Contract Journal articles from May 2008

Contract Journal archives from May 2008

13 People.
May 21, 2008... What site are you working on? I spend most of my time at White City, a new [pounds sterling]1.6bn shopping mall in Shepherd's Bush. What is the best site you have worked on and why? There is always a good atmosphere on the projects...

15 CJ50.(Skanska)
May 21, 2008... Skanska has stormed to the summit of the CJ50, taking top spot for the first time since last summer. The firm won a total of 27 contracts worth more than [pounds sterling]317m, with a smattering in the infrastructure and public sectors, but the...

16 Profile.(Company overview)
May 21, 2008... Travis Perkins' results don't detail the hire business, so how big is it? Turnover is about [pounds sterling]45m, which is broken down to [pounds sterling]30m from hire and [pounds sterling]15m from sales. We have hire counters in 185 of...

Jewson sacks staff following fraud probe.(01 News)
May 21, 2008... Jewson has dismissed two members of staff and contacted police after an internal investigation revealed evidence of an alleged [pounds sterling]1m fraud at the firm. Sales director Tony Newman and another unnamed employee have left the...

01 News.
May 21, 2008... Creative mooning: A 19-year-old from Montrose in Scotland has been jailed for 10 months after stealing a digger, driving it at six police officers, ramming a police car, and exposing himself to the officers. Greenscrapers: London's latest...

08 CJ2.
May 21, 2008... The Platform Company has been providing powered access for Bovis Lend Lease at its recent [pounds sterling]76m Barton Square development at Manchester's Trafford Centre. Using The Platform Company as its sole supplier of powered access...

Three chase Glasgow shopping centre spree.(04 Contracts)
May 21, 2008... R McAlpine, Bovis and Miller contest [pounds sterling]150m Buchanan Galleries job. brian.warner@rbi.co.uk Three firms are sweating it out while the client decides which of them will build a [pounds sterling]150m extension to a major...

Birse in line for [pounds sterling]30m Cheshire road/rail work.(04 Contracts)(Cheshire County Council )(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... Birse has edged out four rivals for a [pounds sterling]30m Cheshire County Council road and rail deal. The firm will now work up target costs for the A34 Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley bypass and if the Department for Transport gives the...

Norwest Holst makes the grade for Oldham College.(04 Contracts)
May 21, 2008... Norwest Holst looks to have done its homework on a [pounds sterling]50m education-sector project in Greater Manchester. The firm is tipped to clinch the first stage of the two-stage tender Oldham College job ahead of rival bidders Laing...

Housing slump no excuse to ditch sustainable targets ...(01 News)
May 21, 2008... English Partnerships chairman says government's zero-carbon agenda shows no sign of weakening. carol.millett@rbi.co.uk The housing slump is no excuse for failing to deliver energy efficient properties, English Partnerships chairman...

New accreditation scheme aims to clean up asbestos.(01 News)
May 21, 2008... A new accreditation scheme aimed at improving standards in the asbestos removal industry is being considered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Contractor Silverdell presented its ideas to the HSE's Asbestos Licensing Group this...

Surveyor fined for asbestos breach.(01 News)
May 21, 2008... A surveyor has been fined for failing to carry out asbestos inspection work on a refurbishment job in Birmingham. Raymond Joseph Boyle of Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, was convicted of a breach of The Control of Asbestos Regulations after...

High maintenance.(08 CJ2)
May 21, 2008... Austin Baker considers the impact of the amended Work at Height Regulations for employers and employees in the construction industry. With the amended Work at Height Regulations now beginning to bite, employers, employees and contractors...

Union urges overhaul of CSCS scheme.(01 News)(construction skills certificate scheme)(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... A MAJOR overhaul of the industry's CSCS skills card scheme is needed, according to UCATT leaders. Union delegates at last week's biennial policy conference in Perth unanimously endorsed a resolution demanding that all five-year CSCS cards...

New laws to benefit agency workers.(01 News)
May 21, 2008... Agency workers will enjoy increased employment rights under new legislation put forward by Gordon Brown last week. UCATT general secretary Alan Ritchie is now demanding that the proposed laws "must guarantee equal rights from day one". ...

Buoyant Balfour reports growth in orderbook.(02 Business)(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... 2008 performance running at the top end of expectations. john.leitch@rbi.co.uk Balfour BeattY has announced that it is firing on all cylinders and that the 2008 performance "will be at the top end of current expectations". The...

02 Business.(MJ Gleeson)(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... john.leitch@rbi.co.uk MJ Gleeson is cash positive. While other housebuilders are urgently restructuring the repayment of their rising levels of debt, Gleeson's chief executive Paul Wallwork emphasised that the group had no such worries....

