Contract Journal articles from March 2005

Contract Journal archives from March 2005

Simon Courtney, director of learning and consultancy services, Haley Somerset Consulting.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Simon Courtney, director of learning and consultancy services, Haley Somerset Consulting What is your greatest work achievement? Helping employees pass the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Assessment of Professional Competence. Also,...

CPA seminar plan unveiled.(Construction Plant-hire Association )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has announced the content of its forthcoming seminar. Topics covered will include legislative matters such as whole body and hand/arm vibration, Work at Height, an update on the use of excepted...

Bucher takes over Johnston from Ennstone.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Roadsweeper builder Johnston Sweepers has been sold by its current owner Ennstone to rival manufacturer Bucher Automotive for [pounds sterling]20.5m. The deal sees Bucher take over Johnstons production facilities in the UK, Denmark and...

GLA calls for clean-up of diesel-engined plant.(Greater London Authority)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The Greater London Authority (GLA) wants all diesel-engined construction plant operating in its area to be fitted with particulate filters and to run on ultra-low sulphur diesel by the end of 2006. The initiative comes as part of PRECIS (the...

Time to embrace the challenge.(Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami, 2004)(fund raising events)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Firms that relish a challenge with a charitable bent should consider signing up for this years COINS Three Peaks Challenge on 7-8 May. The task is to climb Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales, all within 24...

Bosco wins [pounds sterling]30m of new housing work.(Bosco Construction)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Cheshire-based contractor Bosco Construction has won [pounds sterling]30m-worth of work in Manchester. Under a [pounds sterling]16m deal, Bosco will build a complex of 170 apartments in the Pall Mall area of the city for developer Capital...

Osborne scoops London housing deal.(Geoffrey Osborne Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Geoffrey Osborne has beaten off pitches from two rivals to unlock a [pounds sterling]25.7m housing deal in south London. The scheme, on a brownfield site in Peckham, involves constructing 158 homes and about 465m2 of office accommodation. Two...

Morrison ahead in Perth and Kinross PPP race.(public private partnership )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Morrison has emerged as the front runner in the two-horse race for a [pounds sterling]100m public private partnership schools deal in Scotland. Industry insiders say Morrison is now odds-on favourite to be named as preferred bidder for the...

Delayed Kent bridge scheme to be put out to tender in summer.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Five contractors look set to finally pick up the tender paperwork this summer for a [pounds sterling]20m-plus deal in Kent [degrees] at least 15 months after the scheme first came up for grabs. The county council first called for expressions...

West Yorks road project back on track.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... A maximum of six contractors are likely to pick up the tender paperwork in August for a [pounds sterling]17.5m road deal in West Yorkshire [degrees] more than a year after the scheme surfaced. Wakefield Councils Hems-worth-A1 link road has been...

Watchdog to examine fairness of early PFIs.
March 2, 2005... The National Audit Office (NAO) is to broaden its investigation into the refinancing of the Norfolk and Norwich (N&N) Hospital PFI deal in a move that may have implications for other early PFI agreements. The NAO was alerted to the refinancing...

Trio chase [pounds sterling]400m Bradford schools deal.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Amey, Interserve and Mowlem have emerged as the frontrunners for Bradford City Councils [pounds sterling]400m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme. The shortlisted trio are: IntegratED Bradford, a consortium led by Amey; Environments 4...

Single bidder PFI deals face tougher scrutiny.
March 2, 2005... Single bidder PFI schemes could be under threat following the Treasurys decision to abort Camden Councils flagship social housing PFI scheme, deeming it too costly and uncompetitive. The decision to dump the scheme was made by the Treasurys...

Just say yes to Mowlem's Bath spa offer?
March 2, 2005... More than three-quarters (78%) of respondents to the latest www.contractjournal.com survey would accept Mowlems offer to complete Bath Spa if they were Bath & North East Somerset Council. Just 22% said they would not accept the offer. More than...

POWER SUPPLY.(Hulse)(Laing ORourke)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... POWER SUPPLY: Electrical contractor Hulse has won a [pounds sterling]2m design and build M&E contract with Laing ORourke to provide full building services for Redrow Homes Jupiter housing development in Birmingham. The works involve the...

HEALTH BOOS.(St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust)(Gleeson Building)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... HEALTH BOOST: Site manager Warren Hooper puts the finishing touches to the Evelina Childrens Hospital [degrees] the first new childrens hospital to be built in London for 100 years. The hospital is a [pounds sterling]42m contract for Gleeson...

