Contract Journal articles from April 2006

Contract Journal archives from April 2006

It's your turn!
April 5, 2006... Do you think it's about time that the hard work of everyone in your firm was recognised? Do you want to build your company's profile [degrees] and prove that you are the best in your sector? And would you like to be on stage at London's...

Free seminars on vibration at SED.
April 5, 2006... Power tool manufacturer Makita is to hold a free one-hour seminar about Vibration at Work at SED on each day of the show, which runs from 16 to 18 May at Rockingham, near Corby. Presentations from the Health & Safety Executive, industrial...

In brief.(CGCS (Midlands) distribution agreements with Crushtek L.L.C.)(Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says truck drivers should fit tachometers)(coupling and uncoupling of commercial vehicles introduced by Society of Operational Engineers)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... CGCS (Midlands) has been appointed as the sole UK distributor for the RubbleBuster range of compact crushing equipment built in South Africa by Pilot Crushtec. The first example in the UK will be at SED. The deadline for fitting digital...

New noise regs to slash levels by 70%.(industrial noise regulations)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... New Noise at Work regulations coming into force tomorrow will reduce the allowable average noise level throughout a day or week by around 70%. They impose lower and upper exposure values of 80dB and 85dB with a personal limit value of...

Van-mounted platforms lose diesel exception.(government contractors lose their exception to use diesel)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Street lighting contractors and local authorities are to lose their exception to run dedicated van-mounted access platforms on red diesel under the proposed changes to the excepted vehicle categories announced in the Budget. Currently...

Bridgepoint sells Hydrex for [pounds sterling]106m.(to the joint group of Quilvest and Shoaibi Group)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Rail plant and materials handling specialist Hydrex has a new owner after private equity investor Bridgepoint sold its 70% stake in the firm for a reported [pounds sterling]106m. The new owner is a consortium owned jointly by global private...

Wolseley buys Brandon for [pounds sterling]72m.(Brandon Hire PLC)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Building materials giant Wolseley has stormed to number three in the UK tool hire market following the acquisition of Brandon Hire in a [pounds sterling]72m deal. The combined total of Brandon's outlets and those already run by Wolseley...

A fine performance.(North London Collegiate School and its construction)
April 5, 2006... North London Collegiate School is one of the oldest and highest achieving girls' schools in the country. Founded in 1850, the school is set in 12ha of grounds at Canons, formerly the estate of the Duke of Chandos, in Edgware. Although the...

Good vibrations.(precast concrete construction)
April 5, 2006... Development of a three-storey building on a confined site in Derby has led Roger Bullivant to specify alternative methods for establishing a foundation and improving the ground. The specialist contractor recently installed vibrated concrete...

Top of the pile.
April 5, 2006... The new chairman of the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) is keen to tackle some of the sector's big issues, but reluctant to put himself personally in the limelight. This ambition tempered with modesty is perhaps the best approach to...

Going with the flow.(Morrisons )
April 5, 2006... Sharpness tidal basin lies beside the Severn estuary, which has the second highest tidal range in the world. And the tides have had a major influence on Morrison's approach to building two jetties in the basin. A chart of tide times is...

Harbour master.(Pennine Group contracts with Spanish port of Valencia)
April 5, 2006... Pennine is laying the foundations for a substantial extension to the Spanish port of Valencia in preparation for the arrival of the world's most advanced yachts, which will be racing in the 2007 America's Cup. Working in a 50/50 joint venture...

Digging for victory.(London's preparation for Olympics 2012)(industrial noise regulations)
April 5, 2006... The enthusiastic response of politicians, athletes and sports fans to the news of London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics is hardly a surprise. After all, those who stand to benefit directly from this chance to showcase their talents...

Plastic fantastic.
April 5, 2006... Offering career advice to the eponymous Graduate in the 1967 movie, Mr McGuire tells his neighbour's son Benjamin: "There is a great future in plastics. Think about it." Nearly 40 years later, the construction industry seems to be still...

Boxing clever.
April 5, 2006... Edmund Nuttall site manager Keith Cook set aside a cautious three days for a trial installation of box piles for M1 signage. He now believes the job could be done in as little as 12 hours, and is keen to make box piling a key part of Nuttall's...

Future foundations.
April 5, 2006... Steel fibres have been used to reinforce concrete since the end of the 19th century, and the technique has been in widescale commercial use in the UK since the 1970s. During that period, the main application for steel fibre-reinforced concrete...

