All Analysis articles – Page 16
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FeaturesUnderbidding: Warning! Highly risky manoeuvre
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and in some cases result in suicidal tendencies. As underbidding spirals further out of control, we look at how widespread the practice has become and what – if anything – can be done about it.
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FeaturesWho wants to be in social housing?
Six months on from the collapse of Rok and Connaught, their competitors are scrambling to take their places against a backdrop of cuts and jittery clients. And now the big players are looking to muscle in on the social housing market
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FeaturesFrameworks: Make room for the small fry
The government wants to make frameworks more open to small and medium-sized firms while at the same time making big savings in public sector procurement. Here’s what the construction industry can expect
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FeaturesWe are living in a materials world
Contractors find themselves between a rock and a hard place - the rock is the relentless rise of raw materials; the hard place is feeble demand and low margins. But is there anything they can do about it?
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FeaturesWorld in action: Top global markets
Global construction spend will reach £7.5tn by 2020, according to a report out this week. But only a tiny fraction of that will take place on UK soil. So where are the predicted hotspots and how can you tap into the world’s fastest growing markets?
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FeaturesUnder siege: Construction in the Middle East
Construction’s safe haven has turned into a war zone. As protest, revolution and regime change spread across the Middle East, what can companies do to ensure their staff and contracts are safe, and does this means the end of the good times?
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FeaturesSchools special: Where the money's going
A full breakdown of current schools funding and the outlook for the next five years
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FeaturesCan subbies survive on less?
Government and private sector clients are pressurising contractors to make big savings on projects. Often that means just pushing the pain down the supply chain. Can specialists get by on smaller and smaller rations?
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FeaturesArchitects and recession: Battered, bruised and broke
Architects have taken a beating over the past two years, but have they suffered any permanent damage? How are the UK’s top listed practices faring, and what impact is the recession having on design quality?
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FeaturesWalthamstow stadium: A dog’s chance
The famous greyhound track has been mothballed for three years while housing association L&Q wrestles with local opposition to its plans to build 300 homes on the site. After a crunch meeting last week the two sides seem as far apart as ever. Is this a foretaste of the new ...
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FeaturesBattersea Power Station: The last chance
As the communities secretary stands poised to decide on the latest plan to restore Battersea Power Station, Emily Wright looks at why, this time, things have to be different
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FeaturesNakheel's debt deal: Too little too late?
With debts of $10.5bn, Dubai developer Nakheel has left UK consultants £250m short. Some creditors say the company is close to a deal involving Islamic bonds, but others admit they are now reluctant to work with it again
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FeaturesA hard man to lose: Rob Holden on leaving Crossrail
When Rob Holden, chief executive of Crossrail, resigned last week, the company was quick to try to reassure its partners. But questions remain as to why he quit and where his departure leaves the £14.5bn project in its most critical year so far
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FeaturesHow paternity rights and abolition of retirement age will hit construction
The Coalition government’s new paternity rights will cause major headache for employers in the male-dominated building industry
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FeaturesA VAT gift to cowboys?
The government’s VAT hike to 20% this month has been met with dismay throughout construction. But while some sectors will be exempt, small builders are bound to be hit as cash-strapped homeowners turn to the black market
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News
Green army
The government’s Green Deal will encourage homeowners to cut carbon and create 250,000 jobs for construction workers. Sounds great, says Iain Withers - but will it work?
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FeaturesMorrell’s progress
A year into the job of chief construction adviser, what has Paul Morrell achieved?
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CommentPFI alternatives: A change of route
The damning National Audit Office report on the M25 widening scheme is the latest sign that PFI might be nearing the end of the road. But what are the alternatives?
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FeaturesAmazing ONS Specs! Makes the economy look much better than it is!
According to the Office for National Statistics, 2010 was the year that construction became a powerhouse of national growth and regained all the ground it lost last year. Oh yeah? Building checks out its story, with the help of a few economists …
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FeaturesThe quangos and spending cuts: which ones survived
In the game of quangos players take turns to choose non-government bodies to close, merge or privatise. But watch out! If you get it wrong you might not get elected again. This is how Francis Maude dealt with the ones dealing with construction