Contract Journal articles from October 2007

Contract Journal archives from October 2007

13 People.(Julie Ford )(Interview)
October 31, 2007... Julie Ford - SHEQ Manager, Baggaley Construction How long have you been involved with the health and safety side of the business? For about five years. I joined Baggaley 18 months ago as safety, health, environmental and quality (SHEQ)...

Balfour bags BSF first in Sunderland.(01 News)
October 31, 2007... Balfour Beatty has beaten off contender Carillion, clinching the first ever Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme to be delivered via the Partnerships for Schools (PfS) National Academies framework. Sunderland City Council leader Bob...

Operators slam waiting time for Euro 5 vehicles.(06 Plant)
October 31, 2007... With Transport for London (TfL) urging truck operators to prepare for the introduction of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in February 2008, the operators say they are having to wait well into next year - and in certain instances into 2009 - if they...

Plant hirers and users put reliability ahead of price.(06 Plant)(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... Survey finds that plant hirers also put value for money behind customer service. colin.sowman@rbi.co.uk A major survey of buying habits and brand awareness among plant hirers and users has found that reliability rather than price is...

Neil Martin wins landmark case with HMRC.(01 News)
October 31, 2007... A CUMBRIAN civils contractor is claiming victory following his eight-year fight with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) over a botched CIS card application. Neil Martin's company collapsed following cashflow problems after HMRC took more than...

01 News.(Kier Build and Cowlin Construction bid for Building Schools for the Future)(Jackson Civil Engineering financial results )(Mitie Property Services and TH Kenyon & Sons joined together for housing work )
October 31, 2007... Kier and Cowlin have both pulled out of the bid process for the [pounds sterling]20m to [pounds sterling]22.5m Building Schools for the Future Pathfinder Torquay Community College scheme and have been replaced by Midas Construction. The three...

Offsite construction ready to roll.(08 CJ2)
October 31, 2007... Offsite construction techniques and products are gradually becoming more accepted in the industry. At the moment it only accounts for 3% of the market, but that looks set to change, as Grant Prior reports. Watching Berkeley Homes' new City...

Irish offsite firm eyes the UK housing market.(08 CJ2)
October 31, 2007... Although well known in its native Eire, Fleming Developments is a relatively new name in the UK, but that looks set to change. Its UK chief executive Iain Thayne has ambitious plans for the company, as James Atkinson reports. Fleming...

Speedy build for concrete sports hall.(08 CJ2)
October 31, 2007... Huge precast concrete wall panels have been developed to provide structural support for a new school sports hall in Staffordshire, reports Mike Walter. Pupils and teachers at a secondary school in Burton on Trent have seen their new sports...

06 Plant.(NPT Plant )(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... IN A SCRAPE Headingley-based NPT Plant Hire shows off its latest purchase - a Bell 4206D scraper tractor and two Bell 1810E scraper pans. The Bell machine, which is based on the 40t B40D articulated dump truck, is a four-wheel drive, but...

Delays on site cut productivity by 35%.(01 News)(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... Productivity on construction sites is still poor, with more than half of the average working day lost to delays and inefficient practices, according to BSRIA. Speaking at the Building Services Summit last week, BSRIA head of construction...

Construction could do better says Raynsford.(01 News)
October 31, 2007... The use of procurement best practice in the public sector is "patchy" and the government's regulatory framework for construction "fragmented" - that was the message Construction Industry Council chairman Nick Raynsford delivered to a...

Balfour/Cowlin JV tipped to scoop [pounds sterling]80m Bristol scheme.(04 Contracts)
October 31, 2007... Balfour's track record with Castlemore could prove decisive on mixed project. brian.warner@rbi.co.uk A favourite is emerging in the two-horse race for an [pounds sterling]80m mixed development deal in Bristol. Insiders say that a...

Birse tipped for Cheshire road job.(04 Contracts)(Cheshire County Council)(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... Five firms are chasing a [pounds sterling]25m roads deal for Cheshire County Council. The A34 Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley bypass has attracted Birse, Costain, Morgan Est, Norwest Holst and Edmund Nuttall. An insider said: "The...

Two lock horns for Westminster college revamp.(04 Contracts)(City of Westminster College)(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... Only two firms now have any chance of chalking up victory on a [pounds sterling]60m to [pounds sterling]70m college job in central London. Insiders say McLaren Construction and William Verry have locked horns in the final run-in for the...

