More news – Page 2506
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NewsCrossrail seeks bids for two big tunnelling jobs
Work will entail building sprayed concrete lining tunnels and access shaft to link existing network to main Crossrail artery
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NewsTaylor Wimpey may sell North American housing arm
Housebuilder, who is sounding out private equity firms, could use proceeds from sale of Taylor Morrison to cut £1bn debt pile
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NewsConstruction purchasing drops at fastest rate for three months
Rate of job losses in September was also worst in three months, but housing sector showed first rise in 22 months
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NewsRobertson falls £2m into red
Scotland and northern England based company posted 4% fall in turnover to £157m
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NewsHousebuilder anger grows over tax crackdown
Builders’ groups attack plan to bring all workers under PAYE, despite support elsewhere
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NewsWhy we put in cover prices
So, the OFT has announced who’s being fined what for cover pricing and bid-rigging. But what was it like to be one of the firms involved? The finance director of a contractor that was fined told us his story, on condition of anonymity
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NewsOne man, eight ladders
Adam Meacham, health and safety adviser for Sir Robert McAlpine, has been taking his work outside the office – which is why we have this photo of a brilliantly improvised cladding in Portsmouth …
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CommentJCT homeowner contract: Get the picture?
The JCT’s contract for home extenders is a very useful document, not least because it turns a lot of those complicated words into drawings we can all understand
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Comment
How do I … fund a claim?
Even if you are reasonably sure of success, funding can be an obstacle to pursuing a claim. Luckily, there are three alternatives to stumping up the cash yourself
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CommentCosting the earth
You may think that, given the importance of a housebuilder’s landbank, there would be a well understood way of valuing it. And you’d be wrong
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Comment
Blame the clients
One aspect of the Office of Fair Trading’s cover-pricing inquiry that seems to have been missed is the effect of clients and their professional advisers
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Comment
Take a cut of future contracts
There may be such a thing as an innocent cover price, if the contractor does not want to bid but does want to show willing. However, cover prices can be used to share the work around and the only reason for that is to keep prices high
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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
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Comment
Worry about Europe
A key point that was not addressed in the podcast on www.building.co.uk was the future ability of the “guilty” contractors to tender for public works
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Comment
Be ashamed (i)
If a member of the RICS were found guilty of anything “fraudulent” they would be stripped of their MRICS status and would most likely be fired by their employer
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Comment
Be ashamed (ii)
As a registered architect, all I can say is that if I were found guilty of this sort of practice I would be struck off – not given excuses by the government
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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
Learn basic morals
Why do the construction companies seem not to understand their own lack of morality?
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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