Author Archives: Ben Vogel

Infrastructure and energy company OCU Group has acquired civils firm RJ McLeod for an undisclosed sum. OCU stated that the acquisition, announced today (11 June), will increase its annual revenue to more than £800m “and grows the capability and capacity for work in supporting the critical UK energy transition” to…

Mechanical and electrical (M&E) contractor NG Bailey returned to profitability in the year to 1 March 2024 as a careful approach paid off, its latest accounts show. Group turnover rose by 12.9 per cent year on year to reach £600.1m. Higher turnover in both divisions generated a pre-tax profit of…

The Liberal Democrats have reiterated a commitment to build 380,000 new homes per year in the UK if they are elected to power after the 4 July general election. Their 117-page manifesto also promises to review last October’s decision by the Conservative government to cancel phase two of the HS2…

Family-owned civils contractor J Murphy & Sons boosted its pre-tax profit by 50 per cent last year, despite a £70m fall in turnover. In a reversal of its 2022 performance, when profit fell but revenue rose, the firm’s latest annual accounts for the 2023 calendar year showed that turnover decreased…

Construction tender price inflation is set to grow from 2026 amid capacity issues caused by two-stage procurement and delays due to the Building Safety Act, a new study says. The summer survey from Arcadis predicted that inflation on residential and commercial construction projects will reach 5-6 per cent from 2026…

A “selective approach” to projects helped RG Carter boost pre-tax profit last year despite a fall in revenue. Group turnover dropped by 23 per cent, falling from £322m in 2022 to £248.5m in the year ending 31 December 2023. But pre-tax profit for the year totalled £12.8m, up by 80…

New office construction in London has dropped by almost 20 per cent while refurbishment starts have fallen by a quarter, according to a new survey. A total of 42 new schemes broke ground in the capital from October 2023 to March 2024, data from Deloitte’s latest London Office Crane Survey…

Small and medium-sized construction firms are finding it harder to access finance despite growing optimism over their prospects next year, a new survey shows. Quarterly research from business finance investment firm Bibby Financial Services (BFS) found that 58 per cent of construction SME business owners expected their order book to…

Seddon Group has returned to profit after imposing tighter cost control and limiting its exposure to new long-term contracts. Turnover rose by 4.4 per cent from £153.9m in 2022 to £160.7m the following year, the Bolton-based firm’s latest accounts show. This generated a pre-tax profit of £1.6m compared with a…

Inflationary pressures and higher interest rates failed to stop Essex-based D&B Scaffolding from posting higher revenue and profit for last year. Its latest accounts, covering the year ending 31 August 2023, show that turnover increased by 2.2 per cent from £18.5m to £18.9m. And pre-tax profit almost doubled from £1m…