Contract Journal articles from March 2006

Contract Journal archives from March 2006

Komatsu launches dash 8.(hydraulic excavators PC210-8, PC240-8 and PC290-8)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Komatsu has introduced its dash 8 excavators (the PC210-8, PC240-8 and PC290-8) spanning the 20t to 30t weight range. The Birtley-built dash 8 machines get a stronger cab, Stage IIIa engines, an additional (Attachment) work mode and come with...

Spillard defends convex mirrors.(Spillard Safety Systems )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Spillard Safety Systems has rebuffed doubts over the effectiveness of convex mirrors due to the size of the reflected image. The firm, which imports the Mirror Lite range, said the manufacturer had undertaken extensive testing and concluded...

Wacker's triple link speeds up paving.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Linking three Wacker 600mm- wide compaction plates has allowed Tolly Paving of Colchester to lay over 1,000m2 of block paving in a day. Tolly was faced with laying 200,000m2 of block paving at Felixstowe. It needed to speed up production...

Royalty ignites JCB's new [pounds sterling]80m engine factory.
March 1, 2006... JCB is keeping up its string of royal visits with HRH The Duke of York performing the official opening of the company's new engine factory at Foston in Derbyshire. The [pounds sterling]80m investment has seen production reach 100 units per...

Euro 4 truck buyers expect costs to rise.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Operators of Euro 4 trucks face extra capital cost and (depending on the engine technology) higher fuel consumption, according to a forum organised by the Society of Operations Engineers' IRTE division. Speakers from Daf, which is opting...

NCC has its ban lifted on enrolments.(National Construction College)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The National Construction College (NCC) has had its ban on enrolling new trainees lifted. Following a visit from inspection body City & Guilds last week, the NCC can now register, assess and verify all its own candidates, while an external...

NHBC housing statistics 2005 < Housing completions< Housing starts.
March 1, 2006... Completions in 2005 were down 1% from 169,864 to 168,571. Of the 14 regions, half a dozen posted increases, the West Midlands leading the way with completions up 10%. Next best were the North East and North West, both up 6%. In the latter's...

Mace tipped for Hackney academy.(Mace Plus construction services)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Mace Plus is emerging as favourite to chalk up victory on one of London's biggest academy school deals. Sources said the firm, a division of the Mace group, has headed off a pitch from local contractor William Verry for the [pounds...

Three consortia to contest [pounds sterling]43m Doncaster schools PFI contract.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Three groups are vying to chalk up victory on one of the last schools deals to be let under the traditional PFI route. For its [pounds sterling]43m scheme, Don-caster Borough Council has lined up a Vinci/Norwest Holst pairing; the Pyramid...

Two battle for E Dunbartonshire PPP.
March 1, 2006... Only two teams remain in the hunt for East Dunbartonshire council's [pounds sterling]100m PPP schools deal. The contract is now a straight shoot-out between the Axiom group (Laing O'Rourke/ABN Amro) and the Inspired consortium, headed by...

Higgins Construction scoops [pounds sterling]15m social housing scheme.
March 1, 2006... Higgins Construction has netted a [pounds sterling]15m social housing deal in south London. The job involves building 116 homes at the Silwood Estate in Rotherhithe in part- nership with the London & Quadrant Housing Association and the...

Wrexham road delayed again.(North Wales access road construction delays because of costs )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... To the frustration of contractors hoping to make the new shortlist, the battle is still raging to build a North Wales access road that has now doubled in costs. In 2002, Wrexham County Borough Council appointed Ruthin-based Jones Brothers...

Emission impossible.
March 1, 2006... 01.03.2006 01.03.2006 Special report Commercial vehicles Special report Commercial vehicles If you've read the transport press or any truck sales brochures lately, you'll have seen lots of new phrases such as EGR, SCR and AdBlue. And if you...

