Construction News
9 February 2012

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Crossrail bans unsafe lorries

Dangerous Heavy Goods Vehicles are to be banned from all Crossrail sites after the project implemented new requirements to improve cycle safety.
London boroughs green light two major regen schemes

Thumbs up for Capco at Earl’s Court and Ballymore in Nine Elms
Skanska confirmed for £115m Bevis Marks London job

Axa Real Estates Investment Managers and private equity backers MGPA have officially announced the appointment of Skanska to build the 6 Bevis Marks office development in the City of London.
£25 million sports arena to come to market

Derby City council will shortly be inviting bids for a £40m sports arena next to Pride Park football stadium.
100 jobs at risk as JP Group calls in administrators

A Gloucestershire contractor has been placed into administration, threatening the jobs of 100.
Amey and CarillionMouchel to submit final bids for £1.2bn scheme

Sheffield City Council has revealed that the winner of the Sheffield PFI highways deal will be chosen in April.
Award-winning Welsh housebuilder closes

Six jobs lost at Carms Construction ahead of likely liquidation
Balfour Beatty pulls out of BESNA

Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES) has pulled out of BESNA.
Balfour Beatty sparks win right to strike

Balfour Beatty’s attempt to prevent an electricians’ strike against the new Besna deal has failed.
Balfour, Interserve among South-west framework winners

Balfour Beatty and Interserve are among the main winners for a framework with Cornwall council that could be worth up to £1bn.
Bam to build £9m free school in Bradford

Bam Construct has won a £9 million contract to design and build a new science-specialised free school in Bradford.
Barratt sales up 22pc in first two months of 2012

Barratt has revealed a strong start to 2012 and confirmed a 40 per cent hike in operating profit in the six months to December.
BESNA bosses seek meeting with Unite general secretary

The six remaining companies backing the controversial Building Engineering Services National Agreements are seeking discussions with Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, Construction News understands.
Birse Civils signed up for £14m in new work

Birse Civils has been awarded more than £14 million in new work with clients including Birmingham City Council.
Bond Street Crossrail timing slips

The £200 million contract for the construction of a Crossrail station at Bond Stret in central London has been delayed until 2013.
Boots head of storecare handed £4.5bn education brief

Boots’ head of Storecare Michael Green has been appointed as the new director of capital for the Education Funding Agency, which will replace Partnerships for Schools in April.
Bumper year for infrastructure boosts 2011 construction output

But fall in final quarter casts doubt on prospects for 2012
Cardiff concrete specialist to close

Mike Amodeo (Contractors) set to shut next week after 26 years
Carillion chosen to lead £75m revamp of Gatwick pier 5

Carillion has landed a £75m contract to carry out reconfiguration of pier 5 at Gatwick.
Carillion extends Speedy Hire agreement in four-year £50m deal

Speedy Hire has announced it will continue its preferred supplier agreement with Carillion in a deal worth more than £50m over four years.
CBI hails public sector trailblazer projects for 'smarter procurement'

The CBI has hailed the government’s progress to-date on cutting the cost of public construction and the announcement of trial projects for ‘smarter procurement’.
CBI renews calls for infrastructure Budget push

Britain’s biggest employers’ group has renewed its calls on the Chancellor to stimulate economic growth by channelling new investment into infrastructure.
Colleges must involve industry, says skills body

CITB-ConstructionSkills has told University Technical Colleges to put employer involvement at their centre of their courses.
Companies must act to avoid supply chain failures

Wates chairman and chief executive Paul Drechsler on supply chain relationships and valuing skills.
Confidence in Scottish construction falls

The challenges of the current economic outlook has caused a further slide in confidence in the Scottish construction industry, according to survey by the Scottish Building Federation.
Contractors seek work assurances as survey shows conditions worsening

Reassurance is being sought by contractors throughout supply chains that new procurement models trialled as part of the government’s drive to increase efficiency will boost workloads.
Contractors sought for £400 million housing contract

