Articles by Date : November 26 2007 - December 02 2007

QPA calls for holistic approach to sustainable construction
The Quarry Products Association (QPA) has called on the government to broaden its focus on sustainability in construction to include materials.... more
(30 November 2007 15:21)

Newspaper roundup: 30 November
The Financial Times reported that troubled property services group Erinaceous' share price fell by over a third yesterday. The drop was.... more
(30 November 2007 10:14)

Wanted: volunteers for online research
What do you look for from construction websites? The University of Greenwich is carrying out a piece of academic research into the interests and.... more
(29 November 2007 16:44)

New Holland dealer Molson Holdings calls in the administrators
Bristol-based New Holland dealer Molson Holdings has called in the administrators. The move does not affect Molson Group which holds franchises for.... more
(29 November 2007 16:00)

SEC pushes pre-tax profit higher to £23m
Southern Electric Contracting (SEC) has made a sparkling pre-tax profit of £23m, up on the £19m figure in the previous year. more
(29 November 2007 16:00)

Excavation death firm fined
A contractor, its health and safety director and site foreman have been fined a total of more than £38,000 after one worker was killed and another.... more
(29 November 2007 15:20)

2012 Games: Tier 1 contractors to be compelled to use wider supply chain
Contractors on the 2012 Olympics are to be contractually bound to use new subcontractors where they do not already have an established supply chain.... more
(29 November 2007 15:00)

Cooper pledges £500m and 'eco-region' for Gateway
Housing and planning minister Yvette Cooper unveiled plans to pump £500m of government money into the Thames Gateway over three years, as well as.... more
(29 November 2007 13:45)

Crane safety: sites to issue 'Safe to Use' public statements
The Strategic Forum is seeking the inclusion of a ‘Safe to Use’ public statement covering tower crane activities on sites registered with the.... more
(29 November 2007 10:00)

Cyril Sweett unveils 23% lift in profit just four weeks after public flotation
Just four weeks after floating on the Stock Exchange, the consultancy group Cyril Sweett has unveiled its first set of interim results. They show a.... more
(29 November 2007 09:00)

David Sutherland quits Rok board to help grow Tulloch Homes
David Sutherland, one of Rok group’s directors, is to step down from the board at the end of December. more
(29 November 2007 00:00)

Laing O'Rourke: four UK regional divisions run up total loss of £36m
Laing O’Rourke’s UK construction businesses have been losing money hand over fist. Four of the group’s five regional operations ran up a cumulative.... more
(28 November 2007 10:00)

Speedy Hire sees profit rise by 17%
Speedy Hire has seen its turnover rise by over 35% and profit jump by more than 17% in the six months to the end of September. more
(28 November 2007 09:00)

Hire specialist VP announces 55% increase in pre-tax profits
Hire specialist VP has announced a 55% increase in pre-tax profits to £12.1m for the six months to the end of September. more
(28 November 2007 09:00)

Revamp on the horizon for BSF Academies framework
National Academies framework close to meeting threshold says government's head of Partnerships for Schools. more
(28 November 2007 08:00)

DPF survey: resistance to diesel filters
Survey reveals deep opposition of CPA members to London Best Practice Guide. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Legal commentary: Much ado about disputes
The solicitors involved in the recent Ringway-v-Vauxhall case give their perspective. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Screed row at Skanska PPP Midlothian school deepens
Floorers claim delays at Midlothian Schools PPP were not caused by use of wrong screed. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Tories plan summit to woo construction
Tory chiefs are organising a summit for construction companies and trade association leaders next April. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Crossrail project may adopt NEC-style contract format
Contractors will be asked to follow 'Optimised Contractor Involvement' on £16bn job. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Report slams state of PFI procurement
PFI procurement is worse than it was four years ago, with increasing signs that soaring bid costs and frequent delays are repelling bidders and.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Carillion bags £90m King's Cross contract
Carillion has won a £90m contract to build two office blocks from developer Argent as part of the £2bn redevelopment of London's King's Cross. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Housebuilders upbeat on Calcutt Review
The housebuilding industry has broadly welcomed John Calcutt's conclusion that it will be possible to deliver 240,000 homes per year by 2016 to.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Treasury pledges review of holiday pay concession
Treasury to examine industry's case against abolition of National Insurance concession. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

