Consultants

Aecom to halve business travel in net-zero drive

Aecom president Lara Poloni

Aecom has pledged to halve its business travel in the coming years as it bids to reach a strict net-zero target by 2030. The consultant will also decarbonise its vehicle fleet, switch to renewable energy tariffs and consider carbon emissions when it chooses suppliers. A spokesperson for the company said:…

Aecom scoops place on £250m Highways England archaeology framework

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Aecom is among the firms to have scooped a place on Highways England’s first-ever archaeology framework. The consultant is one of seven firms to have been awarded a place on the four-year framework, which runs from this month until April 2025. The seven winners include the Museum of London Archaeology…

Mace and Morgan Sindall join ‘value-based’ construction pilot

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More than 20 firms including Mace, Morgan Sindall and Mott MacDonald have signed up to the pilot phase of the government’s Value Toolkit, which aims to help clients make decisions based on the overall value that could be delivered by a construction project. The toolkit, alongside the government’s Construction Playbook,…

Atkins picked to design ‘world first’ fusion centre

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Atkins has been picked by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to design the world’s first tritium fusion energy research centre. The Hydrogen-3 Advanced Technology facility is set to be built at Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire and will support ongoing work at ITER, a large fusion experiment being developed…

Gleeds launches disputes business ahead of expected COVID claims

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Gleeds has set up a new dispute advisory business as it anticipates a growing number of contractual claims in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The consultancy said it has extensive experience working with insurers, loss adjusters, lawyers, forensic accountants and other specialisms but has not previously provided a dedicated…

London no longer ranked the ‘most expensive’ construction location

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London has lost its crown as the most expensive city in the world to locate a construction project, new figures from Arcadis have found. The latest International Construction Costs report from the consultant found that London was second behind Geneva and ahead of Copenhagen in the list of 100 cities.…

Carillion and Arup named in Stonehaven derailment probe

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An interim report into last year’s Stonehaven derailment in Scotland, published by the UK Government’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), has identified gravel from a drainage system built by Carillion and designed by Arup as the likely cause of the accident. On 12 August 2020, a train travelling at 73mph…

Mace poaches ACE boss to support CEO

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Mace has poached Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) chief executive Hannah Vickers. She will take on the new role of chief of staff to CEO Mark Reynolds, supporting him and the company’s board in “embedding” its 2026 business strategy – driving growth, net-zero carbon and digital efforts. Vickers will…

Arup staff warned after payroll cyber attack

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Arup staff have been warned to check their bank accounts for signs of unusual activity after the consultant’s payroll provider was hit by a cyber attack. According to law firm CEL Solicitors, the names, bank account numbers, sort codes and other personal details of its staff were stolen by hackers…

£1.5bn construction services framework launched

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The Crown Commercial Service has launched a £1.5bn framework for construction professional services. The government agency is looking for architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services across all arms of government, from Whitehall to local authorities, the police, fire and rescue, education, housing, charities and devolved administrations. It is seeking bids…