Contract Journal articles from April 2008

Contract Journal archives from April 2008

Contractors reap rewards of [pounds sterling]650m BSF work 'torrent'.(01 News)
April 2, 2008... Balfour Beatty, and Carillion take the lion's share of Academy schemes so far. carol.millett@rbi.co.uk Framework contractors delivering Building Schools for the Future BSF) Academy schemes are reporting a "torrent" of work, with more...

Manitowoc innovates again.(06 Plant)
April 2, 2008... Manitowoc is continuing its innovative crane designs with the development of the 31000. This 2,300t crawler crane has a Variable Position Counterweight (VPC) that automatically extends when more counterweight moment is needed during the lift....

Moxy updates its AB510 dump truck.(06 Plant)
April 2, 2008... Having considered the customer feedback on its AB510 rigid dump truck, Moxy has updated the machine with smoother and more modern lines and a yellow livery. The 46t payload machine is the smallest in a planned rigid dumper range that...

Police intelligence unit targets plant theft.(06 Plant)
April 2, 2008... National unit will form UK-wide picture of problem to help catch criminal gangs. colin.sowman@rbi.co.uk Plant thieves are to feel the full weight of the law as the police announce two initiatives to crack down on their activities. The...

06 Plant.
April 2, 2008... show of strength JCB's new 52t excavator, the JS520, was seen in the metal for the first time at Conexpo. The company said the unit is extremely robust and has an undercarriage that many of its competitors would use for a 60t machine. Once the...

JLG combines ladder with work platform.(06 Plant)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... LiftPod is the name of a novel access solution from JLG which is said to combine the portability of a ladder with the stability of a work platform. The unit has a 4.25m working height and comes in three sub-23kg parts (base, drive and...

06 Plant.( Sany has announced to build a factory in usa)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... New Holland has re-engineered its backhoe loader with a new curved boom which is narrower than its predecessor and is said to improve visibility and performance and make transport easier. Power been increased too with a 72kW Iveco engine and...

Terex: $12bn turnover by 2012.(06 Plant)(TEREX Pegson Limited)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... Terex is the best performing plant manufacturer in the world, according to Ronald DeFeo its chairman and chief executive. He said the company delivered a 43.3% return on capital last year and will reach 12 by 12 - $12bn ([pounds sterling]5.9bn)...

Western Star's 35-tonner shines.(06 Plant)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... US truck manufacturer Western Star has produced a super heavy duty 35t payload/23mA[sup.3] capacity unit which it said is up to 35% more fuel efficient than an ADT or rigid dump truck on haul distances above 800m. Called 6900XD, the...

02 Business.(Market share of Costain and Galliford Try construction industries)(Report)
April 2, 2008... Costain shares benefit from no horror stories Costain's 17% share price rise during March was triggered by relief that when its annual results were unveiled, in the middle of the month, there were no horror stories. Shareholders have...

T5 gets glowing report for project's M&E work.(01 News)
April 2, 2008... High wages for workers result in low staff turnover and a dispute-free project. grant.prior@rbi.co.uk An independent report into M&E work on Heathrow's T5 has hailed the construction as a resounding success despite the problems...

04 Contracts.
April 2, 2008... CHECKING IN Speymill Contracts has scooped a [pounds sterling]5m deal to build a new Ramada Encore hotel in Derby's city centre Pride Park development. The 112-bed complex, for Ramcore Hotels, is due for completion within 36 weeks.

HA projects back on track after costs rethink.(01 News)(Highways Agency)(Report)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... The Highways Agency (HA) claims it has reined in spiralling costs on projects and can now deliver its major works - including the [pounds sterling]5bn widening of the M25 - on time. In its business plan revealed last week, the agency said...

Olympic logistics centre bids delayed by months.(01 News)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... Bidders have still not been given go-ahead to submit pre-qualification documents. roxanne.millar@rbi.co.uk A lack of knowledge in the Olympic Development Authority (ODA) has forced the delay of a critical logistics centre at Olympic...

