CNinsight - industry and company dataConstruction News
5 April 2012
View all stories from this issue.
-
"Urban explorers" scale London Shard
A group of daredevils has broken into the Shard in London and scaled 80 storeys to take pictures from its summit. -
100 Vinci and Nuvia workers may face redundancy as Sellafield project halted
Up to 100 people from Vinci and Nuvia working at a Sellafield construction site could lose their jobs after work was halted as part of a review, the nuclear firm said today. -
62 jobs under threat as Balfour Beatty proposes closure of Scottish joinery
More than 60 workers could lose their jobs after Balfour Beatty subsidiary Mansell proposed to close an 131-year-old Scottish joinery workshop -
Administrations in construction fall 28pc
The number of construction companies going out of business looks to have dropped significantly in the third quarter of 2012, as total insolvencies across industries in England and Wales hit a five-year low. -
Amec on track for double-digit revenue growth in 2012
Amec is on track for double digit revenue growth in 2012, the firm said this morning. -
Amey beats Carillion and Mouchel to £2bn Sheffield highways PFI deal
Amey has won the highly sought after £2 billion Sheffield PFI highways contract ahead of a Carillion and Mouchel joint venture. -
Amey to put £2bn Sheffield roads PFI work online for SMEs
Subcontracting work for a £2 billion PFI highways deal in Sheffield will be thrown open to SMEs through a fledgling government online portal. -
Arcadis buys Asian consultancy, Davis Langdon & Seah
Arcadis, the Dutch-based international consultancy, has bought the Asia-focused QS and project management consultancy, Davis Langdon & Seah. -
Arcadis to drop "Davis Langdon" name
Arcadis, the international consultancy, will drop the “Davis Langdon” name from its new Asia-focused acquisition, Davis Langdon & Seah (DLS). -
BAM Nuttall in Network Rail framework win
Civils contractor Bam Nuttall has joined a Network Rail framework to improve accessibility to stations -
Bechtel appoints MD for rail business
The company overseeing the construction of the 21-kilometre tunnel underpinning Crossrail has appointed a new managing director for its rail division. -
Bouygues checks in at the Ritz
Bouygues has announced it has won a deal to refurbish the Ritz Hotel in Paris in a contract worth around £115m (€140m). -
Bouygues strikes deal to buy Thomas Vale
The French construction giant Bouygues is to buy Midlands construction firm Thomas Vale. -
Bouygues wooed Thomas Vale for three years, chairman reveals
Bouygues to retain Thomas Vale name and staff after three years of acquisition talks, UK chairman tells Construction News. -
Bramall and Lovell appointed to £149m home improvement deal
Bramall and Lovell have been appointed to the second phase of a £149 million estate improvements programme. -
Breedon Aggregates to raise £15m for acquisition hunt
The UK’s largest independent aggregates firm is raising £15 million for acquisitions through a share placing. -
Broadmoor gets go ahead for redevelopment
A council has given planning permission for the redevelopment of Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire. -
Budget a mixed bag for SMEs
Smaller firms have broadly welcomed the Budget’s continued focus on growing the economy but would have liked a more targeted boost. -
Building relationships
The window of interaction between product manufacturers and architects during specification is brief. If it’s maximised and architects are left with a positive experience, they’re very likely to return to you in the future… but how can you make best use of this interaction? -
CBI welcomes proposals for London councils £2bn infra fund
Talks between London’s 34 councils to pool their pension funds and invest over £2 billion in local infrastructure projects have been welcomed by the CBI. -
CITB-ConstructionSkills to mount card fraud probe
The body overseeing the Construction Skills Certification Scheme is investigating whether people are using forged CSCS cards on a mass scale to obtain work without undergoing required safety training. -
Consequential improvements will benefit industry
Richard Griffiths, campaign and policy consultant for the UK Green Building Council, on why it is backing consequential improvements in the face of a storm. -
Construction job losses highlighted by TUC
Construction has suffered the second biggest jobs loss of any industry analysed in a Trades Union Congress report. -
Construction output down 5 per cent in February 2012
Construction output fell by nearly 5 per cent in the year to February 2012, according to the latest monthly figures from the Office for National Statistics. -
Contamination proves an education
When Frankis Solutions took on a disused pharmaceutical site in Kent, the company found more asbestos than it had bargained for. -
Contractors line up for £35m Buxton Spa scheme
Four contractors are in the running to win the £35 million Buxton Spa hotel scheme. -
Contractors sign up to green pledge
UKCG members have pledged to procure building materials from sustainable sources. -
Cruden wins £15m Scottish housing contract
Cruden Construction has won a £15m contract to finish housing projects left incomplete after another builder went bust. -
Developers to help GLA procure £5bn housing-led schemes
The Greater London Authority is seeking developers to sit on a new housing procurement panel tasked with accelerating sales and development of London’s public sector land. -