Whittington Hospital facing further delays.
March 1, 2006... The troubled [pounds sterling]45m Whittington Hospital PFI scheme is facing yet more delays. The first phase of the project [degrees] already nearly two years late [degrees] was due to be completed by February, but has now been put back to...

Daily update.(Iveco trucks)
March 1, 2006... Iveco's Daily has made big gains in the 3.5t market, increasing registrations by more than 50% over the past couple of years, although with competitors like the Transit, this still only takes its market share to just over 10%. The company...

Glasgow housing jackpot.
March 1, 2006... Contractors in Scotland are sharing in [pounds sterling]600m-worth of housing refurbishment work following a series of awards by Glasgow Housing Association, which manages 80,000 homes. The largest award is for [pounds sterling]240m of...

Close call as unions accept 3.5% pay rise under the terms of NAECI.
March 1, 2006... Union leaders last week confirmed that their members had voted by a narrow majority in favour of accepting a 3.5% pay deal this year under the terms of the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI). Leaders of...

Thermal insulation industry poised for 4.6% pay increase.
March 1, 2006... Laggers in the specialist thermal insulation sector are set for a 4.6% increase in minimum rates of pay with effect from Monday 6 March. Leaders of the GMB and TGWU unions are recommending acceptance of an offer from employers in the...

Pension handout spurned.
March 1, 2006... Five years after the launch of the EasyBuild stakeholder pension scheme, tens of thousands of workers are still spurning a potential [pounds sterling]500-a-year free handout from employers. And barely more than one-in-ten policyholders is...

Artisan issues trading warning after poor quarter for housing.
March 1, 2006... Artisan, the residential house builder and commercial business park developer, has issued a trading statement warning that the third quarter of the group's financial year was disappointing [degrees] its housing operation saw relatively low...

UK market decline prompts Tarmac to streamline assets.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Tarmac made an operating profit of [pounds sterling]190m last year. This was in line with the previous year. Robbie Robertson, chief executive, said: "With the exception of asphalt, the UK market has been in decline, with housing demand for...

Amey profits from strong UK workload.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Amey's operating profit from its UK workload rocketed by 66% to [pounds sterling]110m last year. Turnover was up by more than a quarter to [pounds sterling]1.2bn. Ferrovial, the Spanish construction, infrastructure and services group...

Clark Contracts set for [pounds sterling]42m turnover.
March 1, 2006... Having received [pounds sterling]25m-worth of orders in the first quarter, Clark Contracts feels it is well on its way to a projected annual turnover figure of [pounds sterling]42m this year. The latest figures, covering the three months to...

David McLean profit falls by [pounds sterling]2m.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... David McLean's construction division made a loss of [pounds sterling]2m last year on a turnover of [pounds sterling]92m. However, the housebuilding division saved the group's bacon as its profit jumped strongly to [pounds sterling]14m...

Galliford Try hits [pounds sterling]1bn in orders.
March 1, 2006... Galliford Try's construction orderbook has passed the [pounds sterling]1bn mark for the first time [degrees] it stands at [pounds sterling]1.1bn, with 90% of this total having been won on a non-price competitive basis. Latest interim...

Morgan Sindall in good shape.
March 1, 2006... Morgan Sindall's latest margin of 3.2% shows a healthy improvement over the 1.9% figure that the group produced four years ago. "We are in good shape," according to John Morgan, executive chairman. Latest financial results (12 months to 31...

Multiplex plans for long-term UK focus.
March 1, 2006... Multiplex has declared that it has no plans to pull out of the UK, despite the high-profile woes on Wembley Stadium. "Multiplex has a long-term commitment to the UK," said a spokesman. "We won't evaporate. The latest appointments of James...

Persimmon hits record pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]500m.
March 1, 2006... Persimmon pushed its pre-tax profit to a record high of [pounds sterling]500m last year. The average sale price moved ahead to [pounds sterling]181,000 and the group's sales ran to a total of more than 12,600 units. Duncan Davidson,...