Notice of entitlement to ?an extension of time.(hotel construction cases)
March 2, 2005... In June 2003 I reported the case of City Inn -v- Shepherd Construction, which considered whether a requirement for a contractor to give notices of delay events to secure its entitlement to an extension of time may be construed as a penalty and...

...avoid candidate gazumping.(Construction workers recruiment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... By Scott Beagrie Nearly 50% of employers have been gazumped by a more agile competitor when recruiting a member of staff, according to research. In construction, where skills are in short supply, the problem is likely to be worse. It is...

Initiatives launched at second safety summit.
March 2, 2005... Initiatives launched at second safety summit ?.Skill card safety test cost to be cut from [pounds sterling]35 to [pounds sterling]17.50 from 4 April.??.Strategic Forum to launch a Respect for People code of good working practice on health and...

HSE chairman praises CTRL and T5 projects.(Channel Tunnel Rail Link)(Health & Safety Commission)(Heathrows T5 )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Projects such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) and Heathrows T5 have proved that zero tolerance accident policies are achieveable, Bill Callaghan, chairman of the Health & Safety Commission, told the summit. oMajor projects such as T5,...

Rogers urges commitment to new safety code.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Peter Rogers, chairman of the Strategic Forum, has promised to criticise firms who choose not to sign up to the Respect for People code of good practice on site safety. He also urged construction leaders to use the new code as an opportunity to...

Griffiths demands zero tolerance on site deaths.
March 2, 2005... Construction minister Nigel Griffiths has called on all construction stakeholders to adopt a zero tolerance policy towards site accidents and ill health as industry leaders admitted they are still falling short of health and safety targets....

CJ analysis.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The up-side to Amec is its inspirational-grade ambition. The group set out its stall 10 years ago to become a dominant player on the global construction scene and it has marched forward with vigour. But the down-side is that its results have...

Galliford Try reaps construction bonus.
March 2, 2005... Galliford Trys construction division is back on an even keel, insisted managing director Andy Sturgess as latest interim financial results showed a surge in profit to [pounds sterling]3m, representing a 0.5% margin. Sturgess was brought in to...

Hanson profit falls as pensions boosted.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Hanson UK held its turnover steady at [pounds sterling]1.2bn in 2004, but the operating profit was [pounds sterling]20m lower than the previous year at [pounds sterling]120m. An increased pension charge of [pounds sterling]14m, along with the...

Record profit at Morgan Sindall.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Morgan Sindall made a record pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]28m last year, largely as a result of strong performances in two divisions: affordable housing and fit-out. But the promised turn-around of Bluestone, the groups re-branded [pounds...

Amey posts [pounds sterling]52m profit.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Amey, the UK services sector group bought by Spanish saviour Ferrovial in 2003, made a profit of [pounds sterling]52m last year on a turnover of [pounds sterling]970m. The margin of 5.4% represents a strong turnaround in Ameys fortunes....

Multiplex: 'We didn't underprice'.(Wembley National Stadium)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Multiplex played down rumours that it deliberately underpriced its bid to build the Wembley National Stadium in order to raise the Australian groups UK profile, after revealing that the project will only break even. Peter Murphy, a Multiplex...

George Wimpey comes up trumps.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Wimpey enjoyed a 19% jump in pre-tax profit last year to [pounds sterling]450m, thanks in part to a lift in operating margins [degrees] to a record 18.5% [degrees] in the George Wimpey UK housing business. Chief executive Peter Johnson said:...

Other public.
March 2, 2005... Other public Most regions enjoyed growth in other public orders last year, but two regions suffered declines. Orders in the North West were down 4%, while in Scotland they fell 19%. The South East showed virtually no change at [pounds...

Leeds picks preferred bidder for [pounds sterling]100m PFI.(school construction)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Leeds picks preferred bidder for [pounds sterling]100m PFI Leeds City Council has confirmed the Investors in the Community group (tipped in CJ five weeks ago) as preferred bidder for its [pounds sterling]100m PFI schools deal. The consortium is...

CJ50 correction.
March 2, 2005... The information in last weeks CJ50 social housing sector table was incorrect. The correct table is below.

Laing considers appeal against hotel delay fine.(John Laing PLC)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... John Laing is considering appealing against the High Courts decision to award damages of [pounds sterling]8.9m against its former construction subsidiary in relation to the delays to the Great Eastern Hotel. The judge determined that John Laing...

Orders, orders.(private housing)
March 2, 2005... Private housing [degrees] up 29% New construction orders reached a record high of [pounds sterling]38.9bn last year. Figures from the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) show the total value of new orders increased 15% from the 2003 total of...

