Features

A lower-risk, two-stage tendering approach has become dominant in the past decade. Will it continue? There was a time when single-stage contracting was the only game in town. “When I started my career 40 years ago, contractors didn’t really get involved with design, they were just presented with a finished…

Council-funded projects face an uncertain future as a once-steady source of work for contractors comes under financial strain. Keith Cooper reports Local authority-led projects to develop, remodel and maintain estates of town halls, leisure centres – and everything in between – feed a steady stream of work for contractors. Councils…

With less than two months to go, the new system for registering the competence of building-control inspectors appears to be in chaos. Construction News investigates How easy is it to make the move from an unregulated profession to a regulated one? When it comes to building inspectors, we’re about to…

Despite short-term uncertainty and the HS2 cutback, there is no shortage of infrastructure work in the pipeline In September, as speculation around HS2 mounted, the leaders of 21 businesses wrote to prime minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt, urging them to commit to the second phase of the megaproject,…

Client collaboration and stronger pipelines of work are key to solving an intractable workforce recruitment problem that continues to plague the industry, finds Mark Smulian On the panel Sylvia Cashman, senior manager, Mace Group Richie Hales, director, Turner & Townsend Ruth Hutchison, communications for major projects, Sellafield Ltd Elliott Murphy,…

Which individuals are likely to have the biggest impact on the industry in the year ahead? Michael Gove Having served under four successive prime ministers and survived numerous media scandals, the Teflon-like housing secretary is sure to play a major role in yet another pre-election year. Among the planning policies…

Which projects are likely to have the biggest impact on the industry in the year ahead? Keith Cooper reports Houses of Parliament Politicians and construction firms alike are standing by for more details on the beleaguered Palace of Westminster restoration. After more than 7,500 hours of surveys being carried out…

Which companies are likely to have the biggest impact on the industry in the year ahead? ISG In November, ISG felt moved to issue a statement denying “unsubstantiated, wholly inaccurate and false claims” about its financial health”. However, it did not elaborate on the nature of these claims. Last year…

Individual companies are left to their own devices when dealing with alcohol and drug use among their workers. Is this the right approach? Industry-wide policies on the use of drugs and alcohol are woefully inadequate. So says Callum Mackintosh, president of the Scottish Plant Operators Association (SPOA). “We know that…

At a time when climate goals urgently demand innovative decarbonisation solutions, funding for green-tech startups in construction is evaporating Picture the scene: it’s 2050, and you’ve just signed a contract to build yet another flying-skateboard distribution centre. You compare materials sourced via the circular economy on an online database and…