Month in numbers

The percentage of women serving in the armed forces. The RAF has the most (10.6%), followed by the Navy (8.5%) and the Army (7.2%).

Things are not looking so good for construction management however. Research by Northumbria University shows that women make up between 6% and 7% of students on construction management degrees, a number that is unwavering. As for CIOB members, just 3% are women. However, the good news is that 9.5% of CIOB student members are female, which shows women are interested in furthering their professional development.

Architects employ the biggest percentage of women at 14%, although this represents a considerable drop from the 37% of architecture students who are women. Female surveyors represent 10% of their profession.

25

The percentage by which the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) wants to cut procurement times for contracts by March 2005. For other construction work the goal is 15%.

The OGC has limited data on current procurement times since it only started recording them in February this year.

The OGC also wants 70% of construction projects to be delivered on time, within budget and with zero defects by that date. And it has targeted for savings of £3bn through more efficient procurement in all areas, not just construction, by then. The Treasury has said that departments can spend the savings they make and not bounce it back.

The initial target of £1bn 'value for money improvements' by March 2003 has been exceeded according to a spokesman, although official figures are not yet released.

30

The number of contractors that have registered on the British Consultants and Construction Bureau's database to say they are interested in post-war reconstruction of Iraq.

But while Costain and Irish builder Mivan were telling Construction News that they did not want to appear to be ambulance chasing, their US counterparts had no such hang-ups. The US Agency for International Development, which is organising the rebuilding, has already let eight major infrastructure projects.

UK contractors will be able to go in as subbies, however, since US rules on procurement say that US contractors get jobs funded by US money. This concession was only introduced after exhortations from trade secretary Patricia Hewitt.

Major projects – worth up to $100bn – will include the deep-water port at Umm Qasr.

80

The number of people who will lose their jobs at Rowen Structures, a division of steelwork specialist Severfield Rowen.

Managing director John Severs blamed the slump in the commercial office sector for the loss of over half of the 150-strong workforce in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.

Last month also saw structural steelwork contractor Dyer, which has works in Wolverhampton and Tipton in the West Midlands, shut down with the loss of 130 jobs.

n  Steel contractor Wescol had to pay £2,000 to 100 former workers after a tribunal ruled the firm should have spoken to the unions when it realised it was in difficulty. Wescol called in the receiver last year. September.

3000

The number of skilled Romanian construction workers which recruitment firm Overseas Human Resources (OHR) could bring into the UK within the next year. OHR, which has successfully brought nurses into the UK through this route, would arrange visas, flights and accommodation.

The CITB, which is said to be considering the proposal from OHR, has calculated that the industry will need 76,000 workers between now and 2006.

Strategic Forum chairman Peter Rogers thinks it is a good idea. He told Building magazine: "It is brilliant. I fully support it. We're an international market, particularly in the European Union."

The government is encouraging economic migration where there are shortages of medium and high skill level people. The Romanians would have to prove they were suitably skilled.