Mediation call for low-level planning.(01 News)
April 2, 2008... The fate of low-level planning applications should be determined by mediation services to take the weight off London's overworked planning system, according to London mayoral hopeful Boris Johnson. The idea came as part of a forum organised...

Concerns over 2012 worker skills.(01 News)(Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians says they trained local young people )(Report)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... Workers building Olympic Games venues will be under-skilled because their training falls short of government recommendations, construction union UCATT has claimed. The union says 90% of training for 1,000 local young people will be to NVQ...

Bardsley posts [pounds sterling]54m turnover.(01 News)(Financial report)
April 2, 2008... Bardsley Construction has enjoyed a jump in turnover to [pounds sterling]54m ([pounds sterling]37m). Latest financial figures (12 months to 30 June 2007) show pre-tax profit slightly lower at [pounds sterling]1.6m ([pounds sterling]1.8m)....

Getting our message straight.(01 News)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is not an organisation you'd want to tangle with. Much like its sister body, HM Revenue and Customs, its approach to things is pretty much "we say, you do". Its recent interest in construction through its...

Performance bonds.(10 Legal)(Spiersbridge Property Developments Limited -v- Muir Construction Limited)
April 2, 2008... Is an employer who calls a performance bond obliged to account to the contractor for overpayment? Muir claimed it was entitled to extensions of time for completion of the building works and that Spiersbridge was not entitled to the monies...

Connaught scoops Scots housing job.(04 Contracts)
April 2, 2008... Connaught Partnerships has crossed the welcome mat to take a [pounds sterling]23m housing revamp deal in Scotland. The firm's contract is with Dumfries & Galloway Housing Partnership and means that the present incumbent, Dumfries &...

Trio prepare bids for [pounds sterling]34m Hartlepool college deal.(04 Contracts)
April 2, 2008... Three firms are swotting up for a [pounds sterling]34m education-sector deal in the North East. On the register for the Hartlepool College of Further Education scheme are Miller, Shepherd and Laing O'Rourke. The scheme involves...

HA's Kent roads scheme given further extension.(01 News)
April 2, 2008... The deadline for tenders on a high-profile [pounds sterling]145m road deal in Kent has been extended for a second time, amid fears that the scheme could fall foul of the current government transport spending review. The Highways Agency's...

Four in chase for Lancaster sports centre.(04 Contracts)
April 2, 2008... Four rivals are on their marks for a [pounds sterling]21m sports centre deal in Lancaster. The race is between Barr, Galliford Try, Shepherd and GB Building Solutions, formerly known as Gleeson Building. It is expected that a winner...

Winners emerging for Devon and Midlands college deals.(04 Contracts)
April 2, 2008... Interserve tipped for [pounds sterling]22.5m Devon BSF job Bowmer closes on Leicestershire college. brian.warner@rbi.co.uk Significant developments are taking place on college deals totalling [pounds sterling]46m in the West Country...

01 News.
April 2, 2008... CHAMPAGNE MOMENT Dennis Bate, group executive member of Bovis Lend Lease, receives champagne from Causeway sales and marketing director Paul Madeira for winning January's CJ50 index, sponsored by Causeway. Bovis won four contracts worth a...

Attracting the future workforce.(08 CJ2)
April 2, 2008... New schemes are being set up to help attract new recruits into construction. But what are they and how do they work? Emma Penny investigates. The BeOnsite training that Meurika Stewart (pictured) is currently undertaking will lead to a job...

Dealing with the downturn.(08 CJ2)
April 2, 2008... As economic growth slows and boom times give way to caution, contractors would be forgiven for feeling concerned. But with vigilance on cashflow and careful choice of projects and partners, weathering the storm should be simple. Economic expert...

