All Letters articles – Page 29
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Comment
Linnett vs the OFT
Tony Bingham was right “on the money”, so to speak, in his article exposing the obvious weakness of the OFT’s stance on cover pricing
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Comment
Learn through laughter
I was thoroughly enjoying your 9 October publication until I wandered across David Westwood’s email regarding your health and safety blunders (page 27), which sent me into fits of laughter and disbelief
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CommentSport: The real enemy
Don’t get the idea that I’m speaking from any sort of moral high ground, or even from a moral hillock, but Chris Wise’s comments about steel were interesting and I thought perhaps ought to be brought to their logical conclusion (9 October, page 28)
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Comment
The OFT vs Tony Bingham
Tony Bingham’s article, “The cost of a phone call” (9 October, page 30), is based on a misunderstanding of the Office of Fair Trading’s position. The OFT has never claimed that unilaterally submitting a high price is illegal. Rather, as Mr Bingham says, the illegality arises where the price is ...
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Comment
Bad experience
New apprenticeships are very important to the future progress of the industry (“Gove: Conservatives to triple apprenticeships”, www.building.co.uk)
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CommentA word to the Wise
I followed Chris Wise’s logic in questioning, for environmental reasons, whether RIBA should have recognised the 100,000-tonne Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing (9 October, page 28), but I struggled to follow why he then used what was clearly a unique structure to criticise the efficiency of steel overall
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Comment
Move with the times
The appointment of a chief construction adviser is welcome, but in the 10 years since the Egan Report the game has moved on a long way
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Comment
Jobs: Wanted
I can’t quite believe the lack of support that the unemployed graduates are receiving (11 September, page 34)
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Comment
Expose the OFT
It is not surprising, what with the draconian powers of the Office of Fair Trading and the possibility of future appeals, that few bosses are prepared to put their heads above the parapet and comment on the spate of fines imposed upon our industry
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Comment
Set the standard
I read with interest the comment from John McDonough of Carillion calling for sample schemes to be scrapped to cut the cost of bidding for Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects (18 September, page 11)
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Comment
An obligation to train
I was pleased to hear the announcement from John Healey, the housing minister, that housing associations will be required to employ apprentices (25 September, www.building.co.uk)
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Comment
I have every sympathy
In Patrick Murdock’s letter (25 September, page 32) he suggested that, because of the recession, the major consultancies are turning their backs on graduates. As a trainer involved in graduate development I believe this is not the case
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Comment
Nostra culpa
I’m fed up with seeing emails and articles showing images of idiotic and dangerous situations, like the health and safety blunder on page 33 of the 25 September issue
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Comment
I don't have any sympathy
Regarding the article on graduate unemployment (11 September, page 34), there are lots of jobs out there: they are obviously being too fussy or not trying hard enough
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Comment
Put your house in order
In a world of short tender periods and poor contract information, clients are expecting contractors to be gamblers
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Comment
Punish the guilty
Cover pricing saves the contractors the cost of tendering and they can agree between themselves who will get the next tender
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Comment
Suspend the fines
Although the process of investigation and the resultant findings were necessary to halt bid-rigging, I among many others will be disappointed by the level of fines imposed by the OFT, which may cripple or close some companies
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Comment
Doubt its illegality
The 13 roofing contractors that the OFT found guilty of price fixing in 2006 were not engaged in “simple cover pricing”, but bid-rigging