Southern based social landlord, A2Dominion Group is seeking two contractors for maintenance work across its 33,000 home estate.
Crossrail chairman defends project from station upgrade criticism

Crossrail’s chairman has defended the project from criticism that promises were made for station upgrades that will not be delivered.
Crossrail Woolwich deadline under threat

Deadlines are looming for construction of the £100 million Crossrail station at Woolwich as the funding impasse over the fit-out threatens to scupper its 2018 opening.
Davis Langdon chief Jeremy Horner resigns

Aecom’s Bob Pell appointed as Davis Langdon’s global chief executive Jeremy Horner ends a 20-year career at the consultancy.
Developer signs Yorkshire housing agreement

London Developer, Yoo Capital has signed a deal with Yorkshire housebuilder, Trilandium, to fund a pipeline of homes across the Northern county.
Dominance of lowest price bid is proving hard to shift

Paul Morrell speaks to CN about supply chain integration
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Enter the AJ's 'What Clients Want' survey

CN sister publication The Architects’ Journal is running a survey asking what the industry ‘really thinks’ of architects.
Ex-pupil gives £2.5m to help fund Birmingham school extension

A £2.5m donation from a former pupil will help get a new extension to a Birmingham school off the ground.
Ex-Rok boss Garvis Snook launches property repairs business

Garvis Snook, the former boss of failed contractor Rok, is to launch a new property repair and improvement business.
Feed-in Tariff Supreme Court appeal to go ahead

The government will appeal a decision that it acted unlawfully in slashing Feed-in Tariff rates to the Supreme Court.
Fired up by the power of BIM

BIM events seem to make people buzz. It may be the mix of people – contractors next to architects next to quantity surveyors next to clients – or the evangelism of its proponents; it may be the pleasurable sensation of observing people ‘get it’ as they see how much time it shaves off projects, or the money it saves, or the jobs it has helped win, or the mistakes it has prevented.
Firms investing in new skills will prosper in the future

Last week’s unemployment figures made stark reading. Unemployment in the UK rose by 48,000 to 2.67 million in the three months to December and youth unemployment is at a record high.
Five selected for Aberdeenshire capital works

Aberdeenshire Council has announced five main contractors for its capital works programme.
Four shortlisted for £35m Custom House Crossrail station

Four contractors have been shortlisted for the chance to build the £35 million Custom House Crossrail station.
From ‘high fives and hugs’ to a tribunal

An employment tribunal hears how a friendship turned to mutual recrimination as ex-private investigator sues former client for alleged breach of verbal contract
Galliford Try dividend doubled as profits soar 89pc

Galliford Try shareholders have seen their dividend doubled after profits soared by 89 per cent in the six months to December, it said this morning.
Glasgow contractor Donaghy enters liquidation as 175 jobs go

Scottish groundwork contractor Donaghy Ltd, supplier to companies including Kier, Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon has entered provisional liquidation with the loss of 175 jobs.
Government must provide capital boost, says CPA

A large plurality of contractors experienced a poorer final quarter of 2011 compared with the same period the year before.
Graham selected for Port of Grimsby £25m upgrade

Graham Construction has been awarded a £25m deal to build a new roll-on/roll-off terminal on the River Humber at the Port of Grimsby.
Green's expertise could work for school building

News that the man who will be in charge of the capital programme for school building was coming from Boots raised a few eyebrows.
Half of clients in open market still chasing cheapest price, says Kier chief

Contractors in the fiercely competitive construction open market are likely to be facing a bias towards cheapest price on half of tenders, Kier chief executive Paul Sheffield suggested today.
Health bill delay slows efficiency drive

Attempts to generate savings from the healthcare estate have been frustrated by the legislative gridlock caused by the slow passage of the Health and Social Care Bill through Parliament.
Help draw a route to the low-carbon future