Angling for success.(16 Profile)(Interview)(Interview)
April 2, 2008... Formed because Rae Borras considered himself unemployable, Borras Construction now turns over [pounds sterling]31m and employs 140 people. He tells Steve Menary how the Super Bowl sparked the firm's success. How did you come to start your...

Wren founder leaves firm following spat.(01 News)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... A spat between the two founders of Wren Homes, the builder specialising in retirement homes, has resulted in director Peter West leaving the company. He will leave the group with [pounds sterling]131,000 payable over the coming six months....

T Clarke sees profit margin up to 4.2% in strong market.(02 Business)(T Clarke is a electrical contractors)(Financial report)
April 2, 2008... London operation delivers sizzling margin growth in UK regions takes turnover to [pounds sterling]117m. john.leitch@rbi.co.uk T Clarke, the electrical contractor, has reported an increase in profit margins to 4.2%, as pre-tax profit in...

GSH turnover up to [pounds sterling]88m.(02 Business)(GSH, facilities management group)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... GSH, the facilities management group, has unveiled an interim pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]3.5m, which represents a margin of 3.9%. Latest financial figures, covering the six months to 31 January 2008, show turnover higher at [pounds...

Northern Bear in good health.(02 Business)(Northern Bear is a building services and supplies company )(Brief article)
April 2, 2008... Northern Bear certainly does not have a sore head at the moment as when the wraps come off the group's latest annual results, they are likely to be rather good. In a trading update, Northern Bear said that both turnover and pre-tax profit...

04 Contracts.
April 2, 2008... Carillion is expected to trump bids from rivals ISG InteriorExterior and Spanish firm FCC to take a [pounds sterling]40m-plus deal to build the velodrome for the 2012 Olympic Games. Construction work on the 6,000-seater indoor cycling venue is...

Training spotlight: Management training60 seconds on site.(13 People)(Report)
April 2, 2008... David Boyden, director for the National Construction College, looks at the importance of ensuring managers in the construction industry are properly trained.e_SClBThe current boom in construction means that opportunities are plentiful for those...

East Midlands prays for public spending.(08 CJ2)
April 2, 2008... While workloads carry on ticking over, concern is creeping into the East Midlands over the extent of the credit crunch, as contractors hope for a steady flow of public sector projects. Grant Prior reports. As contractors concentrate on...

04 Contracts.(Brief article)
April 9, 2008... MAKING HISTORY Mansell has clinched a [pounds sterling]9m deal to makeover the Ironbridge Gorge museum in Coalbrookdale, near Telford, in Shropshire. The centrepiece of the scheme is the total redevelopment of the Blists Hill Victorian Town in...

North Midland sees turnover pass [pounds sterling]200m mark.(01 News)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 9, 2008... Nottinghamshire-based North Midland Construction (NMC) has posted record revenues of [pounds sterling]211.3m for the year ended 31 December 2007. The company's preliminary results show an increase of 20.4% over the previous year and for...

Credit crunch sparks [pounds sterling]2.3bn college framework rethink.(01 News)
April 9, 2008... Learning and Skills Council believes contractors will get hungrier as lean times bite. carol.millett@rbi.co.uk Education bosses have halted a [pounds sterling]2.3bn college framework in the hope that the credit crunch will bring more...

London Underground unveils framework shortlist.(01 News)
April 9, 2008... Taylor Woodrow, YJL, Costain, Fitzpatrick, Bovis Lend Lease and Carillion are among 18 firms shortlisted for London Underground's (LUL's) first framework contract under its [pounds sterling]2.8bn Vendor Capital Programme. The shortlist...

01 News.(London Underground track )
April 9, 2008... carol.millett@rbi.co.uk Balfour Beatty has just 12 months to prove itself on a new [pounds sterling]102.4m London Underground track renewal contract agreed with Metronet's administrators last week. Failure to meet stringent cost,...

Hampshire police prosecute three for telehandler thefts.(06 Plant)
April 9, 2008... Police recover 55 'ringed' machines from as far afield as Eastern Europe and Finland. colin.sowman@rbi.co.uk Hampshire Police are set to prosecute three men in connection with the theft and sale of 62 telehandlers. In gathering...

