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Emma Mottram is director of operations for social housing procurement consortium EN:Procure Procurement is an expensive game. Going by the latest government figures, one pound of public money in every three is spent on public procurement – totalling some £300bn per year. The Procurement Act 2023 comes into force later…

Gerry Brannigan is a partner and forensic technical services growth development lead at consultancy HKA High capital costs and inflation are squeezing construction. Given the gloomy economic outlook for 2024 and beyond, the industry is braced for recession. “Learning lessons from distressed projects should be a starting point for all…

Christian Rowe is the managing director of Executive Compass When bidding into the public sector, small- and medium-sized construction businesses (SMEs) often feel they are at a competitive disadvantage, particularly given that most government contracts employ a fixed-cost pricing model. “It may be preferable to miss out on a contract…

Fiona Hodgson is chief executive of the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation  In a move reflecting the complex interplay between environmental goals and practical realities, the Scottish Government has recently adjusted its timeline for phasing out fossil fuel boilers, setting a revised target date of 2028. This decision,…

Amelia Woodley is ESG director at Speedy Hire Net-zero targets are fast becoming a top prerequisite in construction-project tenders as the sector works on cutting emissions to hit the UK Government target for net zero by 2050. However, there also needs to be a parallel focus on the important role…

Andrew Carpenter is chief executive of the Structural Timber Association  The Structural Timber Association (STA) has welcomed the launch of the Timber in Construction (TiC) Policy Roadmap. The policy document lays out a framework for increasing the use of timber in construction and identifies important steps that need to be…

Natasha Kearslake is the founder of HR and training firm Organic P&O Solutions, which works with businesses in the construction and engineering and sectors When it comes to attracting Gen Z and neurodivergent employees, the construction sector is years behind engineering and tech companies. But leaders can make quick progress…

The Roman god Janus gave his name to the month of January. The deity was usually depicted with two faces, one looking backwards and one forwards – symbolising the transition from the past to the future. Retrospection was an unfortunate but unavoidable theme in 2023. Many firms that went bust…

Jordan Connachie is managing director of Kori Construction The construction industry has been rocked by the number of reputable contractors forced to call in the administrators over recent years. Business failures in the sector reached 312 in the 10 months to October 2023, a 58 per cent increase compared with…

Charlotte Dowson is an associate at law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp Construction work is physically demanding and inevitably accidents and injuries on construction sites do happen. Thankfully, more often than not the injuries that occur are minor and do not have lasting consequences. However, sometimes the injuries are serious and…