Author Archives: Contributor

Richard Robinson is deputy co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council and president of AtkinsRéalis UK and Ireland The recently published (and long-awaited) National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline sets out £379bn of planned spend over the next decade, including £164bn of investment over the next two years that will require between…

Kelly Boorman is national head of construction and a partner at RSM UK With low margins and little room for error, the construction industry faces the challenge of complex, disjointed project delivery and inaccurate financial forecasting outcomes, dependent on human insight and manual work. Historically a labour-intensive industry, change could…

Everyone wants to be paid on time, but the construction industry has features that make prompt payment challenging. Causeway’s Tradex software for e-invoicing helps remove inefficiencies in payments in an industry where a large volume of transactions are still reliant on paper. Rob Ramsay, head of Causeway’s Centre of Excellence,…

Sandi Rhys Jones is president of the Chartered Institute of Building Having launched the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB’s) #PPEthatfits campaign last summer, it was really encouraging to hear the subject raised in Parliament by Labour MP Emma Hardy recently. “Women’s bodies, including our feet, aren’t simply smaller versions of…

Joanne Conway is executive group chair and chief executive of FM Conway Group The construction industry has always walked a tightrope, balancing hard-won, slim margins with the need for continual improvement of processes and practices. Innovation is vital for long-term success – no arguments against this – but it is…

John Betteridge is director of restructuring and advisory at Naismiths On 15 February 2024, the UK officially fell into a recession following a prolonged cost-of-living crisis. With the inflation rate at 4 per cent and interest rates spiking, it is an economic storm buffeting all sectors. “During a recession, the…

(Pictured left to right) Ciara Ros, senior associate, Louise Woods, partner, and Lauren-Emma Parrott, associate, from law firm Vinson & Elkins The FIDIC Silver Book (2017, as amended) is a set of general conditions drafted by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (commonly known as FIDIC), which is most appropriately…

Sarah Dyer is a partner and Sean Garbutt a principal associate at law firm Gowling WLG The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) recently handed down judgment in Adriatic Land 5 Limited v The Long Leaseholders at Hippersley Point, considering the effect of paragraph 9 of schedule 8 of the Building Safety…

Stephanie Geesink, counsel, and Dom Turner-Harriss, associate, of Watson Farley & Williams LLP Here, we consider the implications of Triathlon Homes LLP v Stratford Village Development Partnership, Get Living Plc and East Village Management Limited [2024] UKFTT 26 (PC). Prior to the 2012 London Olympics, Stratford Village Development Partnership developed…

Yosof Ewing is chief executive of atrail Systems In the vast and unpredictable environment of the construction industry, specialist subcontractors sometimes contend with unfair contract terms, payment abuse and even mistreatment. The consequences of this can be so grave it threatens a business’s viability and can result in insolvency. “You…