GLA to insist all plant on high-profile sites have DPFs.(01 News)(Greater London Authority)(diesel particulate filter)(Brief article)
April 9, 2008... The Greater London Authority has thrown out an 'approved list' of plant requiring a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and insisted that all machines on high-profile London sites are fitted with the emission control system. The dramatic move...

Genie telehandler given a lift following makeover.(06 Plant)
April 9, 2008... The GTH-2506's full-height lift capacity has been increased to 900kg. Genie has given its GTH-2506 compact rough-terrain telehandler a facelift, boosting full-height lift capacity by 100kg to 900kg, while retaining its compact footprint....

Hinowa debuts dumper at SED.(06 Plant)(Brief article)
April 9, 2008... Visitors to SED (13-15 May, Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby) will be the first in the UK to see Hinowa's revolutionary new battery-powered mini dumper. Having produced a range of tracked mini dumpers for many years, Hinowa said its new HS...

KDC bosses complete [pounds sterling]12.5m MBO.(01 News)
April 9, 2008... Demolition firm KDC Contractors has been bought by its management team in a [pounds sterling]12.5m deal. A senior management team led by chief executive Ian Smithson bought the firm from shareholder Barry Kilroe. Meanwhile, Peter...

01 News.
April 9, 2008... fighting fire A seven-storey block of apartments under construction in Edinburgh was almost completely destroyed in a spectacular fire over the weekend. Chrysalis Apartments at Albion Gardens caught fire on Saturday afternoon, forcing the...

Councils given sway for overruns on utility work.(01 News)
April 9, 2008... Local authorities will be able to set binding start and finish dates for road works and fine utility companies for overruns under beefed-up powers that came into force this month. The Traffic Management Act now requires utility companies to...

HMRC v Neil Martin nears conclusion.(01 News)
April 9, 2008... The David and Goliath contest between the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and Cumbria-based civils contractor Neil Martin Ltd is drawing to a head after the firm lodged its appeal against a High Court ruling that made the department "untouchable"...

Site Waste Management Plans - Q&A.(08 CJ2)
April 9, 2008... Site Waste Management Plans came into effect on 6 April 2008. Check out the Contract Journal guide and NetRegs' nine steps to creating your own site plan. Non-compliance could mean a fine of up to [pounds sterling]5,000, or even...

Jobs go at Hanson as brick demand hits 20-year low.(01 News)
April 9, 2008... Firm blames credit crunch and housebuilding slump as Caernarfon plant shuts. brian.warner@rbi.co.uk Hanson has warned that demand for bricks has fallen to its lowest level for 20 years, as it closed its fourth brickworks in 18 months....

Trio aim to make grade for [pounds sterling]70m Surrey tech college.(04 Contracts)
April 9, 2008... Wates, Norwest Holst and HBG chase deal to redevelop Brooklands Technical College. brian.warner@rbi.co.uk Three Shortlisted firms are swotting up for a high-profile education-sector deal in Surrey. The Brooklands Technical College...

Two to contest delayed N East leisure project.(04 Contracts)(Coatham Links scheme )(Brief article)
April 9, 2008... Two rivals have locked horns in the final run-in for a delayed [pounds sterling]14m leisure-sector deal in the North East. Insiders say that only Rok and Morgan Ashurst are now left in contention for the Coatham Links scheme to the west of...

Mulalley closes in on South East housing work.(04 Contracts)
April 9, 2008... Family-run contractor Mulalley looks well placed to pick up housing work in the South East, worth [pounds sterling]80m-plus. Sources say that Mulalley together with Mears are emerging as favourites to deliver Watford Community Housing...