Download Contract Leads - 10 April 2012
Download the latest contract leads here -
Download Contract Leads - 16 April 2012
Download the latest contract leads here -
Dunne Group returns to profit on back of major projects
The Dunne Group returned to profit in 2011 on the back of a string of major projects, it said today. -
Dunne Group to double revenue in 2012
The Dunne Group is set to double its revenue in 2012 after winning contracts on major projects, its group operations director has told CNPlus. -
EC Harris chosen for six new free schools, academies
EC Harris has been chosen to project manage six new school schemes throughout the UK. -
Electrical contractors facing pessimistic 12 months
The outlook for electrical contractors throughout the rest of the year is dim, according to a new survey. -
Exclusive: Lend Lease, ISG, Vinci among MoJ £1bn construction winners
Lend Lease, ISG and Balfour Beatty are among the contractors appointed to a new Ministry of Justice construction framework. -
Experian forecasts 4.4% dip in 2012 construction output
Output for the construction industry is forecast to fall by 4.4 per cent this year, according to the latest set of predictions from Experian. -
Extra care required
Specialist national roofing contractor Bracknell Roofing recently completed an unusual 420 sq m roof on a new care home for the elderly in Exmouth. -
FMB State of Trade survey shows continued decline in workloads
SME workloads continued to fall last quarter, with new workloads for small housebuilders at their lowest since 1999, according to the latest research from the Federation of Master Builders. -
Four forced to wait until 2014 for revised £350m defence deal
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation is set to begin competitive dialogue with the four bidders for its first regional facilities management contract, now valued at up to £350 million. -
Galliford Try fined after cherry picker driver thrown under a bus
A contractor was ordered to pay over £28,000 in fines and costs after a worker was seriously injured when he was catapaulted from his cherry picker and was hit by a bus -
Government unveils £4m green building research competition
The Technology Strategy Board will give grants of £150,000 to £1m to contractors, developers and their suppliers to test out better ways of delivering green buildings. -
Hammerson upbeat despite drop in retail visits and sales
Sales and visits to UK shopping centres owned by commercial property developer Hammerson fell in the first three months of 2012 -
Headcrown makes £9.9m loss
Headcrown Group, which includes contractors Gee, Cruden and JF Finnegan, made a pre tax loss of £9.9m in 2010/11 -
In Pictures: A history of Thomas Vale
In the week that Thomas Vale was acquired by Bouygues, CN takes a look back at the history of the company, established in 1869. -
Increased sales take Persimmon from debt to cash in 2012
Housebuilder Persimmon has made £12m cash in the first three months of this year. -
Industry at odds over consequential improvements
The new chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders has slammed proposals to introduce consequential improvements to homes as ‘impractical, unpopular and counterproductive’. -
J Murphy and Siemens team up for Network Rail deal
J Murphy & Sons has secured the North West Electrification Phase 1 Traction Power Supply contract with Network Rail, worth more than £5 million in partnership with Siemens Smart Grid, Rail Electrification. -
Killby & Gayford goes into administration
Historic contractor Killby & Gayford went into administration today. -
Laing O'Rourke investments boss leaves as firm shifts strategy to infrastructure
The former head of investments at Laing O’Rourke left the firm as the contractor focuses its strategy away from real estate and more specifically on new infrastructure, she told Construction News. -
Lanes scoops £216m Thames Water deal
Lanes has landed its biggest ever contract, with a £216 million sewage deal with water giant, Thames Water. -
Leicester reaches close on two more PFI schools
A PFI scheme to build and run two schools in Leicester has reached financial close -
Leicestershire auction set for April
Some 630 pieces of plant and vehicles will go under the hammer on April 17, in what auctioneer Ritchie Bros is dubbing one of the biggest industrial auctions ever. -
Lovell inks £28m regen deals with Southampton council
Lovell has signed contracts with Southampton City Council for three estate regeneration projects, together worth £28 million that will deliver more than 200 new homes. -
M&As are back on the agenda in today’s challenging market
The construction market remains extremely challenging, with overall output set to decline again this year. Competition for work continues to be fierce with an unrelenting focus on price in most tender situations. -
Mace cable car reaches construction milestone
The UK’s first urban cable car - the Emirates Air Line - has reached a major construction milestone under main contractor Mace. -
Miller bags £51m of university contracts
Miller Construction has won projects at Bangor and Durham universities -
Miller wins £11m Durham extension
Miller Construction has been awarded the £11 million contract to build an extension for Durham Business school. -
MJN Colston suppliers left empty-handed as firm failed owing £50m
