Contract Journal articles from January 2008

Contract Journal archives from January 2008

Plant thefts prompt call for renewed vigilance.(06 Plant)
January 16, 2008... Hirers warned after bogus companies rent machines and subsequently vanish. colin.sowman@rbi.co.uk There is a call for renewed vigilance by plant hirers following a spate of bogus companies renting machines and disappearing with the...

India overtakes UK as JCB's chief market.(01 News)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford (left) celebrates the opening of a new plant in Pune, India with Tory party leader David Cameron (centre) and shadow chancellor George Osborne (right). JCB sold more machines in India than the UK last year....

Camden and MK agree work deals.(01 News)(Milton Keynes)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... The London Borough of Camden and Milton Keynes Borough Council have signed capital works framework deals worth [pounds sterling]240m over four years. Milton Keynes is offering [pounds sterling]140m of new build work covering its education...

Contractors urged to make most of work boom in India.(01 News)
January 16, 2008... Up to [pounds sterling]185bn to be invested in infrastructure by 2012 PPP projects to feature heavily. neil.gerrard@rbi.co.uk CONTRACTORS need to act quickly to win a slice of the [pounds sterling]185bn construction boom planned in...

Balfour set to benefit from Network Rail overruns.(01 News)(Balfour Beatty Ltd.)
January 16, 2008... Bechtel, Jarvis and Colas Rail hauled in to explain delays on the WCML upgrade. neil.gerrard@rbi.co.uk Balfour Beatty could emerge as one of the winners from a shake-up in the way work is managed on the West Coast Mainline (WCML). ...

A new jewel in SED's crownSED stages its own Italian jobZone Focus: new exhibitors.(06 Plant)
January 16, 2008... SED and the DSA are joining forces to create the all-new Diamond Zone. Italian company Canginibenne has been manufacturing equipment for earth-moving machines since the end of the 80s, including buckets, forks, sweepers, and grapples. ...

Industry giants chase [pounds sterling]70m City office complex.(04 Contracts)(Carillion Construction)(Laing O'Rourke PLC)(Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd.)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... At least three firms are in the hunt for a [pounds sterling]70m office complex scheme in the City of London. Laing O'Rourke, Carillion and Sir Robert McAlpine are working up bids for the Bath House project in High Holborn. A source...

O'Rourke and Carillion eye Bristol uni job.(04 Contracts)(Carillion Construction)(University of Bristol)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... The University of Bristol has decided to go for Carillion and Laing O'Rourke in the race for a re-advertised deal valued at between [pounds sterling]50m to [pounds sterling]55m. Sir Robert McAlpine missed the cut for the scheme known as the...

Trio eye Midlands fire stations deal.(04 Contracts)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... Three groups are vying to get to the top of the ladder for a [pounds sterling]45m fire station project in the Midlands. For its PFI deal, dubbed the Fire Accommodation Project, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Fire Rescue Authority has...

HBG favourite to build new King's Cross HQ for Unison.(04 Contracts)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... [pounds sterling]41m complex will be on the site of the former Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital. brian.warner@rbi.co.uk HBG is tipped to build a [pounds sterling]41m new headquarters for Unison at King's Cross in north London, on...

May Gurney snatches Northants roads deal from Atkins.(04 Contracts)
January 16, 2008... A joint venture between May Gurney and consultant WSP has toppled Atkins from its perch as Northamptonshire County Council's highways maintenance provider. The new deal, involving both maintenance and management, is potentially worth...

DfT gives the go-ahead to delayed PFI roads work.(01 News)(Department for Transport)(privately financed highways)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... A second tranche of long-delayed privately financed highways maintenance schemes worth [pounds sterling]600m will finally get the go-ahead next month. Two or three schemes were expected to be given final approval last month by the...

UK firms can reap rewards of nuclear building boom.(01 News)
January 16, 2008... NIA predicts UK contractors can deliver more than 80% of the planned reactors. carol.millett@rbi.co.uk British contractors are capable of delivering more than 80% of the new generation of nuclear power plants given the go-ahead by the...

14 Back Page.
January 16, 2008... Kier in good voice Kier must be a happy ship these days if its press office is anything to go by. I called up this week to enquire about the restructuring of Kier's HR department (trust me, don't ask), only to be told I was...

Rebrand sees Gleeson Building lose parent name.(01 News)(GB Building Solutions Ltd.)(Gleeson Homes)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... Gleeson Building is finally dumping its former parent company's name to become GB Building Solutions Ltd. The firm has been trading for two-and-a-half years since the management buyout of MJ Gleeson's building division in July 2005. A...

2012 row as TGWU poaches Ucatt's shop steward.(01 News)(transport and general workers union)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... A POACHING row has broken out between two construction unions at the London 2012 Olympics. The dispute has erupted over the first site convenors to be installed in east London where Nuttall and Morrison are carrying out ground remediation...