Wimpey makes [pounds sterling]370m.(George Wimpey)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... George Wimpey, the first housebuilder to unveil its 2005 financial figures, logged a pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]370m ([pounds sterling]440m). John Robinson, chairman, said: "Although 2005 was a challenging year, we emerged from it...

Pochin property disposals keep figures in good shape.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Property disposals helped keep Pochin in the black in the six months to 30 November 2005. Pre-tax profit jumped from [pounds sterling]540,000 a year ago to [pounds sterling]7.4m, almost entirely due to the sale of student accommodation at Crewe...

Six on North Staffs housing renewal deal.
March 1, 2006... Six contractors have made it on to the contractors panel for RENEW North Staffordshire's housing market renewal pathfinder. Balfour Beatty, Keepmoat, Thomas Vale, Wates, local firm Toft Johnson and Rochdale-based Casey Group will be assigned...

Strategic Forum hands chairman role to Wates.
March 1, 2006... James Wates, deputy chairman of the Construction Confederation (CC) and corporate development director of Wates, has been named chairman of the Strategic Forum. His appointment takes place with immediate effect. He will also chair the CC...

Terex to focus on customer service.
March 1, 2006... Terex wants to consolidate its third position in the world plant market by concentrating on customer service. Speaking at La Manga in Spain last week, Terex Construction vice-president heavy equipment Fergus Baillie said: "We can't beat...

Pick-up market picks up.
March 1, 2006... Just how many of the 34,922 pick-ups bought last year were used for a commercial career or a school run is unclear, but there is no doubt that lifestyle helped maintain this sector's buoyancy through 2005. Sales were up by 960, but that doesn't...

Heavyweights pack a punch.(van trends)(Industry Overview)
March 1, 2006... After the car-sized vans and middleweight vans enjoyed their respective makeovers, the past six months have seen the heavyweights get their new generation' tag. These days, badged engineering and aerodynamic designs mean that all...

Matt Norris, project director, Galliford Try Partnerships.
March 1, 2006... Twigden Homes Robert Frear has been appointed as area construction manager at Twigden Homes. Frear joins the company from Countryside. Haymills Haymills Conservation has appointed Matthew Webster as conservation contracts manager. Webster joins...

Chip fat challenge.
March 1, 2006... In early February this year the European Commission announced an action plan designed to speed up the adoption of renewable fuels in the EU. The 2003 Biofuels Directive had already set a 5.75% target for the proportion of biofuel that European...

Lavendon continues buying spree with Kestrel purchase.(Kestrel Powered Access)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Leading access equipment hirer Lavendon has made its second acquisition in 10 days with the purchase of Kestrel Powered Access for [pounds sterling]4.3m in cash. Kestrel operates a fleet of 350 access platforms from a single depot in...

Barr gets grip on business with Kleeman jaw crusher.
March 1, 2006... Barr Holdings has taken delivery of a mobile primary jaw crusher from Kleeman UK for its Sorn quarry in Ayrshire. According to the quarry's production manager Andrew Gillon, the machine was chosen because of its robust build and higher...

HA eyes roads link-up with local authorities.
March 1, 2006... The Highways Agency (HA) is looking at ways to align its future major roads projects with similar local authority schemes. This marks a further step on from the HA looking to procure a combined maintenance contract with local authorities...

Jackson faces the chop from Gerrards Cross.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Jackson Civil Engineering is expected to be dropped from its [pounds sterling]20m design and build tunnel contract for Tesco at Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, according to well-placed sources. The tunnel suffered a partial collapse in June...

OFT fines 13 roofing contractors for collusion.
March 1, 2006... The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has fined 13 roofing contractors [pounds sterling]2.3m in total for engaging in collusive tendering for flat roofing and car park surfacing contracts in England and Scotland. The fines, reduced to [pounds...

Confusion surrounds Scottish Water work.
March 1, 2006... Confusion over the roll-out of Scottish Water's (SW) [pounds sterling]2.1bn Quality & Standards (Q&S) III investment programme has led to fears that the client is on the verge of retendering the contracts to deliver its civils works packages....

