Author Archives: Ian Weinfass

A lower-risk, two-stage tendering approach has become dominant in the past decade. Will it continue? There was a time when single-stage contracting was the only game in town. “When I started my career 40 years ago, contractors didn’t really get involved with design, they were just presented with a finished…

Three major new road schemes on the A47 in Norfolk are a step closer to going ahead after a legal challenge was dismissed by the Court of Appeal – although campaigners could take the case to the Supreme Court. The roads are: a dual carriageway and junctions between Blofield and…

“As a family it’s like we’re stuck in 2016,” says Sadie Cresswell, as the eighth anniversary of the building collapse that killed her father approaches. She has no more understanding of why it happened than she did at the time. “Unfortunately, it’s very much the same year on year,” she…

Laing O’Rourke has denied claims from Unite that unqualified electricians are working unsupervised on the £555m Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium for Everton Football Club. The union warned of a risk of “catastrophic damage” occurring after allegedly seeing electricians-mate contracts stating that the junior workers may not be supervised. Electricians mates would usually…

Despite short-term uncertainty and the HS2 cutback, there is no shortage of infrastructure work in the pipeline In September, as speculation around HS2 mounted, the leaders of 21 businesses wrote to prime minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt, urging them to commit to the second phase of the megaproject,…

Which companies are likely to have the biggest impact on the industry in the year ahead? ISG In November, ISG felt moved to issue a statement denying “unsubstantiated, wholly inaccurate and false claims” about its financial health”. However, it did not elaborate on the nature of these claims. Last year…

Individual companies are left to their own devices when dealing with alcohol and drug use among their workers. Is this the right approach? Industry-wide policies on the use of drugs and alcohol are woefully inadequate. So says Callum Mackintosh, president of the Scottish Plant Operators Association (SPOA). “We know that…

Demand for electric-vehicle charging, renewable energy connections, grid upgrades and electric heating schemes are all providing a healthy pipeline of work for mechanical and electrical (M&E) specialists. Aggregate revenue among the largest 10 firms in the sector has risen by 13 per cent, from £2.68bn to £3.04bn, in this year’s…

A new company sits atop the envelope contractor table for the first time since 2018. London-based Stanmore’s sharp revenue growth, from £96.1m to £142.9m, sees it overtake Permasteelisa, which itself achieved a 12 per cent turnover rise. Stanmore’s accounts attribute its rapid growth to a relaxation of Covid restrictions, the…

Making sure firms and workers are competent to carry out construction projects is one of the biggest post-Grenfell initiatives in the sector. CN investigates the progress to date In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Dame Judith Hackitt’s seminal report Building a Safer Future highlighted a construction industry that…