Opinion – Page 352
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CommentReturn of the arbitrator
The 100-day form of arbitration has received a resurgence of interest in recent times, and rightly so, as it has several advantages over adjudication
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CommentA contractor's survival guide
How many times have you read about contractors losing money, or going bust, as the result of a few ‘problem contracts’? So shouldn’t they do more to plan for them?
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Are you drowning?
Are you suspicious that one of your commercial partners is on the brink of insolvency? Here are a few signs that it’s about to happen – and how to protect yourself
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CommentHansom: Financial advisers
A City update, a pub in France during a football match, the RICS’ new service, even Amy Winehouse – it seems you can find business advice anywhere this week. Oh, except at a RIBA business advice event
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Crazy money
Richard Steer’s point that low bids are giving the QS industry a bad name is absolutely on the mark (13 November, page 34) – and if we’re not careful, what we’ll see eventually is death by a thousand cuts. However, the larger consultancy firms such as the big six or ...
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CommentSound advice
The Noise Abatement Society’s Love Your Ears campaign aims to raise awareness and protect children’s hearing from permanent damage through continued exposure to loud music on MP3 players. However, it should also echo with the construction industry, where BB93 verification is yet to become mandatory and schools still risk failing ...
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The price is wrong
The message sent out by Richard Steer is very apt in relation to what is happening in the marketplace. I question, though, whether his points only apply to QS consultants
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It’s no fun anymore
Having been a member of the RICS for more than 50 years, I read with interest your leader on 20 November (page 3)
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My health and safety sleep-in
After 50 years’ unbroken employment in the construction industry I was made redundant in July. I’ve been catching up on some Building back numbers before savouring the luxury of going back to bed for an hour or so before breakfast
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Talking up the upturn
Following the Construction Products Association’s announcement that nine out of 10 construction products firms has reported significantly falling sales, it is easy to feel negative. However, as America and the rest of Europe are well on their way out of recession, we must be positive to ensure that we follow ...
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CommentSteel yourselves: John Sorrell on school design
Just as we’ve finally started to build well-designed schools, the knives are out to cut back on quality. We have to resist those who threaten to wield them
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CommentCutting bureaucracy: Smash the system!
The spirit of adventure will thrive again, but only if we free it from the soul-crushing bureaucracy of planning rules, building regs, safety protocols and sustainability
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CommentBuilding buys a pint … for Watkins Gray International
Get a predominantly male crowd of people together in a pub, not all of whom know each other, and chances are they’ll end up talking about sport. In this case: motor racing
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CommentRICS and its members: Losing touch
Members from across the whole of the organisation feel the RICS is morphing from an elected body for the members into a quango wannabe
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Your critics miss the point
Tony Bingham’s and Rudi Klein’s (9 October, page 32) articles on the OFT are linked and raise more questions than they answer
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but so does the OFT
Tony Bingham seems to have his finger on the pulse when it comes to explaining cover pricing, which was always a benign process (30 October, page 32)
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Everybody wins
We are, of course, sympathetic to the plight of housebuilders in the current economic climate, but we are deeply concerned by any suggestion that the Lifetime Homes standard should be dropped as part of a review of regulatory “red tape” (30 October, page 19)
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Just a drop in the (rising) ocean
I was pleased to hear Scottish housing and communities minister Alex Neil announce a £15m Scottish home insulation scheme administered by the Energy Saving Trust last week
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Saving the best for last: Wolstenholme report
We’ve had Latham, we’ve had Egan and now we have Wolstenholme. But the most intriguing part of this latest report is what a set of young professionals have to say