Building's future looks green.(H+H Celcon scheme)
March 1, 2006... Subcontractor Masonry Frame Systems has joined an H+H Celcon scheme, called Ra House, to build using thin joint methods. It was announced at Futurebuild that the Kentish firm is the first to join the scheme after Celcon launched the concept...

BRE needs to be re-nationalised.(Building Research Establishment)
March 1, 2006... The government should re-nationalise the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to avoid monopoly issues on environmental accreditation, according to British Precast chief executive Martin Clarke at last week's Futurebuild exhibition. ...

Part L regs: you have five weeks to comply.
March 1, 2006... The construction industry has voiced its fury at the government for forcing through changes to Part L energy efficiency Building Regulations without consultation on the final drafts, and claimed it is setting a "very dangerous precedent". ...

CSCS and CITB ready to go commercial with new deal.(Construction Skills Certification Scheme)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The Construction Skills Certification Scheme Ltd and CITB-ConstructionSkills have agreed the principles of a new contract, to be finalised by 31 March, designed to put their relationship on a commercial footing. CSCS Ltd owns the scheme...

Equipment costs: you do the maths.
March 8, 2006... Plant owners can spend as much on running and maintaining machines as they do on purchasing them, is the conclusion of a study carried out in the USA by Virginia Tech. For example, a machine costing [pounds sterling]173,200 and running for...

Jakto adds a Doosan DX to fleet.(Jakto Excavations)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Groundworks, remediation and earthworks contractor Jakto Excavations has added one of the UK's first DX Series Doosan Daewoo excavators to its fleet. The 30t DX300LC is an all-new design with a larger cab featuring climate control,...

JCB sets its sights on the UK gen-set market.(introducing construction equipment)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... JCB is entering the UK generator set market with the launch of a 42 model range, spanning 15kVA to 500kVA. It will offer 18 open-frame models and 18 sound-attenuated/canopied equivalents, with a further six machines designed specifically for...

Kel-Berg ups complete-body vehicle stock.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Kel-Berg is predicting a sales rush for its pre-bodied trucks before the May deadline for digital tachographs and the Euro 4 cut-off on 1 October. "Our policy of stocking complete-bodied vehicles already works well for companies winning...

Merlo hits the road with improved telehandlers.
March 8, 2006... Four new Merlo telehandlers are now available in the UK: the P37.12; P38.12; P38.13; and P38.14. These range from 11.5m/3.7t to 13.6m/3.8t and are fitted with a new cab, as well as a new lightweight boom assembly and extension mechanism that...

Selwood's new pump ready for emergencies.
March 8, 2006... Selwood has launched the lightweight Rapid Response pump for emergency situations. Based on the company's D150 pump, the trailer-mounted unit weighs under 1.2t and can be towed by most cars to maximise the ease of transportation to the...

VP's shares put on a 13% rise Ashtead shining StatesideHot topics for March...
March 8, 2006... VP, the equipment rental specialist, enjoyed a 13% share price rise in February, benefiting most of all from a general reappraisal by the City of the various players in construction's hire sector. Michael Parkinson, analyst with Brewin Dolphin...

Construction: the power list.(Peter Lobban, John Rouse and Rick Willmott are some of powerful persons in construction industry)
March 8, 2006... 19 Peter Lobban, chief executive, CITB-ConstructionSkills The CITB often gets a tough press, perhaps not surprisingly as the last major industry to still draw a compulsory levy, but it remains the one construction-wide organisation that...

Morrison Facilities fined [pounds sterling]32,000.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Morrison Facilities Services was ordered to pay [pounds sterling]32,000 plus [pounds sterling]6,107 costs last week after Warwick Crown Court found it guilty of breaching asbestos regulations. The company, which formerly traded as AWG...