Nuttall scoops [pounds sterling]41m E Anglia waste plant.(04 Contracts)
April 9, 2008... Edmund Nuttall has successfully concluded two years of negotiations to take a [pounds sterling]41m design-and-build waste treatment plant deal in East Anglia. Work on the greenfield site in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, is due to kick off...

The SWMP has arrived.(01 News)
April 9, 2008... This week, the SWMP has arrived. It's the latest in a long line of acronyms to hit the construction industry, but ignore this one and you could be fined up to [pounds sterling]5,000 or even end up in prison, as well as being seriously out of...

Tax to tip firms toward illegal activity?(08 CJ2)
April 9, 2008... Despite the introduction of site waste management plans, there is concern that sharp landfill tax hikes will encourage the less scrupulous demolition contractor to fly-tip waste. Mark Smulian explains. Every developer should be employing...

Canals recycled to transport London waste.(08 CJ2)
April 9, 2008... Investment in London's canal network has enabled one recycling company to accept construction waste from across the capital. Contract Journal finds out more. Fleet breakdowns are quickly dealt with thanks to an on-site parts container,...

ECA/HVCA 'convergence' talks progress.(01 News)(Brief article)
April 9, 2008... Leaders of the electrical contracting and heating and ventilating sectors are taking a "softly, softly" approach to a long-awaited attempt to bring contractors in their industries together. Some 35 years after initial plans for a merger of...

Jewson's man on a mission.(16 Profile)
April 9, 2008... Steve Millward, environmental director at Jewson, has made it his mission to drive down product packaging. He tells James Stagg that contractors will manage waste better if manufacturers can optimise product protection. What was the...

02 Business.(Edmund Nuttall Ltd.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 9, 2008... Edmund Nuttall made a 3.2% margin last year on a record workload of [pounds sterling]590m. Financial figures for the 12 months to 31 December 2007 show pre-tax profit at [pounds sterling]19m ([pounds sterling]20m). Nuttall's margin in...

Abbott and Plasmo sprint back to life.(02 Business)(Brief article)
April 9, 2008... A [pounds sterling]20m supplier of windows and doors into the housebuilding market has gone into receivership. The debts of Abbott Group and its counterpart Plasmo Profiles are not known. Immediately following the appointment of...

02 Business.
April 9, 2008... The Bank of Scotland has taken a minority equity investment in Miller Group in what the company describes as "the most significant financial transaction in the group's history". There are no details of what the Bank of Scotland has paid for...

People in glass houses.(08 CJ2)
April 9, 2008... It's no simple task removing floors and walls from the largest glass structure in Europe without disrupting the public shopping within. But at the St Enoch centre in Glasgow, Keltbray has employed an acoustic wall and saw cutters rather than...

ODA bids to avoid Wembley trap with 2012 disputes panel.(01 News)
April 9, 2008... Panel's function is to nip problems in the bud before they become legal issues. roxanne.millar@rbi.co.uk An independent dispute avoidance panel has been set up at the Olympic Park to avoid the legal wrangles and delays that blighted...

Recycling hits the road.(08 CJ2)
April 9, 2008... Cambridgeshire County Council has taken it recycling policy to the roads, reconstructing a stretch of highway using in-situ recycling, saving time, cost and disruption to traffic. Conrad Jowell reports. Cambridgeshire County Council,...

Construction cleans up its act.(08 CJ2)
April 9, 2008... Site Waste Management Plans are now mandatory in England on projects worth more than [pounds sterling]300,000. As the industry begins to get to grips with the legislation, WRAP's Mervyn Jones discusses the practical tools that are available to...

01 News.
April 23, 2008... Galliford Try has lost out to Land Securities Trillium and Catalyst Education in the race for Birmingham City Council's [pounds sterling]820m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) deal. As one of the largest BSF schemes in the country...

01 News.(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... Taylor Woodrow is believed to have beaten rivals Birse Metro and Morgan Est to win [pounds sterling]40m of modernisation and step-free access work on London Underground's Queensway and South Kensington stations. The work is packaged into...