Suppliers of MJN Colston are unlikely to see any of the money owed to them after the firm went into administration with £49 million of debts, it has been revealed. -
Network Rail launches new infrastructure projects arm
Network Rail’s new infrastructure projects arm has come into operation today as it aims to deliver schemes worth £2bn annually. -
New bid contest for £16 million Blackpool hospital job
Contractors are being sought for a £16 million design and build scheme for a car park at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. -
Nine miss out as £35m Birmingham hospital down to two
Galliford Try and Skanska have been shortlisted for a new £35m Birmingham dental hospital, fending off competition from nine other contractors. -
Northampton university gets go ahead for £25m scheme
The University of Northampton has won planning permission for a new hall of residence. -
Scottish construction hampered by sluggish planners
Scottish councils are routinely delaying planning decisions beyond their legally required length, despite a dramatic reduction in the number of people employed in construction. -
Scottish road schemes worth £36m come to market
Contractors are being invited to bid for two Scottish roads projects worth up to £36m combined. -
Senior ministers in opposition to green building changes
Senior government ministers want to have proposed consequential improvements scrapped, according to reports. -
Shelved retail projects rise in wake of Tesco expansion scaleback
Significantly more retail projects were put on hold during the first three months of 2012 than in the same period last year, according to new figures from Glenigan. -
Shepherd appoints senior managers to South Division
Shepherd Construction has made two senior appointments beefing up its South Division. -
Should regional players embrace a global future?
News that a major international contractor is acquiring a well-known and highly respected regional contractor is always going to provoke both an intellectual and an emotional response. -
Sir Robert McAlpine profits fall in ‘challenging market’
Sir Robert McAlpine’s profits fell to a seven-year low in 2011 as its overseas divisions suffered losses once again. -
Sir Robert McAlpine turnover boosted, but profits drop by £7.3m
Sir Robert McAlpine has revealed an underlying turnover boost of more than 11 per cent, but pre-tax profits dropped by more than a quarter from £27.4m to £20.1m. -
Skanska preferred bidder for £170m waste scheme
Skanska has confirmed it has been appointed preferred bidder on a £170m construction programme for the Bradford and Calderdale waste treatment project. -
SMEs risk losing out on green future
CITB-Construction Skills boss, Mark Farrar has warned SMEs that they risk getting left behind by green-minded rivals if they fail to prepare for Europe’s green future. -
Stamp duty holiday boosts housing but retail continues to stutter, says RICS
The final weeks of the stamp duty holiday boosted new house buyer enquiries to their highest in two years, according to latest RICS research. -
Tesco set to confirm scaled back UK store expansion
Tesco will confirm its intention to scale back store expansion in the UK market in a blueprint to be outlined next week, according to reports. -
Tesco to cut new store openings by a third
Tesco will reduce new store openings by a third and cut capital expenditure by £500 million next year. -
Thomas Vale deal represents ‘vote of confidence’ in UK
Thomas Vale rejected advances from several major contractors before agreeing to sell the business to Bouygues in a deal that boosts the French group’s UK turnover close to £900 million. -
Thomas Vale name and team lives on
Thomas Vale and the French construction giant that has bought it are insisting the Midlands firm’s brand and reputation - built up over 143 years - will survive the takeover. -
Thomas Vale profits halved in year before Bouygues takeover
Thomas Vale Group profits fell by almost half in its final year as an independent company, according to its annual accounts. -
Tube maintenance workers to strike
Maintenance workers on the London Underground have voted to strike for 72 hours next week. -
UK contractors look to Fukushima for nuclear decommissioning wins
The Prime Minister has signed a nuclear deal with the Japanese government which could see UK companies win work on multi-billion pound decomissioning contracts. -
Vinci profits sliced in half as building division makes a loss
Vinci UK profits cut in half a year after they were doubled - contractor plans to hire 400 workers in 2012 and “tighten” its sub contractor management structure. -
Vinci revenue hits £33bn but warns of flat year ahead
French construction giant Vinci has warned of a flat year ahead after growing group revenue to £33.4 billion in 2012. -
Wates and MPB Structures pay over £170,000 after concrete collapse
Two building firms were ordered to pay over £170,000 in fines and costs when more than 250 tonnes of wet concrete collapsed injuring seven construction workers -
Willmott Dixon wins Welsh council office deal
Willmott Dixon has been awarded a contract worth around £7m to build new offices for Monmouthshire County Council. -
Worker stopped with forged CSCS card on Berkeley Homes site
A worker who attempted to gain access to a major London regeneration site with a forged CSCS card was foiled by an eagle-eyed site manager. -
Yorkshire specialist set for administration
Forty-year-old West Yorkshire firm Quarmby Construction is set to go into administration.
