Cost update | Features

Price changes
	% change June 1999 to June 2000


Disposal of excavated materials	+2
Hardcore	+2.5
Granular fill	+1.5
Engineering bricks	+5
Ready-mixed concrete	+4.5
Reinforcement	+2.5
Concrete blocks	+7
Precast concrete lintels	+3
Steel universal beams and columns	+6
Sawn softwood	+3
Concrete roof tiles	+5
Clay roof tiles	+5
Reconstructed slates	+5
Plasterboard	+5
Plywood linings	+2
Softwood windows	+10
Vinyl floor tiles	+5
Paints	+3
Sanitaryware	+3
Polystyrene insulation	+8
Macadam road surfacings	+3
Cast-iron gutters, pipes and fittings	+4
PVCu pipes and fittings	+4

Hot rates
	Unit	South-east £	East Anglia £	South-west £
Rainwater pipework
110 mm plastic pipe, including brackets	m	15.5	13	12.8
Extra for access pipe	item	15	12.5	12.4
100 mm powder-coated aluminum pipe, including brackets	m	37	33.5	33
Extra for swan-neck projection	item	46	41.5	41
100 mm cast-iron pipe, including holderbats	m	35	32.5	31
Extra for bend	item	39	34	33.5
Rainwater gutters
Powder-coated aluminium half-round gutter, 113 × 56 mm	m	25	22.5	22
Extra for stop end	item	5	4.5	4.5
Aluminium box gutter, 600 mm girth	m	42	37.5	37
Foul drainage above ground
100 mm PVCu pipe, including brackets	m	16.25	13.5	13.35
Extra for bend	item	10	8.2	8.1
38-40 mm MPVCu pipe, including brackets	m	6.35	5.25	5.2
Extra for bend	item	3	2.5	2.45
PVCu bottle trap, 40 mm outlet	item	5.95	4.9	4.85
Drainage below ground
Excavating trench for pipe not exceeding 200 mm diameter, backfill with selected excavated material – average depth 1750-2000 mm	m	27.5	24.35	24
– average depth 2000-2250 mm	m	33	29.35	29
Bed and surround in granular material for 100 mm pipe	m	7.85	7	6.9
PVCu pipe, 100 mm diameter	m	6.5	5.75	5.7
Clay pipe, 100 mm diameter	m	7	6.25	6.15
Extra for bend	item	10.35	9.15	9
Clay pipe, 150 mm diameter	m	11.25	10	9.85
Extra for bend	no	15.5	13.8	13.65
Cast-iron pipe, 100 mm diameter	m	25	23	22.75
Manholes
Excavating 2 m maximum depth	m3	7.5	6.75	6.7
Engineering brick class B walls, one-brick thick, fairfaced one side	m2	73.5	65	64.5
Step iron	item	5.3	4.75	4.7
Land drainage
Perforated clay pipe, 100 mm diameter	m	5.5	5	5
Extra for bend	item	10	9	8.8

Key indicators
	% change June 1999 to June 2000
Retail prices index
Headline rate	3.3
All items, excluding mortgage interest payments – government’s target index	2.2
All items, excluding mortgage interest payments and indirect taxes	2
Industry generally
Materials and fuel purchased by manufacturing industry	14
of which: materials	16.1
of which: fuel	–1.8
Materials and fuel purchased by manufacturing, excluding food, beverages, petroleum and tobacco industries	5
Output prices of manufactured products	2.9
Output prices of manufactured products, excluding food, beverages, petroleum or tobacco	1
Construction industry
Construction materials	2.5
Housebuilding materials	2.2
Machinery and equipment	1.8
Electrical machinery and apparatus	–0.2
Source: Office for National Statistics. June 2000 figures are provisional. Machinery and equipment includes mechanical engineering items such as pumps, taps, valves, lifts, and cooling and ventilation equipment. Electrical machinery and apparatus includes electrical engineering materials such as electricity distribution and control apparatus, wires and cables and lighting equipment.

Packages whose indices have risen most
Work category	Index title	% rise July 1999-July 2000
3-22	Cladding and covering: aluminium	12.2
3-35	Windows and doors: softwood	10.6
3-27	Waterproofing: liquid applied coatings	10.1
3-24	Cladding and covering: zinc	9.7
3-50	Insulation	8.8
3-58	Pipes and accessories: copper	8.4
3-01	Demolitions	6.5
3-16	Cladding and covering: fibre cement	6.4
3-17	Cladding and covering: coated steel	6.2
3-51	Pavings: coated macadam and asphalt	6

All-in hourly rates for craft and general operatives
	Time (weeks)	Craft (£/week)	(£/year)	General (£/week)	(£/year)
Wages at standard basic rate, productive time	47.8	247.65	11 837.67	186.42	8910.88
Lost time allowance (2%)	0.9	247.65	223.88	186.42	168.52
Non-productive overtime	1.74	247.65	430.91	186.42	324.37
Sub-total			12 492.46		9403.77
Annual CITB allowance (0.5% of payroll)			70.04		52.72
Annual and public holidays	5.8	261.35	1515.82	196.73	1141.04
Employer’s contributions to retirement cover scheme	52	1.9	98.8	1.9	98.8
National Insurance (average weekly payment)	48	21.5	1032.18	13.65	655.35
Sub-total			15 209.30		11 351.69
Severance pay and sundries (1.5%)			228.14		170.28
Employer’s liability and third-party insurance (2%)			308.75		230.44
Total cost/year			15 746.19		11 752.41
Total cost/hour			8.45		6.3
Calculation includes for five days sickness, in periods not exceeding three consecutive days, for which no payment is due. Holiday pay is based on the employer paying regular sums into the Template Holiday with Pay scheme sufficient to cover holiday pay in line with the Working Rule Agreement and the Working Time Regulations. All National Insurance payments are at not-contracted-out rates applicable from 6 April 2000.

Wage agreement summary for major wage-fixing bodies
Operatives	Agreement body	Wage rates effective since	Date of next review
Builders and civil engineering operatives	Construction Industry Joint Council	26-Jun-00	A three-year agreement was promulgated in June 2000. The second part of the agreement comes into effect on 25 June 2001.
	Building & Allied Trades	12-Jun-00	11-Jun-01
	Joint Industrial Council (BATJIC)
Plumbers	The Joint Industry Board for Plumbing Mechanical Engineering Services in England and Wales	21-Aug-00	Aug-01
	Scottish and Northern Ireland Joint Industry Board for the Plumbing Industry	Aug-00	Aug-01
Heating and ventilation operatives	Joint Conciliation Committee of the Heating, Ventilating and Domestic Engineering Industry	23-Aug-99	Existing agreement to expire on 4 September 2000. Negotiations still under way in mid-August
Electricians	The Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry
	– main operatives	07-Feb-00	8 January 2001 Rates will rise 12.3% in second part of two-stage
	– apprentices	04-Oct-99	Oct-00
	Scottish Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry	07-Feb-00	08-Jan-01