The fall-out from Black Thursday.(01 News)(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... It wasn't pretty, was it. Shortly after the Office of Fair Trading published its Statement of Objections last Thursday morning, accusing 112 construction companies of bid-rigging activities, the consumer media tore into the industry. ...

11 Letters.(Letter to the editor)
April 23, 2008... It was most interesting to hear the Confederation of Construction Specialists' view that changes to standard contracts cost the industry [pounds sterling]18bn a year (CJ 26 March 2008) If changes to standard contracts cost the construction...

01 News.(CJ Haughey Construction)(Calthorpe House office developmen)(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... BRUM DEAL: CJ Haughey Construction has started work on a [pounds sterling]2 million groundworks contract for the [pounds sterling]40 million Calthorpe House office development in Birmingham. Haughey has completed bulk earthworks and is...

01 News.(Westminster School contracts with Killby & Gayford )(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... GOOD FORM: Killby & Gayford is carrying out brick restoration work at Westminster School, London SW1, as part of a [pounds sterling]1.1 million refurbishment and re-roofing contract. The project is the fourth phase of the school's plan to...

01 News.(Office of Fair Trading )(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... Contractors have blasted Ucatt general secretary Alan Ritchie's call for the "maximum possible penalties" for companies caught up in the OFT bid-rigging investigation. One said: "Ritchie must realise that we are the people that actually...

01 News.(Bamtec carpet )(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... MATERIAL COSTS: Concrete reinforcement specialist Hy-Ten claims its Bamtec carpet reinforcement can offer steel savings of up to 35% compared with traditional cut and bent methods. Chairman Adrian Larkins said: "This represents a major saving...

01 News.
April 23, 2008... Tributes were paid to the courage and vision of John Baldwin at a memorial service last week at St Paul's Cathedral for the former leader of the Constructional Engineering Union who died at the end of last year. Contractors, union colleagues,...

01 News.
April 23, 2008... Election of the first lay executive council of the merged Unite has now been completed. John Sheridan, from Liverpool, has been elected to represent construction on the TGWU section of the union. David Smeeton, who works in the engineering...

01 News.
April 23, 2008... Labour agencies supplying the building services sector are being invited to join a new trade body to represent their interests and provide contractors with independently audited guarantees of their best practice business and employment...

01 News.
April 23, 2008... Workers at Hanson Brick are being balloted on strike action over pay. The vote has been given the go ahead by a meeting of the company shop stewards. Workers had previously rejected a 3% pay offer. "We are expecting a strong vote," said Bob...

01 News.
April 23, 2008... Public sector contract awards could grind to a halt for months as the fallout from the Office of Fair Trading bid-rigging investigation continues. The [pounds sterling]4.5 billion M25 widening contract could be among the jobs hit as...

01 News.(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... A year after construction workers were caught setting fire to a colleague and leaping from a scissor lift, new videos have surfaced on youtube showing similarly dangerous stunts. In the first of these new videos, a man working for an unknown...

01 News.
April 23, 2008... A year after construction workers were caught setting fire to a colleague and leaping from a scissor lift, new videos have surfaced on youtube showing similarly dangerous stunts. In the first of these new videos, a man working for an unknown...

01 News.
April 23, 2008... BAD WEEK OAPs: A pensioner who dug a labyrinth of tunnels under his home has been ordered to pay [pounds sterling]300,000 to his local council. Former excavator William Lyttle, 77 of Hackney, was evicted in 2006 when his tunnels almost...

01 News.(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... Olympic chiefs have rubbished claims that large 2012 contracts should be scaled down to allow small local contractors to win work. The Olympic Delivery Authority has rejected allegations by the New Economics Foundation that without major...

01 News.(Health and Safety Executive)(Brief article)
April 23, 2008... Civil service union Prospect believe the Government will ignore a damning report on the lack of resources given to the Health and safety Executive. The report by the Work and Pensions Committee has called for more front line health and...