More news – Page 3807
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Comment
Hold your horses
It was interesting to note Christopher Linnett’s comments on the increasingly short periods of time being allowed for contractors to tender for design-and-build enquiries (14 October).
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Comment
If you can’t stand the heat …
Perhaps, as Mr Linnett considers it bad practice to tender within such periods, he should stop working in the hot kitchen and retire to the dining room immediately.As a front-line contractor’s estimator, I’m the first to agree that a contractor’s bid team is up against it when undertaking such a ...
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Comment
The race still running
Your article “Four housebuilders pull out of ‘onerous’ grant process” (28 October, page 22) took a somewhat sensational line and missed at least some of the point as a result. Opening bidding to private developers for the first time was always going to be about testing the market. We expected ...
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Comment
Completion equals confidence
Congratulations to Trevor Hursthouse for defending the indefensible – that is, retentions – (7 October) but I suppose as chairman of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group he had no alternative.
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Comment
Credit control where it’s due
Colin Harding and fellow travellers should remember one important fact before attempting to have retentions outlawed: contractors usually get paid 95% or 97% of work done to date in advance of completion, once a month.
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CommentTales from the pit
Our thanks to George Fordyce, head of engineering policy at the National Home Building Council, for sharing this fine example of ladder craft.
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FeaturesGlobal reach
‘The summit of world architecture has been conquered by a tiny class of signature architect who peddle a brand of designer egotism to desperate clients with no regard to context, placemaking or local needs. Discuss.’
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FeaturesJust the job: RICS in Norfolk
Jon Nelson and Tim Boucher talk about setting up a network for young RICS members in Norfolk
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News
Quango boss attacks ‘inflexible’ PFI contracts
PFI contracts are not being managed properly after buildings have been constructed, according to the government’s PPP advisory quango Partnerships UK.
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News
Amec merges its UK design and construction businesses
Support service group Amec has merged its UK design and construction businesses. The new division is called design and project services and employs 4500 people.
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Features
Market forecast: Infrastructure explosion
Davis Langdon looks at the state of the construction economy, including energy price rises, the Olympics, current public spending and the exploding infrastructure sector. Plus, why everybody’s talking about oil …
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FeaturesHot topic: Impact of oil prices
Following on from last week’s energy issue, Davis Langdon examines the impact of oil prices – and therefore petrol prices and transport costs – going through the roof
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FeaturesThe response
From Jersey to Carlisle, readers have been sending in their support for Building’s Reform the Regs campaign. Backing has come from across the industry. Here, we publish a selection of readers’ letters.
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FeaturesThe father trap
As if babies didn’t create enough havoc in the lives of their dads, they are now threatening to disrupt their employers, too. The government wants to give new fathers three months’ paternity leave on £106 a week. But in the macho world of construction, how many would actually ...
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FeaturesCarbon copy
After making a splash with BedZed, Bill Dunster is taking the sustainability mission to the next stage, tackling everyday housing as well as homes of Chinese bourgeoisie.