The final account

AA Projects has sent us an interesting image to flag up the latest scheme they've completed, which we feel compelled to share. Witness to the right this rather striking picture of MP Nicholas Winterton squeezed into a JCB.

Sir Nicholas is taking part in a turf cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the £38m Learning Zone campus for Macclesfield College, which was project managed by AA Projects.

What we are wondering is what happened next. Did the Tory MP sedately snip a square of grass and calmly climb out of the vehicle? Or did he hair off on a crazy rampage tearing up the turf? All we're saying is that he looks quite excited and those kids look a little scared.

Tea for two... thousand

Many questions about Olympics building remain unanswered but now QS News can reveal the big one, the answer to the issue that's kept us up every night since 6 July 2005: how many warm beverages will the builders drink each week?

Ray Payne, Olympic Delivery Authority head of procurement, made the exclusive announcement when saying something about using NEC contracts. He started off with a lesson from his army days: "You have to keep your army fed. This army has to be fed, and it has to be fed in a robust way." We hear you loud and clear, Major Payne.

He revealed some 32,000 cups of tea or coffee will be consumed a week (presumably not per head). This construction army will also eat 9,000 eggs, 1,000 rashers of bacon and 1,000 sausages. Word has it the East End is bracing itself for skyrocketing breakfast prices. Its only hope is to pray for vegan builders.

Future looks rosy for M&S

Fortunes seem to be turning for retail giant Marks & Spencer, which issued rosy sale figures to the City last week. The firm's chief executive Stuart Rose also proudly declared a £570m programme of store upgrades that will be undertaken this year, claiming it was a more significant client than any of M&S's competitors. This ambitious wave of construction appears to be without an in-house project management team, however. We hear that that team has been disbanded and the former staffers are now offering their services on a consultancy basis. Remember, client knows best.