News

Bam is consulting on cutting 40 roles within its UK and Ireland construction division. The jobs at risk are in the firm’s London and Northern teams, the contractor confirmed. A spokesperson said: “Like all businesses we need to be flexible and adapt to current market conditions. Within the construction sector…

Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn has said he would be “embarrassed” if the company does not double its roughly 2 per cent margin “in the current environment”.  Speaking on The Investor Download Podcast, published by asset manager Schroders, Quinn also said the UK’s largest contractor is undervalued given major…

Workers in construction should treat artificial intelligence (AI) as a “new colleague”, according to guidance published by the Chartered Institute for Building (CIOB). The CIOB Artificial Intelligence Playbook, produced by consultants and academics on its Digital and Innovation Advisory Panel, covers potential uses and threats, legal issues, the importance of…

Stevenage-based contractor ARJ Construction owed its subcontractors and supply chain £12.5m when it went under last month. Documents released by administrator FRP Advisory reveal that when it went under ARJ owed subcontractors £4.9m and the wider supply chain £7.6m. It also owed £940,000 to its former employees in redundancy and…

Laing O’Rourke has announced that group chief executive Ray O’Rourke is to step down and hand over to his son. The tier one contractor announced today that the man who has run the firm since founding it in 1977 had given notice to the board of his intention to depart.…

A high court judge has dismissed an attempt to halt groundworks at two HS2 sites in Warwickshire. The Environment Agency (EA) launched legal action last month against HS2, arguing that it had failed to ensure groundworks at the sites would not impact nearby groundwater. It sought an interim injunction, which…

Multiplex has been appointed to build the City of London’s newest skyscraper. Fifty Fenchurch Street will provide around 60,400 square metres of office space in the heart of the financial district. Multiplex did not divulge the value of the job but data provider Glenigan estimates it is worth £400m. The new…

The Department for Transport (DfT) spent £13.8bn more on transport project invoices last year than in 2019, with construction and engineering firms receiving about half. Construction expenditure increased by 80 per cent from £7.9bn to £14.2bn in the same period. Little of that spend was seen by smaller firms, according…

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has appointed Neil Jefferson as its new chief executive. Jefferson will take up the role on 1 July, stepping up from his current position as HBF managing director. The chief executive function had been performed by Stewart Basely, HBF executive chairman, since 2006. He will…

The deadline to submit entries for the Construction News Workforce Awards 2024 has been extended until midnight on Friday 12 July. The CN Workforce Awards provide the perfect opportunity to reward the teams and initiatives that make the construction industry the best place to work. There are 23 hotly contested…