When it comes to cutting carbon, we all want to do it but we don’t always know how. Sometimes we think we are doing it but we don’t know how to prove it.
HS2 appoints Arup/URS to steer on environmental issues

Arup has been appointed by HS2 to provide environmental overview services for the £17bn connection between London and the West Midlands.
HVCA claims 88pc of workers signed up to BESNA

The HVCA has said that almost 90 per cent of workers have signed up to the Building Engineering Services National Agreement.
Infrastructure hits 30-year output high

Infrastructure output was the highest in 2011 for more than 30 years, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Infrastructure UK chief to speak at biggest global infra conference

Geoffrey Spence will be keynote speaker when London hosts the world’s biggest infrastructure event next week.
Infrastructure UK chief urges contractors to prioritise supply chain

The chief executive of Infrastructure UK has a multi-billion pound question to answer – how do you make roads, bridges and tunnels irresistible to investors? But Geoffrey Spence is feeling upbeat about a solution.
Kier predicts 18 months of pressure despite 9pc profit hike

Kier reported a nine per cent rise in profits for the six months to December 2011 this morning - but says the next 18 months will see pressure on construction margins and a delay in outsourcing rewards.
Kier wins £14.9m Gloucester academy

Kier has been named as preferred bidder for a new £14.9m Gloucester Academy.
Kier/Bam £100m Hinkley nuclear contract signed

A Kier/Bam Nuttall joint venture has signed contracts with EDF Energy to carry out site preparation works for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset worth more than £100m.
Kingspan revenue jumps 30 per cent

Kingspan has released a its preliminary results for 2011 which show revenue up by nearly a third to around £1.3bn (€1.55bn).
Knight Harwood tipped for Bond Street auction house

Contractor to deliver prestigious new Bonhams HQ
Knocking down Battersea chimneys would be worth £470m more to developers, says EC Harris

A chimney-free Battersea Power station would be worth up to £470 million more to a developer than retaining the iconic London landmarks.
KPMG survey finds 'power lies with buyers in UK'

Revenues generated by joint ventures are expected to almost triple in the next five years, KPMG forecasts this week.
Laing O’Rourke hires NuGen nuclear director as £1bn Hinkley battle hots up

Laing O’Rourke hires nuclear power consultant and ex Scottishpower construction chief Roger Seshan as the £1bn Hinkley C civils contract battle with Balfour Beatty/Vinci and Costain/McAlpine culminates.
Laing O'Rourke £76m affordable housing scheme gets green light

A Laing O’Rourke-backed £76 million affordable residential scheme has been given the green light.
Land Sec to build £1bn west London scheme

Land Securities and Canada Pension Plan have formed a joint partnership to develop the £1 billion Victoria Circle scheme in West London.
Leeds Council facing manslaughter charge over skyscraper

A council could be facing corporate manslaughter charges over designs of a building in Leeds which local residents say contributed to the death of a 22 year old man.
Lend Lease European profits fall by half

Olympic contractor sees European profits drop 55 per cent, despite construction profits rising by 57 per cent.
London’s £12bn office pipeline at risk

More than 150 office projects in London collectively worth £12 billion are at risk of being mothballed or stalling due to a lack of funding and pre-lets, according to a new report.
Lovell inks £27m contracts 15 months after being named preferred bidder

Contracts have been signed by Lovell and Southampton City Council on schemes worth £27.4 million almost 15 months after the housebuilder was named preferred bidder.
Mace poaches Sweett director to lead on sustainability

Former Sweett Group director Isabel McAllister has left to join Mace to head up its sustainability consultancy, Construction News has learned.
Major contractors group to support SMEs with online school

A group of major contractors is establishing an online “school” to help SMEs assess their sustainability credentials.
Major contractors to look overseas this results season

The UK’s largest contractors are expected to focus on strong overseas performances as results season gets under way.
Man dies after being struck by a forklift at Jewson