Crowe fined after death and injury.(Crowe Fabrications)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Crowe fined after death and injury Scaffolding contractor Crowe Fabrications was fined [pounds sterling]30,000 last week after a worker was killed and another was seriously injured three years ago. Crowe, based in Earlsfield, London, was also...

ALL CHANGE, PLEASE.
March 2, 2005... ALL CHANGE, PLEASE: The changing face of St Pancras is on display at an exhibition of panoramic images. Entitled St Pancras [degrees] Rebirth of a Station, the exhibition is sponsored by Union Railways and Spheroview, the company behind the...

Bowmer & Kirkland to build printing press.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Bowmer & Kirkland to build printing press Bowmer & Kirkland has won an [pounds sterling]18m deal to build a new 13,000m2 printing press in Dinnington for Johnston Press, beating Carillion and Gleeson in the process. Completion is scheduled for...

SAFETY INSPECTION.
March 2, 2005... SAFETY INSPECTION: The Health & Safety Executives (HSE) Healthy Handling 2005 national blitz starts this month in the Highlands and east Scotland. Inspectors will be concentrating on four core issues: site order and organisation; lifting and...

A-Plant invests in JCB.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... A-Plant has invested more than [pounds sterling]7m over the last 12 months in new JCB equipment. As part of its replenishment and replacement programme, the company has taken delivery of 270 mini excavators. Teletruks, rough terrain forklifts...

HEAVY DUTY.
March 2, 2005... HEAVY DUTY: The new 12.5t Bobcat 444 excavator is the latest addition to the companys midi-range, as well as the largest machine its ever built. The 444 is unusual for its weight class as it not only features a short radius design, but also has...

Webtec's new range of portable Multimeters.(Webtec Products Ltd.)(Atlas Copco A/S)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Webtecs new range of portable Multimeters Webtec Products has launched a new range of digital portable hydraulic Multimeters. The units are said to alert plant owners of imminent hydraulic failures via an LCD screen. Atlas Copco hammer hits the...

Bradley adds Daewoos.(Bradley Air Services)(Molson Holdings)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Bradley adds Daewoos Bolton-based Bradley Demolition has added two Daewoo Solar 470LCV excavators to its fleet. They were supplied by local dealer Centurion Plant. MJ Church order MJ Church Plant has placed an order with Molson Holdings for 36...

Hyundai targets Europe with skid steer loaders.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Hyundai hopes to increase its share of the European skid steer market following a tie-up with Canadian manufacturer Thomas Equipment. The deal will allow Hyundai to offer a new 10-model range of rebadged, North American-built Thomas Equip-ment...

Ranger expands tracked access platform offering.(Ranger Equipment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Ranger Equipment, the UK distributor for the Italmec range of access equipment, has launched a new track-mounted platform. The RJ80 joins the companys existing four-model line-up, and features a width of 890mm and a closed height of 1.99m....

BANES and Mowlem to discuss Bath spa deal.(Bath & North East Somerset Council)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Mowlem has hit back at claims by Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) that its offer to deliver the [pounds sterling]35m Bath Spa project within six months, and at a cost of [pounds sterling]26m, has been rejected. Last week BANES...

Mowlem Spinnaker offer rejected.(Portsmouth City Council)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Mowlem has had an offer to deliver its [pounds sterling]25m Spinnaker Tower project earlier than planned rejected by Portsmouth City Council (PCC). The project [degrees] due for completion on 25 May [degrees] is running four years late and...

Cemex makes moves on RMC.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The future of RMCs senior management is under question after US anti-trust authorities cleared its acquisition by Mexican cement maker Cemex. The [pounds sterling]2.3bn deal was expected to go though on Tuesday. Cemex contacted staff last week...

Asphalt firms fear fuel price hit.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... The asphalt industry will pay between [pounds sterling]15m and [pounds sterling]20m a year in increased fuel costs if regulations are introduced on burning reprocessed fuel oil (RFO). CJ reported last month (CJ 2 February) that new regulations...

Glass firms hit by EC price fix raids.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... European Commission (EC) officials raided glass manufacturers across the continent last week investigating allegations of price fixing. An EC spokesman told CJ the move came after companies began passing on price increases to customers linked...

Notts factory for Lafarge.(Lafarge Group)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Lafarge is to boost its UK plasterboard production capacity by 50% with the construction of a new [pounds sterling]31m factory in Nottinghamshire. A company spokeswoman said the firm has signed a deal for synthetic gypsum with a coal-fired...

