All Comment articles – Page 55
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CommentRocky financial markets: Tread carefully
The turbulence of the financial markets will rock construction when what it most needs is stability - but with sovereign debt crises in Europe and the US, how likely is that?
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CommentPFI doesn't have to be 'poor value'
PFI is ’poor value’ say MPs but they ignore the benefits such as risk transfer, predictability and maintenance of the public sector estate
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CommentIt's all pants: Unreliable economic indicators
We keep being fed confusing, contradictory, even wrong industry figures - often based on something as haphazard as the sale of underwear. You may as well ask Mystic Meg
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CommentBeach volleyball stars distract Cameron from quelling riots
Volleyball replaced the mob in central London this week as Olympic organisers shifted tonnes of Surrey sand to Horseguards Parade
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CommentInfrastructure: A thing of beauty?
Infrastructure can be seen everywhere so it’s a shame it’s often so ugly. Let’s hope for some inspired entries in the energy department’s competition to update the UK’s pylons
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NewsWhatever happened to localism?
The draft National Planning Policy Framework may give the planning system the “teeth” developers have been looking for
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CommentWining contracts: Confidence trick
Winning contracts is no longer a matter of being a big company, or even offering the lowest price. What bidders must offer clients is a sense of security
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CommentQS mergers: Wedding's off
Up-against-it QS firms are hooking up with other companies, looking for global reach and diversification. But now really isn’t the right time to get hitched
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CommentIt is possible to help SMEs and achieve budget cuts
Big contracts and small firms poses a quandary – but there is a model that shows how it can be done
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CommentSchools PFI: we need to learn from past mistakes
We should welcome Gove’s announcement that upto 300 schools could be built using a model based on PFI, but we also need to be on our guard
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CommentProcuring a design team: The art of not getting shafted
What’s the best way to choose a design team? Rigid scoring systems need to change if clients are to get the best balance between cost and quality
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CommentJob losses threaten Green Deal
The industry needs skilled workers In order to meet the targets set out in the Green Deal
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CommentDevelopment: The cashless society
Yes, money is tight, yes, the challenges are many, but local authorities that work with others and use their assets creatively can still build great places to live
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CommentGeneration BIM: Creating the infrastructure
Yes, we’ve heard it all before - but this time BIM really is going mainstream, says Simon Rawlinson. Now, its development needs to be driven by the industry’s future leaders
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Comment(Nuclear) Reaction time
The Fukushima disaster has put pressure on Europe’s politicians to act expediently, says Alastair Stewart. But the signs are that the UK government will stick to its guns and go nuclear
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CommentThe CIC: Mission do-able
Wouldn’t it be great if there was an organisation that spoke for the whole of the construction industry instead of just individual professions? Oh wait, there is …
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CommentWe’re not a bunch of incompetents
UK managers have been in the firing line of late, but the Olympics will be a great opportunity to show off our skills - and building information modelling could help us do that
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CommentTaking the measure of it
If we don’t know how a building is performing, how can we know if we are reducing its energy use? Display energy certificates for commercial buildings are a start
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CommentMaking a virtue of necessity
The government’s Construction Strategy has led some to ask what’s different this time round. But they forget that until now the industry hasn’t changed because it hasn’t had to
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CommentONS statistics: Open your eyes
Everyone has been quick to blame the ONS for inaccurate output statistics, says Alastair Stewart. But what about the industry’s responsibility to provide the information?