Bahrain boat tragedy offers stark warning to construction firms.
April 5, 2006... The Bahrain boat disaster, which last week claimed 57 lives, should act as a grim warning that companies must protect their employees, even when organising social events, Andrew Morton, a partner at Pannone Solicitors, told CJ last week. ...

Council in the clear on Ayrshire schools PPP.
April 5, 2006... Hochtief has finally sealed a deal to deliver the [pounds sterling]86m North Ayrshire PPP schools scheme, after a police investigation cleared the council's procurement team of allegations of corruption. Work on the scheme was due to start...

TfL loses to Tramtrack in PFI ruling.(Transport for London)(Tramtrack Croydon)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... A landmark ruling that will make it difficult for clients of PFI schemes to force changes to contracts was issued by the High Court last week. The ruling in favour of Tramtrack, the consortium which runs the Croydon tram, was issued by...

PfS puts academies at top of its agenda.(Partnerships for Schools)
April 5, 2006... Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is looking for six to ten contractors to join a national framework to deliver up to 50 sponsored academy schools and at least 57 new schools for local authorities in the latter waves of the Building Schools for...

CJ Awards: call for entries starts now!
April 5, 2006... Today Contract Journal launches its 2006 Construction Industry Awards. Now in their 11th year, these are the industry's most prestigious awards. Enter, and if you're successful you could be on stage at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on 5...

The independence of the engineer.
April 5, 2006... In many standard forms of construction contract, the named architect or engineer is required, either by the express words of the contract or by operation of the general law, to carry out a dual function. First, he will be acting as an...

SITA UK poised to scoop 28-year waste contract.
April 5, 2006... SITA UK looks set to be awarded a PFI waste management contract for Northumberland County Council worth [pounds sterling]34m in capital value and some [pounds sterling]207m in revenue over the 28-year life of the deal. The firm was the...

Three consortia line up for [pounds sterling]43m Doncaster schools PFI.
April 5, 2006... Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council has selected three consortia for what looks to be one of the last traditional-style private finance contracts for schools in England. The line-up for the [pounds sterling]43m project comprises: a...

Trio battle for [pounds sterling]120m Stirling regeneration.(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Three consortia are to fight it out for the right to undertake a [pounds sterling]120m scheme to regenerate the Raploch area of Stirling in central Scotland. The line up comprises: Laing O'Rourke and Bishop Walk Homes; Bett Homes, Ogilvy...

TUC slams government on employment status.(Trades Union Congress)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... TUC chief Brendan Barber has lashed out at a lack of action by the government to resolve issues surrounding employment status. This comes as a major report from the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) is forecasting that levels of...

Clerical staff get benefits boost.(of B and CE Insurance)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Clerical workers are being offered accident and life insurance cover plus stakeholder pensions under an extension of the B&CE company's benefits package, available from this month. The new package for clerical staff offers: Accident...

Fraud case will not impact on Erinaceous.
April 5, 2006... Erinaceous's reputation has not been tarnished by a police investigation into alleged fraud by one of its staff, according to the company's housebroker. The commercial and residential property support services group suspended one of its...

Gleeson gets divisions in order prior to sale.(Gleeson Homes)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Potential buyers of Gleeson's [pounds sterling]180m-a-year construction engineering division [degrees] which is a major player in the water sector [degrees] have been put on hold for at least another month while it is transformed into a tidier...

Record figures at North Midland.(North Midland Construction PLC)
April 5, 2006... North Midland Construction has reported a record year, both for turnover and profitability. Robert Moyle, chairman, said: "All elements of the group traded profitably and the return of the building subsidiary to former levels of profitability...

WYG adds town planner and quantity surveyor to portfolio.
April 5, 2006... White Young Green (WYG), the rapidly expanding consultancy group, has announced two more acquisitions: Farningham McCreadie and Tweeds. WYG has now made four acquisitions in the past nine months at a total cost of close to [pounds...

Six firms rise to the [pounds sterling]10m Project Phoenix challenge.(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Half a dozen firms have lined up for enabling works at RAF Menwith Hill worth up to [pounds sterling]10m. Alfred McAlpine, Amec, Banner, Clark Construction, North Midland Construction and Wrekin Construction have all been invited to tender...

Dean & Dyball picks up Woolston Riverside deal.(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Dean & Dyball Developments has been chosen as the preferred commercial development partner for the commercial element of the regeneration of the Woolston Riverside site in Southampton by the South East England Development Agency. Dean &...

Mace receives the Most Considerate Site award.(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Mace won the coveted Most Considerate Site award at the Considerate Constructors' Scheme (CCS) 2006 National Awards last week. The company scooped the award for its work on a 31.5ha mixed-use project in Cambridge for the Wellcome Trust. ...