LB Structures collapse could lead to steel shortage.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... School and university projects could be the biggest losers following the collapse into administration of LB Structures last month. Projects could now see a shortage of vital steelwork. The firm fabricates, supplies and erects steelwork for...

Asbestos found in Paradise.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Laing ORourke has denied the [pounds sterling]800m Paradise Project in Liverpool will be delayed after asbestos was discovered on site. The main contractor on Grosvenors mixed-use development made the assertion after asbestos was found in...

OLD FOR NEW.
March 2, 2005... OLD FOR NEW: Foamix is getting laid in Somerset as work starts on a [pounds sterling]300,000 resurfacing project. Atkins is recycling material from the existing road surface as part of Somerset Councils renovation works to the A38 near...

Last call for Best Places to Work Awards.
March 2, 2005... Companies only have until Friday 4 March to enter CJs Best Places to Work in Construction Awards. And those that dont enter may face the indignity of seeing their competitor named constructions best employer. Entering is simple [degrees] and...

Curse of the sports stadia.
March 2, 2005... Curse of the sports stadia Builders and sports stadia go together like fish and bicycles, to misquote Gloria Steinem. Laings performance at the Millennium Stadium was nearly as bad as Charlie Hodgesons; and Birse is still licking its wounds...

Insider trading.
March 2, 2005... In the past 18 months Cornhill has undertaken projects for: Conrad Chelsea Harbour; Blenheim Palace; Gordon Ramseys Boxwood Cafe restaurant; Louis Vuitton, Edinburgh; Aquascutum, Regent Street; Sodhexo restaurants; and the Royal Suite at the...

A McAlpine in High Court overrun appeal.(Alfred McAlpine)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Alfred McAlpine has turned to the High Court in a bid to avoid millions of pounds-worth of charges for a massive project overrun. McAlpine argues that the charges for the delay amount to [pounds sterling]5.5m [degrees] almost half of the...

CITB-ConstructionSkills cuts safety test price.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... A major step in improving health and safety on site was made last week following a decision by CITB-ConstructionSkills to halve the price of the industrys health and safety test. The announcement of a cut from [pounds sterling]35 to [pounds...

KING OF THE ROAD.
March 2, 2005... KING OF THE ROAD: The King trailers stand at SED 2005 will feature the new Next Generation King GTL70 lowloader. The stand will also feature the companys industry standard GTS44 stepframe with new fold-forward fuel saver ramps and the MTS73...

Midlands roof firms lose appeal over contract price fixing.(Richard W Price )(Apex Asphalt and Paving Co)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Two roofing contractors that were found guilty of ripping off local authorities in the West Midlands through price fixing have lost an appeal against the OFT decision, writes Tim Wood. Apex Asphalt and Paving Co and Richard W Price (Roofing...

'Cough up or we'll shoot the drivers'.
March 2, 2005... Crane drivers at Multiplexs Wembley stadium project have been warned to be on their guard after the contractor received death threats to workers on all of its projects worldwide. Tower crane drivers on the [pounds sterling]757m contract were...

60 second interview.
March 2, 2005... What is your greatest work achievement? Helping individuals within our company pass their RICS Assessment of Professional Competence. As a company we try to heavily support our surveying trainees as they approach this milestone in their...

Not so neat.
March 2, 2005... Not so neat One victim of the recent icy weather was a 20t tipper that slid out of control on a bend in the Norfolk village of Neatishead and ploughed into a pub, demolishing the kitchen. The vehicle remained wedged inside the White Horse pub...

Ennstone's big hitter.(Vaughan McLeod)
March 2, 2005... Vaughan McLeod has two main passions in life: cricket and work. He is chief executive of the aggregates group Ennstone, which means theres no shortage of hassle and tricky decisions to be made every day. But whether its reading the flight and...

How to avoid candidate gazumping.(Construction workers recruitment)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2005... Nearly 50 per cent of all employers have been gazumped by a more agile competitor when recruiting a new member of staff, according to research. And in a sector like construction, where skills are in short supply, the problem is likely to be...

Super tough, ?super fast.(asphalt mixtures )
March 2, 2005... Striking the right balance between binder course strength and flexibility has been the holy grail of pavement engineers for decades. Many roads are traditionally surfaced using soft binder courses to resist reflective cracking, but these...

Amey fury as DoH pulls plug on Plymouth PFI.(Department of Healths)(Ferrovial/Amey )
March 9, 2005... The [pounds sterling]300m Plymouth Vanguard Hospital PFI has ground to a halt after two of the three bidders pulled out, leaving third bidder Ferrovial/Amey furious that it has not been given single bidder status on the project. Multiplex and...