A man has died in an accident involving a forklift truck at a Jewson unit in Oxfordshire.
MJN Colston to continue trading as hunt for buyer begins

Administrators make 148 staff redundant
MJN Colston to file for administration

Mechanical and Electrical giant MJN Colston is in administration, Construction News understands.
MoD advertises £4.35bn FM contracts

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation has today published OJEU notices advertising facilities management contracts worth up to £4.35 billion over a five to 10 year period.
Morgan Sindall 2011 profits fall as public sector bites

Morgan Sindall saw a drop in construction and infrastructure margins as pre tax profit across the group fell by 12 per cent in the year to 31 December 2011.
Morgan Sindall chief confident about regeneration rewards

Morgan Sindall executive chairman John Morgan insisted this week that opting for urban regeneration above overseas markets and support services would provide “real resilience”, despite a 12 per cent fall in profits.
Morgan Sindall lands deal to refurbish Liverpool underground stations

Morgan Sindall has won an £8 million deal to refurbish Liverpool’s underground station platforms.
Morgan Sindall sells fire station PFI share for £3.8m

Morgan Sindall has sold its share in the Dorset fire and rescue private finance initiative project for £3.8m.
Morgan Sindall wins £9m London Green Park tube cooling system deal

Morgan Sindall has won a £9 million project to install a system to cool the platform areas at Green Park underground station in London.
Network Rail invites four for £25m structural repairs job

Balfour Beatty, Bam Nuttall, Hochtief and Skanska have been invited to tender for a £25 million structural repairs job in Bermondsey by Network Rail.
NG Bailey drops BESNA plans

Contractor joins Balfour Beatty in abandoning plans to introduce controversial new terms for mechanical and electrical workers
NHBC chief exec Imtiaz Farookhi to step down

The chief executive of the NHBC Imtiaz Farookhi has announced he will step down at the end of the month.
Pension funds and foreign states could pay for infrastructure, says CPA

Construction Products Association tells PFI review to consider new sources of cash
Persimmon profits up 55pc as £1.9bn dividend plan announced

Housebuilder Persimmon increased underlying pre-tax profits by 55 per cent to £148.1 million in the full year to 31 December 2011
Pic Special: mini crane reaches new heights on the Shard

As work continues on the Shard, these pictures show GGR’s compact mini crane lifted to a height of 238 metres onto the iconic building.
Prime Minister makes second Crossrail visit of the month

The Prime Minister has taken his second visit to a Crossrail site in a matter of weeks after visiting Westbourne Park where tunnel boring machines are being assembled.
Private finance not the way forward, says Margaret Hodge

The head of the committee that scrutinises government spending has told Construction News she no longer believes private finance should be used to fund public sector capital projects
Private investigator sues Morgan Sindall

Exclusive: Detective takes firm where he investigated ‘kickback’ claims to tribunal over alleged breach of verbal contract
Profits up 2 per cent at hire group HSS

Equipment hire firm HSS Hire Service Group saw its profits before tax and interest rise 2 per cent in 2011.
Protesters camp at Hinkley nuclear site

Nuclear protesters have set up camp on the site of the proposed Hinkley C power plant over plans to undertake preparatory works before planning permission for the plant is granted.
Public procurement revamp to save contractors from going bust

The construction industry needs to back new public procurement methods to ensure contractors do not fail despite owing less than they are owed themselves.
RICS rolls out environmental benchmarking to restaurants and retailers

RICS has extended its office fit-out, environmental rating system to retailers and restaurants
Row breaks out over Luton Airport expansion plans

The operators of London Luton Airport have hit out at suggestions their 30-year concession may be broken in 2014 as part of expansion plans.
Scottish £500m infrastructure programme boosted

A £500m Scottish infrastructure programme has been boosted after it was announced that 17 public bodies and a private sector construction consortium will combine to deliver the works.
Six in for £90m Birmingham Post and Mail redevelopment