ConstructionSkills launches TV recruitment drive.
April 5, 2006... ConstructionSkills' latest [pounds sterling]1m recruitment campaign kicked off on Channel 4 on Monday night, showing young people how rewarding construction can be. The ad features three iconic buildings [degrees] the GLA building on...

In brief.
April 5, 2006... Cala Homes has got the go-ahead to build three housing schemes in Scotland: 277 homes on the site of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency in East Craigs; 79 homes at Pinkhill; and 89 homes near Edinburgh Castle. Capita Symonds Sport...

[pounds sterling]24.5m boost for Britannia.(Britannia Construction contracts with D&B Corp.)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Renew subsidiary Britannia Construction has secured four D&B contracts worth [pounds sterling]24.5m. The largest is for a [pounds sterling]18.9m distribution centre for Tesco on the Gwent Euro Park, south Wales. The other contracts are...

Government plans hefty safety fines.(for contractors)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Contractors who breach health and safety regulations in future can expect to pay much larger fines, if current government plans come to fruition. Health and safety minister Lord Hunt told CJ the government is actively looking at ways to...

Regional roads shelved.(government finance to improve transportation)
April 5, 2006... Regional transport boards have shelved half of the Highways Agency's (HA) proposed major projects earmarked for local decision making, according to its 2006/07 business plan. Making matters worse, transport secretary Alistair Darling has...

Eight weeks for Holyrood repair.
April 5, 2006... The debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament building should be ready for use by the end of next month, according to Arup. In its latest report following the displacement of a strut in the chamber's roof last month (CJ 15 March), Arup...

MCG members approach 100% qualified level.(Major Contractors Group)(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Major Contractors Group (MCG) members are nearing the 100% target of getting their workforce fully qualified, or working towards qualification. Latest audit figures show that 90% of the members' directly-employed workforce is fully...

Scottish Water panned in contractors' survey.
April 5, 2006... Scottish Water (SW) is stifling construction activity due to poor performance, according to a survey of contractors in Scotland. The Scottish Construction Now survey of 500 construction professionals revealed that 98% of respondents are...

Construction's safety record is improving.(Brief article)
April 5, 2006... Construction is showing "real progress" in making itself a healthier and safer industry, according to the findings of a report by the Strategic Forum. The report found that in 2004/05 the industry was recording its lowest rate on record...

HSE targets housing and refurb markets.
April 5, 2006... The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) will focus its attention on building maintenance, refurbishment and housebuilding contractors over the next year, according to the field plan for its construction division due to be launched later this week....

Workers plagued by angry gulls.
April 5, 2006... Workers from Mowlem and Costain had to call in a professional hawker after they suffered dive-bomb attacks from seagulls during decommissioning works at the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station site in Wales. Geraint Williams was called to...

Drainage specs leave contractors in muddle.
April 5, 2006... Drainage specifications are confusing contractors, who are struggling to keep up with the fast-changing regulations designed to alleviate flooding, according to Steve McLellan, managing director of supplier JDP. He added that suppliers...

Materials price hikes will affect whole supply chain.
April 5, 2006... Contractors will have to include materials price increases when tendering for projects, while manufacturers face tougher conditions, warned the products industry last week. Construction Products Association economics director Allan Wilen...

Castle Cement plans to conquer Scottish market.
April 5, 2006... Castle Cement last week commenced hostilities against rival Cemex for business in Scotland, with plans to develop a new rail distribution centre in North Lanarkshire. A Castle spokesman said: "Lafarge is the dominant company in Scotland...

EP to pilot green initiative.(English Partnerships environmental regulations for construction industry)
April 5, 2006... English Partnerships (EP) will include green specifications for contractors working on public sector sites, following advice from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). EP last week paid the Ministry of Defence...

Non-compliant companies face EC clampdown.
April 12, 2006... Companies using non CE- marked construction equipment could face increased scrutiny. This follows moves by the European Commission to encourage member states to tighten up on compliance regulations. Tim Faithful, speaking on behalf of the...

Facelift goes online with MEWP safety guidelines.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Access hire specialist Facelift has placed an electronic version of the Operators Safety Guide on its website: www.facelift.co.uk. The guide is designed to supplement operators' training and provide users with clear information on...

In brief.(Speedy Hire PLC on its turnover)(Mitsubishi to introduce its new pick up vehicle)(Chippindale Plant to open up a new depot)(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... The line up of Mitsubishi's new L200 pick-up at the CV Show will include a tipper concept vehicle. The company will be gathering visitor feedback on the vehicle to help it decide whether to add the tipper to its UK range. Parkway Plant...