Marshalls' revenue rises to [pounds sterling]135m.(02 Business)(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... Marshalls' revenue - the new word for turnover - for the four months to the end of April was 3% up at [pounds sterling]135m and on a like-for-like basis was 1% higher. In a trading statement, the paving manufacturer said it has a strong...

02 Business.(Tolent Construction )(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... Tolent's speed at paying its suppliers and subcontractors has slipped back to the 90-day mark. The latest figure is down on the previous year, when it stood at 77 days. During the 12 months covered by the annual results, running to 31...

02 Business.
May 21, 2008... In these territories, there is a clear leader, with a Value-For-Money Index of 106. He works for HBG UK and no one knows his name. Well done Richard Gregory (chief executive) if it was you. If not, please pass our bouquet of flowers on to...

Kingspan points to hiccups.(02 Business)
May 21, 2008... Kingspan, the construction products manufacturer based in Dublin, points to various hiccups that will stop it from repeating last year's record growth and pre-tax profit. The full effect of the downturn has not fully kicked in as yet,...

13 People.(Doig+Smith )(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... May Gurney May Gurney has appointed Nicola Peake managing director of its waste services division. Peake was previously responsible for the start-up of Accord Facilities Management and doubled the size of the business. Durkan ...

but builders disagree, saying green costs are a hinderance.(01 News)
May 21, 2008... HOUSEBUILDERS are warning that the cost of building energy-efficient homes will delay the industry's recovery from the current downturn. Industry leaders say the extra cost of building sustainably will restrict firms from bouncing back...

Construction Act review slammed by big firms.(01 News)(Construction Act )(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... Critics say government proposals fall short in key areas. ross.pearman@rbi.co.uk The LONG-awaited review of the Construction Act has come under fire from main contractors after it was announced in the government's 2008/09 planned...

08 CJ2.
May 21, 2008... The new eight-storey office development at 60 Gresham Street in the City of London has presented the construction team with more than just the usual challenges associated with a confined inner-city project. The site is rectangular and...

08 CJ2.(British Construction Steelwork Association )
May 21, 2008... Structural steelwork has a number of key advantages over insitu concrete and traditional load-bearing construction forms. It maximises the use of off-site fabrication, is of high quality and gives a high degree of dimensional accuracy. Off-site...

08 CJ2.(Brief article)
May 21, 2008... Demand: World steel demand continues to grow, notably from newly industrialised countries, and this has put steel mills and their raw materials suppliers under pressure. While Chinese demand has abated slightly, it is still nearly double the...

04 Contracts.
May 28, 2008... Balfour Beatty's joint venture with Fluor has won a [pounds sterling]167m contract to design and build a toll highway near San Antonio in Texas for the Alamo Regional Mobility Board of Directors. Work starts this autumn. Balfour Kilpatrick...

04 Contracts.
May 28, 2008... TALL ORDER A proposal for a [pounds sterling]500m mixed-development in East Croydon has moved closer to procurement after Gleeds landed the cost consultant role on the project. The scheme will feature four towers ranging from 23 storeys to 52...

01 News.
May 28, 2008... ON THE SLATE Welsh//Slate has supplied slate from all three of its North Wales quarries for work on the regeneration of Caernarfon's historic town centre. Contractor Mulcair is using slate on the facelift of the town's square.

Innovation under canvas.(08 CJ2)
May 28, 2008... Good news abounded in SED's Pavilion - new products, new exhibitors and for many of them, a useful number of new customers. Andy Collings reports. Flashing orange beacons with mechanically rotated lens systems have now been surpassed by...

A drop of the hard stuff.(09 Focus)
May 28, 2008... Spread throughout the site, the exhibitors of concrete equipment at SED created quite a buzz. CJ reports. SED 2008: Concrete Concrete stands whirred with the sounds of new and improved machinery as visitors flocked to see the...

Loads of interest.(08 CJ2)
May 28, 2008... The SED site was filled with new products and innovation for those concerned with road transport, as Geoff Ashcroft found out during a stroll through the avenues. Iveco had to turn down buyers for the 'All Blacks' Trakker on its stand. ...

The dream becomes reality.(08 CJ2)(World Museum Liverpool)
May 28, 2008... More than 40 years since the project was first conceived, the Museum of Liverpool project is underway. After one false start, a change of main contractor and numerous design challenges, the landmark building that almost never was is taking...

In the spotlight: cashflow.(02 Business)(Interview)
May 28, 2008... Philip King, director general, Institute of Credit Management Why is cashflow important? Because it keeps businesses in business. It's a fact that more businesses fail because they run out of cash than for any other reason. Won't...

Time to get your house in order.(01 News)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... So, how would you rate the construction industry? It might be pushing it to get 10 out of 10, but I am not sure many people would score it at a shockingly low four out of 10. But that's exactly how Sir John Egan believes it has performed...

