News

Former Morgan Sindall executive Robert Ogg has been appointed as managing director of Akela Construction. The Glasgow-based construction services group also announced the promotion of Will Payne to managing director of Akela Group’s ground engineering division. Ogg (pictured) served as managing director of Scottish infrastructure works at Morgan Sindall from…

Contractors are being sought for a £155m road-dualling project in Scotland. Transport Scotland has formally advertised the job to work on the A9 between Tay Crossing and Ballinluig. The 8.2km section of road in central Scotland is being upgraded to a dual carriageway as part of a wider programme to…

MPs have called for a radical rethink of how facilities to tackle the risk of highly infectious diseases are delivered, after the cost of new labs soared by more than 500 per cent in under a decade. In a report released on Monday (27 May), parliament’s Public Accounts Committee says…

The £312m revamp of two Midlands hospitals by Vinci and Sir Robert McAlpine has been given the go-ahead. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust confirmed that the full business case for its transformation programme had been approved, allowing construction to begin. Integrated Health Projects (IHP), a joint venture of Vinci…

A leading construction body has urged the next government to provide financial incentives to encourage companies to invest in modern methods of construction. The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) made its views known in its manifesto for the forthcoming general election. Major contractors have already called for a clear focus…

The transport secretary has green-lit a major road-dualling scheme that was awarded to Costain almost three years ago. Mark Harper acted in line with the Planning Inspectorate’s recommendation, granting a development consent order for the 20km project to upgrade the A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham. Costain secured the contract in…

The incoming government must beef up its Construction Playbook guidance to prevent its provisions from being “routinely ignored”, a leading trade body has said. The call was part of a Blueprint for Better Construction set out by the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) ahead of the general election on 4…

Peabody has provisionally selected five contractors, including Wates and Kier, for £1bn worth of maintenance and repair contracts, as part of an overhaul aimed at reversing its underperformance in London. The housing association launched a tender last year in an effort to improve its maintenance services following repeated failures in…

Lendlease Group is confident of selling its UK operation by the end of next year, it said today after announcing it was withdrawing from construction markets outside of Australia. In explaining why it was pulling out of its overseas markets, the firm described them as a “drag” on shareholder returns.…

Former Crossrail boss Mark Wild is to become chief executive of High Speed 2 (HS2) Ltd. The experienced transport leader will take the reins of the shortened rapid rail link with a brief to keep costs down and prevent delays. A start date has not yet been set for his…