15)

Protestors jeopardize O'Rourke negotiations
Union officials fear that negotiations with Laing O'Rourke over its working agreement could collapse after renegade protestors hijacked two tower.... more
(14 December 2004 16:14)

Rivals eye Countryside
The City expects rival bids to surface for Countryside Properties as major housebuilders target the group's landbank. more
(14 December 2004 16:14)

Pearce facing losses on Brum ProCure 21 project
Pearce Group is facing substantial losses on a ProCure 21 contract in Birmingham for the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) NHS Trust. The news comes.... more
(14 December 2004 16:12)