Six on the list for [pounds sterling]95m Midlands roads scheme.(04 Contracts)
May 28, 2008... Infrastructure work will focus around the M6, M40 and M42. By Steve Menary Six contractors are on the starting grid for a [pounds sterling]95m traffic management scheme. Amey, Birse, Carillion, Costain, Edmund Nuttall and Skanska...

Recycling grabs attention.(09 Focus)
May 28, 2008... New regulations have led to an increase in recycling. Colin Sowman finds a buzz among exhibitors of recycling equipment at SED. The Anross Crusha in action (above), while GreenMech shows how to tackle slopes (below). McCloskey's Kompaq...

Three chasing deal for Coventry streetlighting.(01 News)(Amey Ventures)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Amey Ventures, Balfour Beatty and Land Securities are in the spotlight for a [pounds sterling]64m deal to replace most of Coventry's streetlighting. The three firms were shortlisted this week for the privately financed (PFI) scheme, which...

Laing out of the race for Staffs fire station PFI.(04 Contracts)(Staffordshire fire station scheme)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... John Laing is out of the race for the [pounds sterling]46m privately financed (PFI) Staffordshire fire station scheme, leaving Bilfinger Berger BOT and Kajima to battle it out. The two remaining consortia are: Fire Support (Bilfinger Berger...

01 News.(Building Schools for the Future)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... BSF to trial new funding methods New forms of funding to beat the credit crunch will be trialled by the [pounds sterling]45bn Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Solutions include shorter contract terms, milestone capital...

CBI chiefs call for bid investigation.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... Business chiefs at the CBI are calling for an investigation into claims that the new Competitive Dialogue (CD) procedure is resulting in PFI schemes being delayed or even abandoned. A CBI report wants the National Audit Office to look at...

01 News.(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Housebuilders refute Sir John Egan's rant REUTERS Sir John Egan has come under fire for his attack on housebuilders. Housebuilders have hit back against claims by industry reformer Sir John Egan that they only have themselves to...

McLaren chairman eyes expansion into Europe.(01 News)(McLaren Construction )(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Taylor relocates to Monaco to oversee plans to diversify. grant.prior@rbi.co.uk McLaren Construction chairman Kevin Taylor has moved to Monaco in a bid to expand across Europe. Taylor believes the Principality is the perfect place...

Clients knocking back firms on bid-rigging list.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... Those not under investigation are using it to their advantage. grant.prior@rbi.co.uk Commercial clients are taking a tough line with the 112 companies caught up in the Office of Fair Trading bid-rigging investigation. Contractors...

SED's new addition does the business.(09 Focus)(Green Pavilion)
May 28, 2008... A completely new area greeted SED visitors as they poured through the showground's south entrance. Nick Fone took a tour of the Green Pavilion. Positioned right at the hub of the new Green Pavilion, the Hire Association Europe (HAE) had...

01 News.
May 28, 2008... Pensioners: An elderly man was lucky to escape major injury when his buggy was crushed by a cement mixer in Earlsfield, south London. The incident happened at a building site when the mixer collided with the OAP scooter. Dedication: A...

Union plays down impact of agency worker agreement.(01 News)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... A compromise government agreement on equal treatment for agency workers will do little to end the exploitation of vulnerable operatives on construction sites and will have a minimal immediate impact on site work, according to UCATT. The...

Construction is a 'training-free zone' says union.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... A major academic study into why there are such low numbers of apprentices in construction and why the industry has largely become a "training-free zone" is due to be published by UCATT within the next few weeks. The study is expected to...

Barhale sees profit margin jump to 2.7%.(02 Business)(Barhale Construction )(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Splash in turnover as a result of water sector frameworks. john.leitch@rbi.co.uk Barhale Construction has enjoyed a lift in its profit margin to 2.7% as the group's pre-tax profit jumped to [pounds sterling]3.9m. The company's...

Mears applies for full listing.(02 Business)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Mears has applied for a full listing on the London Stock Exchange. The group says the driver behind the decision to move into the world of the 'big guns' is that this will increase Mears' access to capital. Mears is currently listed on...

Northern Bear: the dream takes shape.(02 Business)(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Northern Bear has unveiled its first full-year results, which show a pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]2.3m. Turnover has jumped ahead to [pounds sterling]32m. The business started up as a new concept and floated in December 2006. ...

Hankinson paints [pounds sterling]12m turnover.(02 Business)(Roy Hankinson)(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Roy Hankinson, the specialist painting and decorating contractor based in Liverpool, has seen a slight rise in turnover to [pounds sterling]12m. The latest set of financial results cover the 12 months to 31 October 2007. Pre-tax...

