All Features articles – Page 536

  • Features

    Taming the fat cats

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    To avoid Enron and WorldCom-style catastrophes, the Higgs report has set out rules intended to keep the portly pusses on company boards in line. But, in an industry used to mucking in and doubling up, will it ever succeed?

  • Features

    Tax-efficient carrots

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    The right employee share schemes can help incentivise staff

  • Features

    Capital Shopping Centres

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyThe form of contract used for a Capital Shopping Centre (CSC) project varies depending on the scheme. The company generally uses competitive tender contracts, although it has used design-and-build and fixed price contracts. On a few occasions, including its Braehead project in Glasgow (see below), it has used strategic ...

  • Features

    Canary Wharf Group

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyThe east London Canary Wharf development carries out its own construction management, with an in-house team of about 600 people.Most of this work is put out to competitive tender, and the company does have loose partnerships with some companies. It also has a preferred list of suppliers but will ...

  • Features

    British Energy

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyAs it is a utility company, British Energy is governed by EU requirements in terms of its procurement processes. It uses the Achilles database to select suppliers, and a prequalification process if more than four are identified.Four companies are usually selected to bid against given specifications. The specifications vary ...

  • Features

    The British Land Company

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyThe procurement route used by British Land varies depending on the project and what is most appropriate at the time.Current methods are two-stage tendering with a guaranteed maximum price, construction management and design-and-build. Recently, two major projects have been let under a construction management form of procurement.Current and future ...

  • Features

    British Waterways

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyBritish Waterways procures its work through competitive tender. In 2000/01 it introduced "omnibus contracts". These are partnerships with engineering contractors whereby ecologists, engineers and heritage experts from the company sit alongside planners, estimators and site agents from contractors. Phase two omnibus contracts have since been introduced, and these extend ...

  • Features

    Boots Group

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyFor larger contracts, those worth more than £300,000, Boots has a list of three preferred contractors, which work with the group on an open-book basis. This relationship is something between a negotiated contract and partnering arrangement.It is one year into this procurement process and is constantly reviewing its needs. ...

  • Features

    Birmingham City Council

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyBirmingham City Council procures all its building work via its urban design department. A wide range of contracts is used, including JCT, design-and-build and PPC 2000. The ICE form of contract is used for highways work, and term contracts for maintenance work. Some major housing schemes are procured via ...

  • Features

    The Big Food Group

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyThe company uses different contractual arrangements for different types of purchases. Competitive tendering is used for new stores and refits, whereas serial contracts are used for such items as security and lifts.The group has started to use online auctions, but mainly for equipment such as refrigeration units.Current and future ...

  • Features

    Beautiful thing

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    NOW Recruitment's boss on how to form a great client–agency relationship

  • Features

    Helical Bar

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyHelical Bar uses a negotiated form of contract for some schemes and will competitively tender others.The contractors used for negotiated contracts are those the company has worked with previously and whose performance has met its standards.Current and future projectsIn the past 10 years, Helical Bar has completed development programmes ...

  • Features

    How bad can it be?

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Six days after Tony Pidgley Jr made a bold £1bn bid for his father's Berkeley Group, his personal and professional reputations took a battering. We report on how it went so wrong

  • Features

    BAA

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyThe bulk of BAA's construction work is let under framework agreements. These cover all types of project and are aimed at promoting long-term relationships with a preferred list of suppliers.The goal is to produce "seamless project teams" comprising representatives from the company and from suppliers with the intention of ...

  • Features

    Associated British Ports

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyAssociated British Ports has no preferred procurement route, but much of its work is suited to a design-and-build form of contract.The type of contract used depends on the project and even on different elements of the scheme. Contracts above the various thresholds detailed in the procurement regulations are advertised ...

  • Features

    Asda Stores

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyAsda uses an approved list of partners for its main contracting and design work. In terms of contracting, the main suppliers are HBG Construction, Laing, Carillion and Pearce Retail, which have worked with the company for more than five years.For all projects, the partners have pre-agreed overhead costs, profit ...

  • Features

    Anglian Water Services

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policyIn early 2000 Anglian Water Services selected six construction partners on a framework basis for all work covering the period April 2000 to March 2005, the current review period. This followed a comprehensive tendering exercise, and means that the company no longer spot-tenders for construction work.Current and future projectsWhen ...

  • Features

    Highways Agency

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Procurement policy The Highways Agency uses four procurement routes for its construction work. All routine and winter maintenance work is let under 20 regional or area framework agreements. These will be reduced to 14 over the next few years. Nine of these term contracts are managing agent contracts (MACs). Some ...

  • Features

    Laing nicks lead in January with £99m police contract

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Bovis is escorted off the contractors' monthly top spot but retains annual authority with £100m airport work.

  • Features

    International costs: 2003

    2003-02-28T00:00:00Z

    Gardiner & Theobald’s 11th annual survey of global construction costs takes a look at labour rates, building costs, material prices and inflation from Norway to New Zealand