Articles by Date : May 17 2004 - May 23 2004

Job prospects bright for construction graduates
Graduates in building, architecture and civil engineering are more likely to find employment after finishing university than those successful in IT.... more
(21 May 2004 15:04)

Dean & Bowes wins £2.9m refurbishment contract
Demolition contractor Dean & Bowes has secured a £2.9m refurbishment project for Primark in Ipswich. more
(21 May 2004 12:08)

SED 2004 - a huge success
SED 2004 was a huge success - with a 9.5% increase in attendance figures compared with last year. more
(21 May 2004 11:49)

Sicilian bridge courts international engineers
Stretto di Messina, the company commissioned to design, build, finance and operate the £3.1bn Strait of Messina Bridge between Italy and Sicily,.... more
(21 May 2004 10:20)

McAlpine court case ran up up £1.3m bill
The High Court battle to retain the right to drop its first name will create a £1.3m dent in Alfred McAlpine's profit in the first half. more
(20 May 2004 13:29)

Ashe needs more staff after Midlands success
Ashe Construction, the £50m-a-year turnover construction group based in Hitchin, is looking for new staff in its Midlands regional office based in.... more
(20 May 2004 11:52)

McDonald's first for project management NVQs
Three McDonald's managers have become the first construction personnel to gain an NVQ Level 5 qualification in Construction Project Management. more
(20 May 2004 11:46)

Montpellier expects a significant loss
Montpellier has warned that when its financial results for the current year - the period ends on 30 September 2004 - are published, they will show a.... more
(20 May 2004 10:10)

Morgan Est and Vinci land £1m bill after piling rig hits track
Two construction firms have been ordered to pay £1m in compensation after a piling rig fell across the London/Tilbury/ Southend passenger and freight.... more
(19 May 2004 16:57)

No win/no fee arrangements
In legal circles, the term no win/no fee is used extensively, but it often causes great confusion. It generally refers to an arrangement with a.... more
(19 May 2004 16:11)

Fate of troubled Scots school PFI still uncertain
The fate of what started out as a mould-breaking PFI education deal still hangs in the balance almost three years after the project first came up for.... more
(19 May 2004 16:10)

Push is on to be a 'global player'
Tarmac's latest financial results (12 months to 30 December 2003) show turnover of £1.4bn generating an operating profit of £160m. more
(19 May 2004 16:10)

Concrete pump guide
The British Concrete Pumping Specialist Interest Group in conjunction with the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) have published a Code of.... more
(19 May 2004 16:09)

Aggregate Industries takes on sports work
Aggregate Industries (AI) has been working closely with the British Paralympic Association (BPA) to develop a sports surface material, which through.... more
(19 May 2004 16:08)

Wolseley combines five brands under one roof
Wolseley will open an outlet in Middlesbrough next month that combines its Plumb, Build, Drain, Hire and Parts Center businesses under one roof. more
(19 May 2004 16:07)

Manufacturer training schemes set up by CITB
Tarmac has no plans for any further cement factories in the UK beyond the new £115m plant at Buxton which is scheduled to open by October, chief.... more
(19 May 2004 16:06)

Tarmac: no more UK cement plant plans
Tarmac has no plans for any further cement factories in the UK beyond the new £115m plant at Buxton which is scheduled to open by October, chief.... more
(19 May 2004 16:05)

Apprentices set to get pay rise of up to 16%
Pay rises this summer of up to 16% for building and civil engineering apprentices have been agreed by the Construction Industry Joint Council.... more
(19 May 2004 16:04)

London Basement Company fined for safety breaches
The London Basement Company was fined a total of £9,000 and ordered to pay £2,701 costs at City of London Magistrates Court today for breaches of.... more
(19 May 2004 16:02)

CLRL studies ground conditions
Cross London Rail Links (CLRL) has been digging boreholes along the Crossrail Line 1 preferred route to examine the ground conditions that will be.... more
(19 May 2004 16:02)

£1m profit at Thomas Armstrong
Thomas Armstrong (Construc-tion) has made a pre-tax profit of £1m on an annual turnover of £45m. "We've had a good year," said finance director Paul.... more
(19 May 2004 16:01)

Hightower to target affordable housing sector
Hightower Construction, a shell company with no turnover, has been formed and listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). more
(19 May 2004 16:00)

E-tendering move for Spottiswood
Fit-out specialist Morris & Spottiswood is set to move into e-tendering for its "generic items". more
(19 May 2004 15:59)

Buyer wanted for failed firm Loweth
Administrators are trying to find a buyer for Romford-based Loweth Ltd, the refurbishment and maintenance contractor that went into receivership last.... more
(19 May 2004 15:59)

Equion and UK PIM launch Regenter
Equion and UK Pacific Investment Management (UK PIM) have launched a joint venture targeting the government's social housing and regeneration.... more
(19 May 2004 15:58)