Mixed fortunes for construction on top firms list.
March 8, 2006... Construction companies, both large and small, featured in The Sunday Times Best Companies To Work For' league tables. Atkins was the only construction firm to make it on to the 20 Best Big Companies To Work For' list, coming 11th. In...

Costain takes on Gerrards Cross Tesco.
March 8, 2006... Costain has been appointed to review and assess the current situation regarding completion of a Tesco store following the collapse of a tunnel at Gerrards Cross 10 months ago. Costain and a small number of new subcontractors will review...

Output drops 1%.(construction industry's sales and earnings)
March 8, 2006... Q4 05 Q3 05 Difference Q4 05 / Q3 05 Q4 04 Difference Q4 05 / Q4 04 12 months to Q4 05 12 months to Q4 04 Difference 12 months to Q4 05/ 12 months to Q4 04 Welcome to the new-format Benchmark [degrees] and welcome to some bad news. While...

Seven secure Anchor work.(Anchor Trust providing contracts to seven construction industry)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Seven firms are to share [pounds sterling]200m worth of housing work for the Anchor Trust at various locations throughout England. The work is made up of two contracts, with ROK and G&J Seddons the only two firms to appear on both lists....

Trio line up bids for W Yorks housing PFI.
March 8, 2006... Three groups are set to pick up the tender paperwork later this month for a [pounds sterling]100m PFI social housing deal in West Yorkshire. The line-up for the scheme, being rolled out by Kirklees Borough Council, is Regenta...

Race for Liverpool museum hots up.
March 8, 2006... Four firms have tightened their grip on a high-profile museum project on Merseyside. Sources say that Bovis Lend Lease, Sir Robert McAlpine, Laing O'Rourke and Galliford Try will now fight it out for the [pounds sterling]33m deal on...

Osborne bags [pounds sterling]46m housing deal.
March 8, 2006... Geoffrey Osborne has the key to a housing upgrade deal in London, potentially worth [pounds sterling]46.3m. The partnering deal for reactive maintenance and voids for Circle 33 Housing Group will initially run for a year and cover 2,676...

Costain heads race for [pounds sterling]50m NE roads project.
March 8, 2006... Costain looks set to resume its winning ways on highways projects. The contractor, which clocked up a string of high-value victories last year, is now tipped to reel in the [pounds sterling]50m ECI Package B deal in the North East. Sources...

Five share [pounds sterling]60m housing scheme.
March 8, 2006... Five firms are to share out [pounds sterling]60m-worth of housing work under a four-year strategic framework deal for the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. The line-up is: Castleford-based Strategic Team Group, Doncaster outfit Strata, York...

PFI clients must design upfront to reduce costs.(Private Finance Unit)
March 8, 2006... Privately financed schemes must go to market with greater specification and less flexibility in order to drive down design costs, according to Richard Abadie, head of the Treasury's Private Finance Unit. Speaking to CJ last week, Abadie...

Equion PFIs left in poor health after DH review.
March 8, 2006... Two of Equion's privately financed (PFI) hospital redevelopment schemes [degrees] worth [pounds sterling]1.1bn and currently at preferred bidder stage [degrees] are to undergo major surgery following a Department of Health (DH) review. CJ...

Schmidlin UK's 50/50 chance.(contracts forecasts)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Schmidlin Group has put the chances of its Schmidlin UK subsidiary being able to complete its cladding contracts in the UK at "more than 50%". Schmidlin UK is a subsidiary of Schmidlin Facade Technology, which has filed for bankruptcy....

Contract notices.(Scrabster Harbour Trust and Mowlem PLC breach of contract case)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... In April 2005, I reported the case of Scrabster Harbour Trust -v- Mowlem plc, which examined whether an arbitration notice issued under an ICE contract must comply strictly with the arbitration code described in clause 67(2) of the contract....

TGWU issues new warning on Artex use.(Transport and General Workers' Union)
March 8, 2006... TGWU national secretary Bob Blackman has issued a fresh warning against relaxing the asbestos regulations relating to Artex. Speaking in support of an Action Mesothelioma Day' to raise awareness of the effects of exposure to asbestos,...