HBG and Lorne Stewart hit by Virgin Group lawsuit
HBG Construction and building services firm Lorne Stewart are among four defendants facing a courtroom battle with Richard Branson's Virgin Group,.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Bouygues gets go-ahead for Essex hospital
Bouygues' privately financed Broomfield Hospital contract in Essex finally got the go-ahead last week after a lengthy and painful procedure that saw.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Glasgow's £3bn Commonwealth bonanza
Glasgow's winning bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games will see more than £3bn spent on public and private construction between now and 2014,.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Balfour secures £90m PPP deal in Singapore
Balfour Beatty has won its first PPP project outside the UK, a £90m scheme in Singapore. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Hewlett: Business profile
Northern-based civils specialist Hewlett believes a reputation for quality helps it retain customers and drive up rates. Emma Penny reports. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

New guidance for steel work
New guidance has been developed to improve information flow in steel construction projects. Allocation of Design Responsibilities in.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Legal Q&A: The pitfalls of sectional completion under JCT
What is sectional completion and what issues does it raise? more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Case law analysis: Challenges to arbitrators' awards
If a party does not like or agree with an award, can it go to court to have it set aside? more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Wates tipped to win revamp of Audit Office
Sources say that a favourite is emerging for a high-profile deal in London involving a major revamp of the nerve-centre of public-spending watchdog,.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Three chasing industrial units in Peterborough
Three firms are vying for a £10m deal to design and build multi-purpose industrial units in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. The line-up for.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

A-Plant trials electric Transit
A-Plant is to test an electric delivery vehicle based on the Ford Transit shell for deliveries in London. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Waste management savings
Each year the construction industry produces about 1.45 tonnes of waste for every person living in the UK. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Hewden quells jitters surrounding liquidations
Plant hire giant Hewden is seeking to calm nerves following newspaper notification of multiple winding-up applications carrying its name. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Atlas Copco gives its QAX HardHat housing
Atlas Copco has introduced a range of portable generators based on its HardHat compressor housing. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

O'Rourke loses £36m across UK regions
Four out of five of Laing O'Rourke's regional UK construction businesses ran up a cumulative loss of £36m last year. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Verry beats off rivals to scoop London college
William Verry has trumped its two remaining rivals to take a £60m-£70m flagship college scheme in central London. The prize is the revamp of the.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

Seven share £120m Hants council framework deal
Second Tier scheme will cover packages of work in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

SWMPs still not on the agenda
Construction businesses may be increasingly aware of site waste management plans (SWMPs), but they are still not putting them into practice,.... more
(28 November 2007 00:00)

UCATT calls for end to 'bogus self-employment'
The government will need to set an example as a construction client if employment conditions and training is to improve in the industry - that was.... more
(27 November 2007 16:18)

ConstructionSkills calls for greater funding flexibility
ConstructionSkills has told a government inquiry into the construction sector that it would like more power to channel funding to specialist training.... more
(27 November 2007 16:08)

UCATT attacks Birmingham City Council's contract plan
Birmingham City Council has come under a fresh attack from UCATT over its plan to split its repairs and capital works contract in the north of the.... more
(27 November 2007 16:05)

Direct employees see salaries rise by 2.5%
Average weekly gross earnings of directly employed construction workers rose by 2.5% in the year to last April, according to the latest annual survey.... more
(27 November 2007 16:00)

Bid rig contractors face fines of “hundreds of millions” pounds
Contractors caught up in the industry’s biggest ever bid-rigging probe could be hit with fines running into “hundreds of millions”. more
(27 November 2007 10:19)

Jarvis reveals £3.3m loss in latest interim results
Last week Jarvis gave advance warning that today’s interim financial results would be pretty miserable – and sure enough they are. The group made a.... more
(27 November 2007 09:00)

ODA to launch SME tendering service
Olympic procurement chiefs will launch a new tendering service next year to help small and medium sized construction companies win work in the London.... more
(27 November 2007 00:00)

Carillion wins £27m school deal
Carillion has snatched the £27m Joseph Rowntree Academy scheme from the fingertips of Willmott Dixon this week. The scheme is Carillion’s first win.... more
(27 November 2007 00:00)