Articles by Date : February 26 2007 - March 04 2007

ODA confirms Lend Lease as Olympic Village developer
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has confirmed that it is in exclusive talks with the Lend Lease consortium over the development of zones two to.... more
(02 March 2007 12:30)

Newspaper round-up: 2 March 2007
What the papers are saying about construction on Friday 2 March 2007. more
(02 March 2007 09:24)

Wilson Bowden reports rise in pre-tax profit and revenue
Housebuilder Wilson Bowden has seen revenues and pre-tax profit rise last year, according to its figures for the 12 months to 31 December 2006. .... more
(02 March 2007 09:00)

Construction must change its mindset, says Ray O'Rourke
Construction cannot continue its current fashion, and must change its mindset if it is to attract new blood, according to Laing O'Rourke chairman Ray.... more
(02 March 2007 09:00)

New YouTube videos expose worrying trend in construction?
A further set of YouTube videos showing UK construction workers’ horseplay has surfaced, raising questions over whether individuals filming their.... more
(02 March 2007 08:45)

Erinaceous reported to have bought Dearle & Henderson
Erinaceous is reported to have struck a deal to acquire Dearle & Henderson (D&H), the property consultancy group, today. more
(01 March 2007 18:00)

Yvette Cooper points to modern approaches to construction
The Housing Corporation and English Partnerships have jointly published a document that highlights the importance of using moderns methods of.... more
(01 March 2007 17:00)

WRAP offers sustainable homes seminars
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has announced it will offer two seminars on sustainable homes at the Chartered Institute of Housing.... more
(01 March 2007 16:12)

Connaught's trading update highlights £350m new order intake
Connaught has issued a trading update covering the six-month period to the end of February, reporting that the business continues to perform well. more
(01 March 2007 16:00)

Groundwork specialist Keller Group makes record £84m pre-tax profit
Keller, the international ground engineering group, has enjoyed a startling 12 months in its North American operations. They generated a margin of.... more
(01 March 2007 15:00)

Rail asset improvements have stalled according to the Office of Rail Regulations
Improvements to the country’s rail infrastructure assets have stalled, according to the Office of Rail Regulations’ National Rail Review for Q3.... more
(01 March 2007 13:20)

Newspaper round up: 1 March 2007
Network Rail The Financial Times reports that Network Rail should receive up to £3.9bn less than it has requested to run the network between.... more
(01 March 2007 09:13)

MCG chair John Spanswick says supervisors not doing their job on site
Construction site supervisors are not sure about their role in terms of health and safety, are not being held accountable and are not supervising.... more
(01 March 2007 09:00)

Former WWF director of campaigns to head up UK Green Building Council
Following its launch on Tuesday, the UK Green Building Council (UK GBC) has announced the appointment of Paul King to the role of chief executive. more
(01 March 2007 00:00)

Listen to the latest news on sustainability and green building on our ecobuild podcasts
Want to know what the latest news is on green issues in the construction industry? This week's Ecobuild show at Earls Court in London is all about.... more
(28 February 2007 11:00)

Interim pre-tax profit of £180m for Barratt
Barratt’s average selling price moved higher to £165,000, helping the housebuilder to announce an improved pre-tax profit of £180m. more
(28 February 2007 10:00)

Newspaper round up: 28 February 2007
The Contractjournal.com round up of what's in the papers today. more
(28 February 2007 09:35)

Vinci suspends IT director
Mystery surrounds the reasons behind the disappearance of Andrew Seaden, Vinci’s head of IT, who has been put on gardening leave. more
(28 February 2007 09:00)

Editor's Comment: The price of 15 seconds of fame
Another week, and another set of YouTube videos are exposed in a Contract Journal exclusive news story. Funny though they may look at first glance,.... more
(28 February 2007 08:00)

Vinci Energies buys electrical and mechanical engineering contractor MESL Group
Electrical and mechanical engineering contractor MESL Group has been bought by Vinci Energies for a seven-figure sum. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

ODA stresses importance of trade union support for 2012 Olympics
Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chief executive David Higgins has stressed the importance of trade union support in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Citroen offers Dispatch options
Citroen has revised its mid-weight Dispatch van range. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