Power4 launches four-hour power response service.(Power4 introduces power restoration systems)(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Generator sales and hire specialist Power4 has launched an emergency power response service that guarantees to restore power within four hours of a failure. Power4 managing director Paul Wilson said around 20% of organisations suffer a...

Deals done.(Extec Screens and Crushers and Caterpillar Inc. signs a deal)(contracts of LSS Waste Management and Liebherr Sunderland Works Ltd)(Martyn Scoble Construction purchases tandem rollers from Bomag Menck GmbH )(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Crusher manufacturer Extec has signed a [pounds sterling]20m deal with Caterpillar. Extec said the contract is initially for the supply of engines and sees it as the beginning of a long-term working relationship. LSS Waste Management of...

Plant operators should not be lost in translation.(services of International Powered Access Federation)(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has launched a technical translation service to counter the linguistic confusion and safety risks caused by poorly translated equipment manuals. According to IPAF, the problems can be...

One Call Hire extends fleet with Hitachis.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Enfield-based One Call Hire has bought 135 new Hitachi machines as part of its expansion plan. The first stage of this plan has been to establish two new depots in Minworth, near Sutton Coldfield, and Luton. The new machines will make up...

Kanga sells UK direct sales arm to Red Band.
April 12, 2006... Australian mini skid-steer manufacturer Kanga Loaders has sold its UK direct sales arm to Red Band UK. The new arrangement follows on from Red Band's existing dealership agreement with Kanga, through which Red Band distributes Kanga...

New orders stall.
April 12, 2006... 12.04.2006 New orders in the three months to February increased 15% in value to nearly [pounds sterling]11bn compared with a year ago, according to the latest data from the Department of Trade & Industry. However, compared with the previous...

Costain gets the nod for Battersea rail upgrade.
April 12, 2006... Costain is in the groove for a [pounds sterling]26m upgrade of Battersea Park railway station in south London. The client is Parkview International, the developer of the former Battersea Power Station site, and it is estimated that 40% of...

Hyde and Catalyst vie for Brent housing PFI.
April 12, 2006... Brent Council in north London has lined up two groups to pitch for a [pounds sterling]90m-plus PFI housing deal. Hyde Housing Association and the Catalyst Housing Group have gone head to head in the hunt for a project to build temporary and...

Atkins ousts Ringway from Cambs highways hotseat.
April 12, 2006... Atkins has toppled Ringway from its perch on a highways maintenance deal for Camb-ridgeshire County Council, potentially worth [pounds sterling]200m. Ringway has been the council's maintenance contractor for the past 10 years, when the...

Two chase [pounds sterling]25m capital refurb.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Two contractors have locked horns in the final run-in for a [pounds sterling]25m office refurb deal in the City of London. HBG and Bovis Lend Lease are now the only firms in with a shout for the Cracechurch Street scheme [degrees] bids...

Two share [pounds sterling]60m Lincoln revamp.(Aaron Services )(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Two firms have unlocked [pounds sterling]60m worth of housing revamp work for Lincoln County Council. Kier and Suffolk-based Aaron Services will tackle work on more than 8,000 properties under the government's Decent Homes programme. The...

West Lothian re-advertises PPP schools scheme in bid for best value.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... West Lothian Council has thrown open a PPP schools deal again, about 16 months after appointing a preferred bidder. At the back end of 2004, the AWG-led Alpha consortium clinched a [pounds sterling]70m scheme to revamp five schools, but the...

Bovis to manage [pounds sterling]500m Stockport centre revamp.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Bovis Lend Lease is to manage the construction of a [pounds sterling]500m revamp of the run-down centre of Stockport, Greater Manchester. A start on site is expected within the next few months, with the entire project due for completion...

City slickers.
April 12, 2006... Over the past 12 months, share prices of contractors, housebuilders and service providers have been bounding upwards as new investors move in. They want a bigger presence in the sector where they see the twin attractions of longer orderbooks...

Contractors given [pounds sterling]5m green technology help.
April 12, 2006... Contractors and designers were this month targeted with a [pounds sterling]5m fund for advice on green technologies. The government has made the funds available for advice on creating low-carbon buildings in large-scale new build and major...

Nine firms to share Nene housing work.
April 12, 2006... Nine contractors are to share out [pounds sterling]80m to [pounds sterling]100m worth of housing work for Peterborough-based Nene Housing Society. The successful contractors are: FE Peacock Construction; Lindum Group; SDC Builders;...