At least six contractors have submitted tenders for the first phase of a £90 million project to redevelop Birmingham’s Post and Mail offices.
Six tender £35m Birmingham dental hospital

Big names line up for Edgbaston Lift scheme
Skanska to target councils for work

Skanska is to target more local authority work in the UK following a 35 per cent drop in orders during 2011.
Smaller contractors could win in PFI shake-up

The shake-up of the private finance initiative could end its bundled contract approach, opening up the market to smaller contractors and achieving better value for the taxpayer.
SME construction workers set for 2pc pay rise

Workers at small and medium sized construction firms are set for a 2 per cent pay rise.
Sparks halt traffic outside ECA gala dinner

Police closed London’s Park Lane to traffic yesterday evening as a demonstration by electricians against BESNA spilled onto the street.
Sparks protest expected at ECA dinner

Around 100 electricians are set to protest at the entrance to the Electrical Contractors Association gala dinner in London tomorrow night.
Spring start for Bouygues on £22m Essex student PPP

Planning permission has been granted for £22m student accommodation project for the University of Essex, paving the way for Bouygues to start on site in Spring 2012.
Strong results for Bovis show financial boost from 2011

Bovis Homes has announced strong preliminary results for 2011 which show profit before tax almost doubling and an 8 per cent increase in home completions.
Subsidy cut to boost solar industry, claims government

But job losses expected in 2012/13
Tax clampdown: builders next on HMRC hitlist after electricians

Builders who have not paid their tax will be targeted in a campaign by revenue and customs later this year.
Three battle it out for £128m Midland Metro extension

Local transport minister Norman Baker has announced construction can begin on the £128 million Midland Metro extension.
Three consortia line up for £600m Mersey Gateway Bridge

Three shortlisted bidders have been announced for the £600m Mersey Gateway project, with Balfour Beatty and Galliford Try consortia among them.
Travis Perkins reports 37pc profit boost in 2011

Travis Perkins saw 2011 pre tax profit increase by 37 per cent in the face of a depressed construction market, it said today.
Treasury signs off £150m Lambeth PFI housing scheme

Years of waiting are over for Regenter Myatts Field North Consortium and its 1,000-home private finance initiative scheme, Construction News can reveal.
UK and France sign agreements on new nuclear plants

Prime Minister David Cameron and French president Nicolas Sarkozy have put recent political spats behind them to announce cooperation on nuclear power.
UKCG beefs up safety

The UKCG has beefed up its safety standards, demanding contractors develop a roadmap for implementation.
Unions demonstrate in US over UK sparks dispute

An American union has written to Balfour Beatty chief executive Ian Tyler and will protest outside Parsons Brinckerhoff offices in New York today in support of UK construction workers.
Unite targets M&E majors after Balfour Beatty U-turn on BESNA

Unite the union has begun to build pressure on the six remaining major electrical contractors planning to introduce the Building Engineering Services National Agreement after Balfour Beatty announced plans to withdraw.
Vinci bid manager returns after move to Willmott Dixon

Vinci Construction has announced Adam Snaith has rejoined the company as bid manager for their eastern region.
Wates lands £10m Doncaster academy

Wates has won a £10m deal to build the new De Warenne academy in Doncaster.
Wates wins £27m library job in Essex

Firm pledges to get 75 per cent of supply chain within 50 miles of Southend
Willmott Dixon beats Kier to Land Registry refurb job for LSE

The London School of Economics is to award Willmott Dixon an £11 million contract to modernise the former Land Registry office at 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Construction News understands.
Yorkshire business wins £1.2m grant, but offshore wind concerns remain

A Yorkshire-based gear engineering and manufacturing company has been awarded £1.2m from a government scheme to support offshore wind technology.
Zero carbon confusion harming energy efficiency, says report

Confusion over zero carbon continues to be an obstacle to adoption of low carbon living, according to new research by the NHBC Foundation.

Construction News9 February 2012

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Construction News
9 February 2012