Multiplex: the plot thickens.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The plot to extort monies from Multiplex thickened this week, with the finger of suspicion moving away from the Russian Mafia, to a well read [degrees] if somewhat deranged [degrees] subcontractor, who allegedly used tactics from The Godfather...

Cost and sustainability issues become a juggling act.
March 9, 2005... Contractors could struggle to balance cost against the need to meet environmental targets under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, a leading architect warned this week. Speaking at CJs Building Schools for the Future seminar...

Showtime in Las Vegas.
March 9, 2005... Las Vegas is used to being the centre of attention, and next week will be no different. The movers and shakers of the plant world will converge on Nevadas state capital for the biggest construction show of the year [degrees] and most of the big...

Penny drops kerb lifter into market.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Penny Hydraulics is the latest company to offer a mechanised kerb-lifting device in the form of Swing Lift derivative the Kerb Lift. The 250kg lifting capacity unit is designed to fit vans, flatbeds, dropsides and tippers. The firm says a...

Equipment sales set for 13% drop by 2009.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Sales of construction equipment will fall 13% by 2009, predicts a report by Market & Business Development. The report estimates that the market in 2004 saw sales of more than [pounds sterling]1bn [degrees] an increase of 39% since 2000. But it...

Renault Quickshift6 for Trafic and Master vans.(Regie Nationale des Usines Renault)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Renault has introduced an automated manual transmission for Trafic and Master vans fitted with the 2.5-litre dCi engine. Quick-shift6 uses the standard six-speed gearbox, but without a clutch pedal; a computer-controlled system works the clutch...

Armcon mixes it with Pumpmaster auger.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... A new mixing auger that allows the matching of top-fed concrete pumps with volumetric mixers has been launched by Armcon Cementech. The new auger [degrees] called the Pumpmaster [degrees] has a discharge height of 1.83m with 6in slump...

ADTs speed quarry output.(articulated dump trucks)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Alfred McAlpine has taken the UKs first Bell B50D articulated dump trucks (ADTs) to replace a fleet of 60t rigid dump trucks. The seven top weight ADTs are being used in McAlpine Slates Penrhyn quarry in north Wales. The company was looking to...

Breheny goes for greener oil.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... J Breheny Contractors has purchased four Komatsu PC210LC-7 excavators filled with biodegradable hydraulic oils. Marubeni-Komatsu installed the biodegradable oil as part of its pre-delivery inspection service. The contractor is one of seven...

Height regs may be delayed.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The Work at Height Regulations (WAHR), due to be implemented in April, could be delayed until the autumn if a general election is held in May. An industry source told CJ that the regulations are awaiting government approval and it is likely...

B-series grapple joins Cat range.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Caterpillar Work Tools has introduced a range of orange-peel grapples for the hydraulic Cat excavator range. The GSH B-series offers improved strength and reliability, and a better shape for penetration and filling of bulk materials....

Industry backs call for zero tolerence on site deaths.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... The construction minister Nigel Griffiths has received huge support following his speech at the summit in which he called upon all stakeholders to adopt a zero tolerence policy towards site accidents and ill health. According to the latest...

Four more workers dead.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Four more construction workers have died in accidents. Last Saturday, an Amey road engineer was struck by a car as he worked on the M8 near Easterhouse, Glasgow. On 3 March, a man was crushed in Trafford, Greater Manchester, after an excavator...

GUNNING FOR IT.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... GUNNING FOR IT: Work on Arsenal FCs 60,000-capacity stadium in north London continues to run to schedule after Sir Robert McAlpine said last week that it has enjoyed a ogood first yearo. On target to open in August 2006, the second tier of the...

Birse bags [pounds sterling]28m A14 Suffolk roads scheme.(Birse Group PLC)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Birse has held off its only remaining rival to emerge triumphant from the battle for a [pounds sterling]28m Highways Agency deal in Suffolk. Sources say that the contractor has prevailed over local contractor Jackson for the A14 Haughley New...

Travis Perkins profit hits [pounds sterling]130m in 2004.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Travis Perkins profit hits [pounds sterling]130m in 2004 After paying [pounds sterling]950m for Wickes, turnover last year rose to [pounds sterling]1.8bn, with pre-tax profit strengthening to [pounds sterling]130m. Travis Perkins now has 751...

Three tap into United Utilities' water improvement scheme.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2005... Three consortia have tapped into at least [pounds sterling]900m-worth of work as part of one of the UKs largest programmes of water improvement schemes. The deals comprise around 40% of a total package of [pounds sterling]2.9bn being rolled out...