Bids submitted for [pounds sterling]4.5bn M25 widening work.(04 Contracts)(Highways Agency)(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... Bids went back this week for the Highways Agency's [pounds sterling]4.5bn, 30-year M25 project. The job includes widening 103km of the motorway to four lanes in each direction, plus maintaining the network. It is expected that early...

McLaren wins [pounds sterling]40m Andover distribution centre project.(04 Contracts)
October 31, 2007... Essex-based McLaren Construction has moved to the head of the queue for a [pounds sterling]40m-plus distribution centre in Hampshire. Sources say the contractor has emerged as the preferred bidder for the scheme in Andover after pushing...

Olympic leaders make [pounds sterling]25m insurance saving.(01 News)
October 31, 2007... Adopting single policy cover for the whole event may cut cost from [pounds sterling]65m to [pounds sterling]40m. By Grant Prior Olympic leaders have saved [pounds sterling]25m in insurance premiums by organising a single policy to...

Government may slash HSE's budget by 15%.(01 News)
October 31, 2007... Unions warn that proposed cuts will put a huge strain on health and safety standards. john.darcy@rbi.co.uk The government is planning big new cuts totalling 15% in the budget of the Health & Safety Executive, according to the TUC. It...

Gleeson reaps the rewards of streamlining.(01 News)(MJ Gleeson)(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... MJ Gleeson's struggle for survival has reached a happy conclusion as the group is at last out of the red. Latest annual results show a pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]8m, which is quite a turn-around after the [pounds sterling]12m loss...

Job spotlight: Client account manager, Interserve.(13 People)(Interserve Project Services)(Interview)
October 31, 2007... Colin Hamilton is a client account manager with Interserve Project Services, currently responsible for key accounts within its frameworks business. Clients include British Energy, the BBC and the Prison Service. A civil engineer by profession,...

Materials scare at Lanarkshire site.(01 News)(Scottish Environment Protection Agency )(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... Demolition work on a former electronics factory is being investigated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) after it suspected potentially hazardous materials were being crushed and sent to landfill. The Chunghwa picture...

Treasury under fire for offsite renewables code.(05 Products and Materials)(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... Code level-six dwellings implicated in bid to boost income from stamp duty. james.stagg@rbi.co.uk The treasury is holding back the use of offsite renewables for Code for Sustainable Homes level-six dwellings for fear of losing...

Panaloc set to mobilise its portable onsite technology.(05 Products and Materials)(Brief article)
October 31, 2007... An off-site construction company has been set up that will offer contractors the opportunity to make use of its portable technology on site. Panaloc has the technology to design and manufacture structural components in the form of wall...

Tarmac rolls out waste scheme.(05 Products and Materials)
October 31, 2007... Following successful regional trials, Tarmac Topblock is to roll its waste take-back scheme out nationwide. The scheme will be available to those who place initial orders of at least 2,000m of the company's aggregate or aircrete blocks. ...

Compound interest.(10 Legal)
October 31, 2007... The application of compound interest to claims for late payment of a debt. In July of this year, the House of Lords gave judgment in a case dealing with the application of compound interest to claims for damages. In so doing, it might be...

11 Letters.(Letter to the editor)
October 31, 2007... Kier accepted reduced Decent Homes work I am writing to you about your story about our Decent Homes partnership. Contrary to your headline, Kier has not been suspended from our framework - none of our main constructor partners have. Indeed,...

Embracing offsite.(16 Profile)(Interview)
October 31, 2007... No longer dismissed as a last-minute solution, modular construction has come a long way since Keith Blanshard helped set up Portakabin's Yorkon subsidiary 20 years ago. He tells James Stagg what has changed and where the future lies. I'd...

Professional indemnity insurance.(10 Legal)
October 31, 2007... My professional indemnity insurance policy is up for renewal. Is there anything I should be aware of? When does a party need to effect professional indemnity insurance? Professional indemnity insurance (PII) indemnifies the insured...

14 Back Page.
October 31, 2007... Why does the UK hold its engineers in such low esteem? In continental Europe, the USA and the Antipodes, engineers are given a higher status. In my native Brisbane, the city mayor is a civil engineer and revered for his profession. ...

Is tidal power the way forward?(10 Legal)
October 31, 2007... The government needs to decide fast if proposals such as the Severn Barrage are to be a reality. This year the government acknowledged two key challenges to the UK's long-term energy plan - the need to tackle climate change and the...