Articles by Date : October 20 2003 - October 26 2003

Mapeley all set for Ballast PFI takeover
Mapeley, the outsourcing specialist that is actively looking to move into PFI, is reported to be making progress in it negotiations with Deloitte &.... more
(22 October 2003 16:08)

Waterloo Air goes into receivership
The building products manufacturing group and Rethinking Construction exemplar Waterloo Air Management (WAM) has gone into receivership. more
(22 October 2003 16:07)

Tube Lines and Metronet work under scrutiny
The maintenance and inspection regimes of Tube Lines and Metronet - the two consortia responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of London.... more
(22 October 2003 16:07)

Circumstances call a halt to work on Ballast's PFI sites
Construction work on the £45m East Lothian PFI Schools scheme was due to commence last weekend, but was thwarted by Ballast's problems, writes Laura.... more
(22 October 2003 15:54)

Sir Robert McAlpine sues for damages over Lloyd's HQ
Sir Robert McAlpine is suing for damages over the £70m Lloyd's Register of Shipping building. more
(22 October 2003 15:53)

Interserve faces further strike action
TGWU officials are due to meet today (Wednesday) to propose further strikes over Interserve's plan to slash jobs on its housing contract in.... more
(22 October 2003 15:52)

Carbon-fibre composites to restore old buildings
Advanced carbon-fibre composites that can be used to strengthen decaying and historic buildings, allowing contractors to avoid using more cumbersome.... more
(22 October 2003 15:51)

Maintenance work u-turn by Network Rail still undecided
Network Rail has hit back at claims that it is considering taking back £1.3bn worth of rail maintenance work from private sector contractors. more
(22 October 2003 15:51)

Have your cake and eat it?
Getting the answers wrong on holiday pay can cost individual firms thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of pounds. But getting them right is far.... more
(22 October 2003 15:46)

Redesigned Master van to show at RAI
Renault is set to unveil a new Master van at the RAI show in Amsterdam this week. The company said the redesigned van has improved ergonomics,.... more
(22 October 2003 15:46)

Use IT to change processes
Construction companies that install IT software that merely modernises their existing operational pathways are missing an opportunity to.... more
(22 October 2003 15:45)

£3.5bn bid costs could tumble
The staggering annual spend on bidding and winning construction work is about £3.5bn, according to construction marketing specialist MarketingWorks.... more
(22 October 2003 15:44)

HSS forklift platform unit is 'first in UK'
HSS claims it is the first UK hirer to offer the concept of a forklift maintenance platform attachment. more
(22 October 2003 15:43)

A better mix from ASE
Nanotechnology has been used to develop a new generation of admixtures for use in ready-mix concrete. These provide contractors with higher quality.... more
(22 October 2003 15:43)

Canada calls for chrysotile rethink
The Canadian asbestos industry is trying to persuade the European Union to reverse its ban on chrysotile (white) asbestos claiming the mineral is.... more
(22 October 2003 15:42)

Truk to distribute Heil sliding-axle trailers
Bristol-based Truk has been appointed sole UK distributor for Heil sliding-axle trailers. more
(22 October 2003 15:41)

Diesel stays classed as dangerous goods
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has failed to persuade the government to change the legislation that reclassifies diesel as dangerous goods..... more
(22 October 2003 15:41)

Stokey thinks small to boost fleet
Stokey Plant has bought its first JCB excavator to offer customers a wider range of equipment. more
(22 October 2003 15:40)

Network Rail blasted for Dutch auction
Network Rail has been blasted by its contractors for using a Dutch auction to drive down costs on some of its service contracts. more
(22 October 2003 15:39)

Anglo Holt and Emcor share £10m MoD work
Two firms have got their call-up papers for a brace of Ministry of Defence deals totalling nearly £10m. more
(22 October 2003 15:39)

Five in line for £85m northern road job
Five major league contractors are preparing to hit the road for an £85m early contractor involvement (ECI) deal in the North West. more
(22 October 2003 15:38)

£18m Bristol Water deal for Lawrence
Lawrence has tapped into an £18m facilities management deal for Bristol Water. Lawrence saw off challenges from Morgan Est and AWG to take the.... more
(22 October 2003 15:38)

Skanska starts on Amsterdam metro project
Cementation Foundations Skan-ska has scooped a £26m deal that marks the start of the £625m North-South Metro line project in Amsterdam, Holland. more
(22 October 2003 15:37)

Most council contracts awarded on lowest cost
The majority of local authority contracts are awarded on the basis of lowest cost and fail to adopt partnering, according to a damning report by the.... more
(22 October 2003 15:37)