Social housing third tranche set to be delivered quickly
The long-delayed third round of privately financed social housing has been launched amid pledges to deliver this tranche more speedily than the.... more
(19 May 2004 15:57)

Bank seeks leaders for Jarvis break-up
Close Brothers, the investment bank, wants two directors from outside construction to lead its proposed Jarvis boarding party. The pair would be.... more
(19 May 2004 15:57)

Belfast's £500m PPP schools plan
Northern Ireland is following in the footsteps of NHS LIFT and Building Schools for the Future with the launch of a £500m PPP programme to manage and.... more
(19 May 2004 15:56)

Eleven bid for £132m PFI hospitals
Eleven bidders have thrown their hats into the ring for the £132m Three Shires batched hospitals PFI scheme. more
(19 May 2004 15:55)

Germans may back 48-hour opt-out
Leaders of the UK construction industry are taking heart from unofficial reports that the government has struck a deal under which the Germans will.... more
(19 May 2004 15:54)

Volvo celebrates 50 years of wheel loader production
Volvo Construction Equipment celebrates the 50th anniversary of its wheel loader production this month. more
(19 May 2004 15:53)

Whessoe heads for Saudi
Skanska Whessoe, one of three parts of Skanska UK put up for sale as a result of no longer being seen as core to the group's future, is close to.... more
(19 May 2004 15:52)

Griffiths asks for views on NAO site safety report
Construction minister Nigel Griffiths has written to industry leaders seeking their views on the recent critical report from the National Audit.... more
(19 May 2004 15:51)

Trio bid for Tyne library
Three contractors have booked in for a high-profile PFI library scheme on Tyneside worth more than £20m. more
(19 May 2004 15:50)

Northumbrian Water calls for bids
Northumbrian Water has advertised its AMP 4 capital works framework programme, which could be worth more than £400m in total over the six-year.... more
(19 May 2004 15:50)

Laing O'Rourke agrees to £17m deal to buy out Crown House
Laing O'Rourke has agreed a £17m deal to acquire Crown House, the M&E subsidiary currently owned by Carillion. more
(19 May 2004 15:49)

Four firms are fined £37k after fatal road accident
Costain, Mowlem, Skanska and Ovendens Earthmoving were fined a total of £37,000 at Medway Magistrates Court last week after a fatal road accident.... more
(19 May 2004 15:48)

Hounslow PFI schools job in cash crisis
The three groups vying for a PFI schools deal in west London are sweating it out while the client decides if it will have to scale down the £25m-plus.... more
(19 May 2004 15:48)

Core members to head Be collaboration drive
Be, the largest independent construction supply chain body in the UK, wants its hardcore members to spread the benefits of collaborative working to.... more
(19 May 2004 15:47)

Costain bags £27m Tesco deals
Costain has bagged £27m-plus worth of work at four Tesco stores in south-east England. more
(19 May 2004 15:46)

Hill McGlynn site gets more hits
The number of construction workers logging onto Hill McGlynn's website looking for vacancies has increased tenfold in the past year. more
(19 May 2004 15:46)

Two more die in seven days
Two more workers were killed last week. more
(19 May 2004 15:45)

Rushlift buys LKS
An innovative funding deal has allowed mechanical handling and forklift truck hire specialist Rushlift UK to acquire Lex Komatsu South (LKS) from the.... more
(19 May 2004 15:45)

Reliable CWI installers are difficult to find
Homeowners are put off from installing cavity wall insulation (CWI) because of misconceptions about the credibility of installers, according to.... more
(19 May 2004 15:44)

Jarvis wins £30m uni project
Jarvis has graduated with a £30m PFI accommodation deal for the University of East London. more
(19 May 2004 15:43)

E-tendering move for Spottiswood
Fit-out specialist Morris & Spottiswood is set to move into e-tendering for its "generic items". Exploratory talks with Bidecom Solutions have.... more
(19 May 2004 15:43)

Ballots go out over strike action on four major sites
Engineering contractors have finally received official notice from the unions of a ballot on industrial action following rejection of the offer of an.... more
(19 May 2004 15:42)

Aspire Defence set to recruit staff for MoD project
Aspire Defence, the Mowlem and Kellogg Brown and Root jv that is undertaking the £5bn Allenby Connaught PFI project for the Ministry of Defence, has.... more
(19 May 2004 15:41)

Rigids, dozer and loaders from Moxy
Norway-based ADT manufacturer Moxy is planning to launch a range of rigid dump trucks, a dozer and a wheel loader. more
(19 May 2004 15:41)

Councils 'must compete on pay'
Local authority construction employers have been told to "stop moaning" about skill shortages and to "join the real world" and recognise that they.... more
(19 May 2004 15:40)