Government guidance on holidays due.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... The government is expected to issue a consultation paper shortly on how and when it intends to implement its pledge to extend to all workers the right to at least 28 days paid holiday leave per year. The new right means that bank holidays...

B&CE recommends pension incentives from government.
April 12, 2006... Smaller firms need some form of government incentive to encourage them to participate in the industry's own stakeholder pension scheme, according to the B&CE benefits company. "As a pioneer of employer auto-enrolment, B&CE welcomes the...

Caledonian sold to Champion in bid to sustain growth rate.(Caledonian Building Systems acquired by Champion Enterprises Inc.)(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Caledonian Building Systems, the modular building contractor, has been sold to Champion Enterprises. Caledonian's annual rate of expansion over the past four years has been 30% and the latest move is intended to sustain that figure....

Severfield-Rowen sees profit leap during 'stunning' 2005.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Severfield-Rowen, the structural steel specialist, had a "stunning" year in 2005, said chairman Peter Levine. Pre-tax profit jumped ahead by almost two-thirds to [pounds sterling]20m in the 12 months to 31 December as turnover rose to...

Bellway half-year turnover breaks the [pounds sterling]500m barrier.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Bellway has pushed the value of its half-year turnover beyond the [pounds sterling]500m barrier for the first time. Announcing the group's latest interim financial results, chairman Howard Dawe said: "The housing market in 2005 was...

A holistic approach to Part L.
April 12, 2006... Sir, The main driver for the changes to Part L of the Building Regulations is the need to reduce carbon emissions by 2050 to a level that no longer drives climate change. With future amendments already proposed in 2010, now is certainly...

Industry must go out of its way to make Part L targets.(Letter to the editor)
April 12, 2006... Sir, I found the feature "An ideal for Building" (CJ 29 March) extremely interesting and it raised some valuable points about the industry's commitment to energy conservation. However, as new Part L Building Regulations come into...

Diggerland takes plaudits for recruitment upsurge.(Letter to the editor)
April 12, 2006... Sir, I noticed with interest your recent front page headline "Kids flock to construction" (CJ 15 March). We are all aware of the skills shortage in the industry and I am sure that the majority of industry watchers will have been...

Otis hit with [pounds sterling]400k fine following two lift deaths.(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Lift specialist Otis was fined [pounds sterling]400,000 in total last week following an incident in which two men died. Southampton Crown Court heard that Michael Dawson and Daniel Digby died five years ago when carrying out lift...

Familiar word, different meaning.
April 12, 2006... One of the principle features of the NEC form of a contract has always been the extent to which the employer is allowed (via its project manager) to dictate or influence the manner in which the contractor undertakes the works. This brings...

Wyllie-factor boosts Costain Kier powers aheadHot topics for April...(market research of construction industry)(Brief article)
April 12, 2006... Top performers Contractors********Housebuilders********Suppliers GSH*****+29.1****Telford Homes*****+12.3********Steppe Cement****+38.5 Costain****+22.0****Bovis Homes****+12.3****Ennstone****+15.7 Kier********+16.7****Crest...

O'Rourke 'obstruction' fuels site walkout fear.(lobor relations of O'Rourke Construction Co.)
April 12, 2006... Increasingly strained relations between Laing O'Rourke and the main construction unions has led to fears of unannounced walkouts on the contractor's sites. Union sources have accused O'Rourke of being obstructive over access to union...

Stone mastic asphalt surfaces questioned.
April 12, 2006... Future road projects face cost increases, will be less safe to work on and could take longer to construct if research into the early skid-life resistance of stone mastic asphalt (SMA) surfaces discovers that extra treatments need to be...

Multiplex and Hollandia plan steelwork surge.
April 12, 2006... Multiplex and Hollandia have agreed on a massive surge of resources to get the remaining steelwork on the [pounds sterling]757m Wembley Stadium project finished by the end of this month. Hollandia has given Multiplex a definite finish date...

Ineffective kit putting roads workers at risk.
April 12, 2006... Gadgets and "useless" personal protective equipment are contributing to problems for those working on the road network, according to speakers at the Asphalt Industry Alliances' Roads to Safety conference held last week at the National...

Castle blames planners for [pounds sterling]100k pollution fine.
April 12, 2006... Bungling planners cost Castle Cement a [pounds sterling]100,000 fine after magistrates found it guilty of pollution in north Wales, the company claimed last week. Castle lashed out in a bitter row with the Environment Agency (EA) over...