Boost for timber frame industry
Timber frame construction is becoming more popular. The industry generated sales of £330m last year compared with £306m in 2001. more
(22 October 2003 15:36)

Bovis goes for zero tolerance
Bovis Lend Lease Scotland is challenging other contractors to adopt its zero tolerance approach to accidents. more
(22 October 2003 15:24)

Firms bid for three PFI schools deals
Six contractors are in the mix for PFI school deals in England and Scotland totalling more than £280m. more
(22 October 2003 15:20)

HA tells bidders to hold prices
The Highways Agency (HA) has asked firms still in the hunt for the £300m road maintenance framework deal in the South East to hold their prices open.... more
(22 October 2003 15:20)

Creative Spaces for the 21st century
A design competition for schools, with a prize of £50,000, was launched last week on the first day of NCW by designer Wayne Hemingway. more
(22 October 2003 15:19)

Ryhurst wins second PFI hospital deal
Ryhurst has clinched its second PFI hospital deal this year to emerge as preferred bidder for a £23m scheme in Dorset. more
(22 October 2003 15:18)

Building lobby picked MSPs
The Scottish Parliament's cross-party group for construction held its first meeting last week. more
(22 October 2003 15:17)

Poor PPE usage adds to accidents
Overuse of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the view that health and safety training is just a tick box exercise are some of the main causes.... more
(22 October 2003 15:16)

NFB launches accredited partnering list
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has launched a database of contractors accredited for partnering deals. more
(22 October 2003 15:15)

Top May Gurney job for Harding
Jim Harding is to become chairman of May Gurney Integrated Services when Alan Koran retires next month. more
(22 October 2003 15:15)

Galliford Try chief must talk to Rok
Galliford Try's major institutional shareholders are thought to be pressing David Calverley, the group's chief executive, to open up talks with Rok.... more
(22 October 2003 15:14)

Interserve staff vote to strike
Union members employed by Interserve on its contract to renovate and repair 21,000 council homes in Liverpool voted overwhelmingly in favour of.... more
(22 October 2003 15:13)

Time up for Dean & Dyball plans at East Quay project
The three-month deadline for Dean & Dyball to submit plans for the redevelopment of Watchet's East Quay in Somerset has passed almost without.... more
(22 October 2003 15:12)

Off the rails
Jarvis's shock withdrawal from the rail infrastructure market raises some worrying questions over the future of the railway system. more
(22 October 2003 15:12)

Jarvis blames poor margins, high risks
Network Rail's New Maintenance Programme (NMP) came in for harsh criticism this week after Jarvis cited it as a key factor in its decision to quit.... more
(22 October 2003 15:11)

Will other rail maintenance firms follow suit?
Jarvis's departure highlights widespread industry and City concerns about the impact of the NMP on rail contractors' businesses, writes Carol.... more
(22 October 2003 15:10)

Kier Scotland wins £7.1m care home contract
Kier Scotland has been appointed to complete a new residential care home and to refurbish an existing listed building based in Renfrewshire under a.... more
(22 October 2003 14:41)

National procurement strategy launched
Local authorities will be able to deliver real improvement in the services they provide for their communities following the launch of the National.... more
(22 October 2003 12:18)

New windfarms get the go ahead
The next phase of UK windfarm development started today (Wednesday), with the government giving the go ahead for four new windfarms to be built off.... more
(22 October 2003 11:58)

Interserve faces further strike action
TGWU officials are due to meet today (Wednesday) to propose further strikes over Interserve’s plan to slash jobs on housing maintenance contract in.... more
(22 October 2003 11:07)

Restructure leads to job cuts at RMC
RMC is to axe 520 jobs as a result of a restructure to simplify the business to create a single organisation. more
(22 October 2003 10:00)

Waterloo Air Management goes into receivership
The building products manufacturing group and Rethinking Construction exemplar Waterloo Air Management (WAM) has gone into receivership. more
(22 October 2003 09:57)

Mapeley all set for Ballast PFI takeover
Mapeley, the outsourcing specialist that is actively looking to move into PFI, is reported to be making progress with it negotiations with Deloitte &.... more
(22 October 2003 09:51)

Sustainable Buildings Task Group launched
A high-level group of builders, developers, planners and environmental advisers will spearhead efforts to raise the environmental quality of.... more
(21 October 2003 16:55)

Prescott wants built environment standards improved
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has today (Tuesday) called on industry leaders to put high quality design and environmental efficiency at the.... more
(21 October 2003 16:12)

Shares fall in LU maintenance firms
The share price of companies involved in track maintenance for London Underground (LU) fell yesterday (Monday) following two derailments over the.... more
(21 October 2003 15:39)