ODA's £5m-plus wage bill revealed
Minister for sport, Richard Caborn, has revealed that the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) paid more than £5m to its employees and board and.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Plant news in brief - 28 February 2007
Plant and Equipment news in brief. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Miller fills giant Hitachi order
Miller UK has just built both the largest coupler and bucket in the company's history. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

ECJ rules on off-road dump trucks
A ruling in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) could lead to a redefinition of some roadgoing trucks as off-road dump trucks. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Rok loses £10k of plant in West Lothian robbery
Thieves raided a Rok building site in West Lothian and made off with £10,000 of machinery, including an industrial cement mixer. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Stretcher bar the cause of Cumbria train derailment
A missing stretcher bar was to blame for last week's train derailment in Cumbria, an interim report into the accident has found. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

PFI hospitals get approval at last
Department of Health approves seven PFI schemes worth £1.5bn following review. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

New YouTube videos expose on-site trend
A further set of YouTube videos showing UK construction workers' horseplay has surfaced, raising questions over whether individuals filming their.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Rok buys Yorkshire-based EMB Services
Rok has bought EMB Services, a Yorkshire builder, as a result of EMB having impressed Rok while working as a supplier for it on a Decent Homes.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Incentives for National Grid alliance
Contractors on National Grid's £2.5bn five-year electricity alliance stand to make millions in bonuses if they meet the client's 10 Key Performance.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Skanska UK not bidding for Amec
David Fison, chief executive of Skanska UK, has ruled himself out of bidding for Amec's Built Environment division. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

News in brief - 28 February 2007
Cj's weekly collection of the other news stories across the week. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

A McAlpine men suspended for fraud
Two senior managers at Alfred McAlpine's slate subsidiary have been suspended for cooking the books - resulting in a £13m hit in the company's 2006.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Metronet Rail to tender 84 contracts
Metronet Rail is to competitively tender a total of 84 London Underground station upgrade contracts as part of its civils upgrade programme this year. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Decisions on transport should be made locally
Government urged to loosen its grip on infrastructure funds and empower local councils to make own decisions. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Housebuilders' body hits back at C02 schemes
The House Builders Association (HBA) has hit back at the government's carbon reduction plans with a series of recommendations to get other sectors to.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

More news in brief - 28 February 2007
CJ's weekly collection of other news across the week. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

DW Group announces £3.3m profit for 2006
DW Group, previously known as David Webster, has made a profit of £3.3m (£2.4m) in the 12 months to 30 September 2006. Turnover ran to £25m. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

ODA and unions stall in talks on 2012 workforce
Last week's talks between the unions and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) on direct employment have ended in stalemate, raising fears that a.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Tube Lines making good progress on Underground
Tube Lines is performing well on its London Underground Public Private Partnership, according to its latest quarterly performance report. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Interserve scoops £7m North East roads deal
Interserve has accelerated past four rivals to scoop a £7m deal in the North East, which initially formed part of a £70m-plus package featuring four.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

SME sees BSF as a way to avoid subbie bashing
In an attempt to avoid subbie bashing by main contractors, more small and medium-sized contractors (SMEs) are looking to form direct relationships.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Schools procurement faces Treasury review
DfES faces first Procurement Capability Review aimed at improving contract processes. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Multiplex's £17m construction profit
No more losses on Wembley Stadium group now out of red with profit of £120m. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Five firms in the scrum for £16.5m Rugby college deal
Five contractors are swotting up for a £16.5m new-build project for Warwickshire College. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Kill or ProCure?
Workloads remain the biggest issue for the enlightened ProCure21 initiative. Carol Millett looks into what the future holds for the scheme. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

Bedfordshire housing work up for grabs
A five-way tussle is underway for repair and maintenance work to council properties in Bedfordshire, potentially worth at least £35m. more
(28 February 2007 00:00)

George Wimpey sees housing turnover rise by 11%
George Wimpey's latest financial results (12 months to 31 December) show turnover in its UK housing division 11% higher at £2.4bn, with operating.... more
(28 February 2007 00:00)