Author Archives: Contributor

Adam Mathewson is a solicitor and Karen Morean is a partner at Devonshires Statutory adjudication has been a fixture of the construction industry for 25 years. Its success and acceptance within the industry is perhaps best demonstrated by how few adjudication decisions are challenged in the Technology and Construction Court…

Gary McIndoe is managing partner at Latitude Law Since the UK left the EU, restrictions on employing overseas workers have been lifted in an effort to allow businesses to access the skilled staff they need. A cap on numbers was lifted, and the requirement for resident labour market testing was…

By Keith Cooper All bar two of the leading steel specialists saw their revenues surge in their latest annual accounts, amid a continuing recovery from Covid-19 and material-cost inflation. However, pre-tax profit margins for this year’s top 10 were static at 4.1 per cent. Big turnover boosts were recorded by…

Andrew Woolsey is an associate and Sophie Ashcroft is a partner in the commercial dispute resolution team at law firm Browne Jacobson Construction companies are using artificial intelligence tools to increase productivity and add new proficiencies in areas such as contract management and project-management processes. However, AI usage may also…

By Keith Cooper This year’s index shows that inflationary pressures squeezed scaffolding firms’ revenues, profits and margins. The median pre-tax margin for the top 10 scaffolding specialists has fallen to 5 per cent against 6.7 per cent for the firms listed in the 2022 index. However, the top 10 firms…

By Keith Cooper The leading concrete specialists improved their aggregate financial performance, although inflation hit profits and margins. Three of the top 10 firms posted losses, in contrast with the previous year, which saw only one firm in the red. Third-placed PJ Carey’s £48.1m deficit was the biggest by far,…

After facing a challenging few years, the construction industry is now on the brink of a significant growth spurt, with Glenigan’s latest construction forecast projecting that the sector will grow by 14 per cent in 2024. This growth, however, comes with a new set of challenges that construction firms will…

Helena Rivers is net-zero lead for buildings and places at consultancy Aecom The National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) recent assessment of how infrastructure could support economic growth and tackle climate change made a bold statement. In essence, it recommended that the government should no longer pursue the rollout of hydrogen heating…

Phil Caton is a construction law partner at Aaron & Partners The cancellation last month of HS2’s northern leg rocked the construction industry, leaving many subcontractors grappling with uncertainty. In these challenging times, businesses must take action quickly to protect their best interests, which should include careful consideration of contractual…

Mat Ilic is co-founder and chief executive of climate ed-tech firm Greenworkx, and a former special adviser at No 10 Downing Street The question of how to deliver a fair and equitable transition to net zero has been under the microscope in recent weeks following the UK government’s climate-policy U-turns.…