Extra funding gets worker safety reps out on the road.
March 8, 2006... Government grants worth [pounds sterling]176,144 have been awarded this year to fund roving worker safety representatives in the construction industry under schemes jointly promoted by union and employer organisations. An award of [pounds...

Unions reject 11.1% pay offer.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Unions have rejected a revised craft minimum rate of [pounds sterling]10 per hour, after building and civil engineering employers covered by the Construction Industry Joint Council stepped up their latest pay offer from an opening bid of 9.6%,...

Brandon eyes major expansion.(Brandon Tool Hire )(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Brandon Tool Hire has established a national network of 143 branches in little over 10 years and now has plans to lift that figure to between 250 and 300 in the next four years. "When you consider that just 12 years ago we had no more than...

Galliford goes large with Morrison deal.(Galliford Try Ltd.)(Morrison Construction Co.)
March 8, 2006... Galliford Try's [pounds sterling]42m acquisition of Morrison Construction from AWG will transform it into a major construction player with an annual turnover of around [pounds sterling]1.2bn. Morrison Construction has an annual turnover of...

US operations boost Keller.(Keller Group Plc)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Keller, the ground engineering specialist with four major operating divisions around the world, has enjoyed a boost in turnover, thanks largely to its operations in America. Keller's turnover in the 12 months to 31 December 2005 was up by...

Taylor Woodrow posts hefty [pounds sterling]410m profit.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Taylor Woodrow ran its pre-tax profit slightly higher than last year; the latest figure of [pounds sterling]410m represents a 2% rise over the profit achieved in 2004. Taywood has five operating divisions and more than [pounds...

Wilson Bowden keeps build costs affordable.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... Wilson Bowden pegged its build cost increase back to just 0.9% last year. David Wilson, chairman, said: "We have made considerable efforts on specification, procurement and build processes. While we can see various pricing pressures ahead...

Ringway triumphant in 2005 bidding war.
March 8, 2006... Ringway, the construction group specialising in the construction and maintenance of roads, saw turnover leap to [pounds sterling]450m last year [degrees] a rise of [pounds sterling]90m. 2005 was a frantic period on the bidding front, as a...

Education schemes for zero VAT?
March 8, 2006... Contractors working on education schemes face VAT confusion following a decision in the Scottish Court of Session. In a case involving Edinburgh's Telford College, it was decided that the zero-rating of VAT can be extended to clients in the...

Brandon apprenticeship scheme looks to improve skills shortage.
March 8, 2006... Brandon Tool Hire is tackling the skills shortage in trained mechanics by launching a new apprenticeship scheme this September. Called the Brandon Academy, the scheme will take on 50 students per year, who will be trained to an Advanced...

HA may use NHS ProCure21 model.(Highways Agency)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... The Highways Agency (HA) and local councils are considering adopting NHS Estates' ProCure21 model for future combined collaborative contracts. Highways Efficiency Liaison Group (HELG) chairman and HA procurement director Steve Rowsell...

Second bidder quits Brum PFI.
March 8, 2006... Birmingham City Council's (BCC) [pounds sterling]2.2bn highways PFI has taken another hit after a second consortium pulled out [degrees] leaving it perilously close to ending up as a single-bidder scheme. Atkins/EDF decided the contract...

HMRC defends revised roll-out date for CIS scheme.
March 8, 2006... HMRC has played down the industry furore surrounding the original April 2006 date for its new CIS scheme. It also claimed it was in a good position to go live this year. HMRC's new CIS programme director Mark de Brunner said contrary to...

Bogus self-employment still rife in the industry.(HM Revenue & Customs warned construction industry about self empoyment)
March 8, 2006... Just 5% of the 113,000 contractors that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has written to warning them about categorising their employment status correctly have been reclassified. Sources claim the poor 5% conversion rate during the status...