Subbies: just say no to 5% cut.(01 News)
January 16, 2008... Trade contractors urged to fight Taylor Wimpey invoice cuts as fears grow that other housebuilders will copy controversial move. grant.prior@rbi.co.uk TRADE contractors are launching a furious fightback against house-builders trying to...

Construction bucks downturn in recruitment.(01 News)
January 16, 2008... Construction is bucking the trend of a general slowdown in the jobs market with skills shortages creating continuing demand for professionals and trades people. Latest figures from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and...

GOOD WEEK.(01 News)
January 16, 2008... On-site acrobatics: A 27-year-old construction worker in northern Croatia made an impression when he fell from the third floor of a building, landed in a pool of freshly-poured concrete, and got up again, uninjured. House prices: Ignore...

Bosses must be flexible at Easter.(01 News)
January 16, 2008... Construction bosses are being urged to be flexible around this year's earlier-than-usual Easter holidays. Good Friday is on 21 March with Easter Monday on 24 March - and the normal site break does not coincide with the school Spring...

Interserve drops out of race for Morrison takeover.(01 News)
January 16, 2008... Interserve is believed to have dropped out of the chase for Morrison plc. Final bids for the firm are now in and Interserve and two other bidders from the five who made it through to the second round are thought to have stepped back....

Ocon marks three years in business with [pounds sterling]1.6m profit.(02 Business)(Ocon Construction Ltd.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... At the end of its third year of trading, Ocon Construction has made its first substantial profit. Latest financial results covering the 12 months to 30 September 2007, show turnover little changed at [pounds sterling]96m ([pounds...

Costain's recovery 'in line with expectations'.(02 Business)(Costain Group PLC)(Financial report)
January 16, 2008... Group's trading update signals return to profitability following [pounds sterling]62m loss in 2006. john.leitch@rbi.co.uk Costain's 2007 financial results will show a "significant recovery in profitability" after the group dived...

S&W profit better than predicted.(02 Business)(Styles and Wood)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... Styles & Wood, property services provider to the UK's top retailers, has announced glad tidings - profit in 2007 will be ahead of expectations. The City had pencilled in a pre-tax profit figure of [pounds sterling]13.5m for the 12 months...

Bone Group wins Scots college job.(05 Products and Materials)
January 16, 2008... The Bone Group has secured a multi-million pound contract to supply the steelwork for the new Motherwell College campus at Ravenscraig. Awarded the scheme by main contractor Miller Construction, Bone will manufacture 1,500t of steel before...

PFF updates code of practice on site safety and training.(05 Products and Materials)(Precast Flooring Federation)(Brief article)
January 16, 2008... As part of a wider strategy to reorganise the safety programme throughout the precast sector, the Precast Flooring Federation (PFF) has revised its code of practice and set up a new training programme to improve site safety. Since the last...

Protocol could see used tyres put to better use.(05 Products and Materials)
January 16, 2008... Used tyres could be more easily reprocessed into flooring, road surfacing and aggregates following the launch of a Quality Protocol for the production and use of tyre-derived materials. The initiative, launched by WRAP and the Environment...

Industry calls for flexibility on definition of zero carbon.(05 Products and Materials)
January 16, 2008... Government urged to include offsite and near-site energy in level six guidelines. james.stagg@rbi.co.uk The government must relax the definition of zero carbon to include offsite and near-site energy if the industry is to achieve zero...

Lafarge opens rail supply hub.(05 Products and Materials)
January 16, 2008... Lafarge has opened a new rail distribution hub at West Thurrock to supply construction projects across London. The trains are able to carry 1,500t of aggregates and cement, eliminating tens of thousands of lorry movements and contributing...

04 Contracts.
January 16, 2008... Birmingham City Council has chosen Barratt Developments to revamp the city's Shard End Crescent area in a [pounds sterling]41m project. The scheme includes 2,500m2 of retail and leisure space, 240 homes and a library. Durkan is lead...

01 News.
January 16, 2008... Norwest Holst has confirmed that it has acquired Fifehead, the holding company of Cardiff-based contractor Stradform, for an undisclosed sum. The firm, which has offices in Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham and Reading, has an annual turnover of...

01 News.
January 16, 2008... WELSH WINNER A joint venture between property giant Hammerson and residential developer Urban Splash has landed a [pounds sterling]1bn deal to redevelop four sites around Swansea. The redevelopment encompasses sites at St David's and the...

04 Contracts.
January 16, 2008... GOOD HEALTH Morgan Ashurst has won a [pounds sterling]10.8m contract to design and build a Lifestyle Centre for Vale Royal Borough Council in Winsford, Cheshire. The ground floor will house a 25m pool, sports hall, squash courts, health suite...

14 Back Page.
January 16, 2008... Why is the government so reluctant to commit time and money to professional skills training? There is an obvious skills shortage in our industry at present. This is evident in the Thames Gateway, for example, where development targets are...

News round-upa[euro]*a[euro]*.(01 News)
January 16, 2008... The Daily Telegraph reported that the looming housing market slump could deal a major blow to the government's plans to build millions more homes. The paper said leading housebuilders have warned of falling build rates this year and the next,...