Styles & Wood hit by share price plunge.(02 Business)
May 28, 2008... Aborted MBO bid triggers immediate 60% drop in share value. john.leitch@rbi.co.uk Shares in Styles & Wood (S&W) plunged massively last week on news that a management buy-out (MBO) bid has been blown out of the water, the reason being a...

Refurb firm uses bouncer to deter angry subbies.(01 News)(Andrew Geer )(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... A bouncer had to be installed on the door of refurbishment specialist Andrew Geer after the firm went into receivership owing angry subbies [pounds sterling]800,000. Director Geer ran the firm with his wife Lisa. The pair are also...

01 News.
May 28, 2008... In brief The Trade and Industry Select Committee's report into the construction industry is expected to be released next month. The report follows six evidence sessions, held at the House of Commons in January, which looked into issues...

Training spotlight: delivering the C&BE diploma60 seconds on site.(13 People)(Construction and the Built Environment Diploma )
May 28, 2008... Roy Cavanagh, training manager at Seddon Group and chair of the Construction and the Built Environment (C&BE) diploma employer champions group, looks at how to help employers to deliver the C&BE diploma. Later this year, a new...

Internet bid to ease skills crisis.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... Construction's newest workers are being recruited by blog and on social networking websites in a new approach to remedy the skills shortage. ConstructionSkills has poured its advertising budget into online banner-ads and websites to lure...

01 News.
May 28, 2008... Money-purchase scheme to replace pension freelance rates could lure permanent staff away. Bechtel brain-drain fears as pension is wound up roxanne.millar@rbi.co.uk Bechtel could lose its best staff as hundreds consider quitting...

Crane death firms charged.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... Two crane companies have been charged with health and safety breaches following the deaths of two men in a crane collapse in Worthing in 2005. Gary Miles, 37 of Crowthorne, and Steven Boatman, 45 of Reading, were killed and another man...

Still no decision on Battersea crane collapse.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... Police have still not decided if they will pursue criminal charges over a crane collapse that killed two men in Battersea, nearly two years ago. A case file on the incident, which killed Michael Alexa and Jonathan Cloke in September 2006,...

Insulation firms refute energy efficiency claims.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... CMM may take legal action in bid to stop adverse impact on trading. roxanne.millar@rbi.co.uk Insulation manufacturers are considering legal action over claims their products do not meet energy-efficiency requirements. The...

2012 costs may jeopardise other infrastructure work.(01 News)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Major infrastructure projects in London could struggle to find funding as the government wrestles with the cost of the 2012 Olympics, politicians have warned. Speaking on behalf of London mayor Boris Johnson, MP Bob Neill expressed fears...

Two rail firms fined following worker death.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... Two rail maintenance firms have been fined [pounds sterling]240,000 each after a worker was killed helping to move a cherry-picker. Neil Martin, 46, of Essex, was working at Edinburgh's Waverly Station when the rear wheel of the unit ran...

Sainsbury's urges contractors to screen health of workers.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... Supermarket giant may insist its entire supply chain adopts the Constructing Better Health scheme. ross.pearman@rbi.co.uk Sainsbury's wants its supply chain contractors to carry-out occupational health screening of their workers using...

New chief exec at ConstructionSkills.(01 News)(Mark Farrar is the new chief executive of ConstructionSkills)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Mark Farrar is the new chief executive of ConstructionSkills. Farrar, who is currently director of corporate services at ConstructionSkills, will take over from Peter Lobban, who retires in August. ConstructionSkills chairman, Sir...

Civils sector feels downturn.(01 News)(Civil Engineering Contractors Association )(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Civils contractors are bracing themselves for a downturn in workloads over the next year as the credit crunch starts to spread into the previously healthy infrastructure market. The latest Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)...

01 News.
May 28, 2008... Firms to be quizzed on payment charter Trade contractors will be quizzed this autumn on how many of their local authority clients are embracing the Office of Government Commerce's (OGC) Fair Payment Charter. The Specialist Engineering...

A sight to behold.(09 Focus)
May 28, 2008... The Site Equipment Zone once again greeted visitors to SED with a host of innovative new machines. These are just some of the latest models to catch CJ's roving eye. SED 2008: Site equipment SED 2008: Site equipment Faster cycle...

Bids invited for revamp of NCC site in Norfolk.(04 Contracts)(National Construction College)(Brief article)
May 28, 2008... Prequalification has started for a delayed [pounds sterling]20m revamp of the National Construction College (NCC) at Bircham Newton in Norfolk. A consultants' team led by project manager Drivers Jonas has been appointed and applications to...

Students snub 'diluted' Construction Diploma.(01 News)
May 28, 2008... CECA slams the downgrading of Diploma's vocational element. carol.millett@rbi.co.uk Students have voted with their feet, rejecting the government's new Construction Diploma because its vocational content has been watered down,...