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Suppliers and subcontractors are owed around £2bn by Carillion. The figure in the firm’s last results statement for “trade and other payables” highlights how hard the supply chain could be hit by the company’s collapse. Subcontractors should be offered some protection on most public jobs by the use of Project Bank Accounts. PBAs ring-fence money from the client and protect suppliers’ cash if a main contractor goes under. One industry source said: “This is the real acid test for PBAs now as a lot of Carillion’s contracts will have been using them. “PBAs have certainly helped speed up payments to suppliers but they’ve never seen a test like a firm the size of Carillion going under.” But millions held in retentions will still be…

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Award-winning UK construction, refurbishment and fit out contractor, Gilbert-Ash, has been appointed for a £2m fit out project at the British High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Work on the 3,000 square metre building adds to the long list of international projects Gilbert-Ash has completed with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), with work undertaken in a total of 43 countries worldwide to date. This is the second project Gilbert-Ash has completed on the British High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka having completed a £5m refurbishment project in May 2016. Scheduled to take seven months to complete, the fit out project involves re-roofing the building and eradicating damage prevalent in the region due to its climate. The new roof is a purpose-…

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The Financial Conduct Authority has launched an investigation into company announcements made by Carillion in the lead up to its recent profit warnings. A brief Stock Exchange update this morning said: “The Financial Conduct Authority  has notified Carillion plc that it has commenced an investigation in connection with the timeliness and content of announcements made by Carillion between 7 December 2016 and 10 July 2017.  “Carillion is cooperating fully with the FCA.” Carillion issued a positive trading update on December 7 2016 where it predicted a rise in operating profits. On March 1 2017 it published positive results for 2016 as group revenue jumped 14% to £5.2bn producing group pre-tax profits of £147m. Chairman Phillip Green said in the results: “Given the size and quality of our order book and pipeline of…

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Just 35 firms have signed up to the Government’s payment charter nearly four years after it was launched to great fanfare as the solution to payment abuse in the supply chain. The Construction Supply Chain Payment Charter initially committed firms to pay within 60 days on both private and public sector work. From this month the payment pledge tightens up, shifting signatories to 30 days to meet the Government’s target of bringing construction into line with other industries. But just three main contractors and two private clients have signed-up to date, with the last new firm committing to the payment pledge last August. Now specialists subcontractors are writing the Charter off as a non-starter, despite it being pushed by the Construction Leadership Council and pan-industry trade body…

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As we head into 2018, only one factor of the economy is certain – our uncertainty about the implications of Brexit is making a significant impact on the UK construction industry. General optimism in the industry has been at its most subdued since mid-2013, while the latest estimates from the Office of National Statistics suggest that construction output contracted 0.5 per cent in third quarter of 2017, having shrunk by 0.3 per cent in the previous three months. Duncan Brock of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply said, “It appears that the continued fall in commercial activity was testament to Brexit-related uncertainty on the horizon and the sector’s fear about the direction of the UK economy as clients still hesitated to spend on bigger projects.” Howard Archer of …

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The Survey Association issues new guidance on specifying a utility survey TSA’s latest reference documents provide clarity for clients on PAS 128 compliance A new and definitive guide to specifying a PAS128 compliant utility survey, issued by The Survey Association (TSA), aims to demystify a complex technical area and improve communication between clients and practitioners. The Essential Guide to PAS128 2014 Utility Detection, Verification and Location, and the companion Mini Guide, are the first documents of their kind to include practical advice for clients on using PAS 128 to prepare the appropriate tender documents for their project. Written by TSA’s technical committee, with input from across the industry, the free-to-download guidance also provides clarity for professionals interpreting PAS 128 to deliver best practice utility surveys at the right price. …

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A brand new study conducted on behalf of a home insurance provider has revealed that the majority of young Britons would rather cancel their home contents insurance policies over less important financial outgoings, such as regular takeaway coffees, Netflix and gym subscriptions. As many as two thirds of young renters in the UK without home contents insurance believe the policies are ‘pointless’ for those who don’t own a home; with the majority believing that they will never need home insurance as they deem their homes to be safe. The team at www.CoverBuilder.co.uk polled 2,398 UK adults aged 18-30 as part of research into the perceptions and attitudes of young Britons towards protecting their valuables. All those taking part lived in a rented property, either by themselves …

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Award-winning UK construction, refurbishment and fit out contractor, Gilbert-Ash, has recently completed the Freemen’s School project in Ashtead, Surrey, including an engineered timber swimming pool. Replacing the school’s original pool building which was lost to fire in 2014, the project provides a purpose-built 25m, six lane competition pool with changing facilities and a multi-functional teaching and events space. Working closely with architects HawkinsBrown, the design and construction of the sustainable swimming pool sits gently within its natural woodland surroundings. Using state-of-the-art timber construction, a zinc wrap and offsite fabrication methods, the material palette complements the external setting creating a special environment for swimming. The construction of the pool includes a glue-laminated timber (glulam) portal frame, braced with cross-laminated timber …

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The construction of one million UK homes by 2020 seemed completely unachievable when it was set by the government. However, recently-released figures show that it can and has been done. A total of 217,350 new homes were built in the 2016/17 financial year, which puts the government on course to smash its goal by the year provided. But, did the sector just get lucky and can it do it again? One project that many in government and industry think could significantly boost the UK housing sector is garden villages — settlements built on brownfield land away from established communities. To find out what these construction projects are — and how they could affect your industry and the British economy as a whole — check out our article. The definition …

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Company Witnessed 5000%+ Increase In Northern Irish Home Insurance Sales MINUTES BEFORE Storm Ophelia A company specialising in providing home insurance has revealed that it sold 5,284% more policies to Northern Irish customers (compared to the daily average between 16th August 2017 and 16th October 2017), just minutes before storm Ophelia hit Ireland last month.   The team at CoverBuilder (www.CoverBuilder.co.uk), which provides home insurance to the growing number of homeowners who have issues finding cover for a multitude of reasons, witnessed a huge influx of home insurance sales from those living in Northern Ireland the same day that storm Ophelia hit the country. A subsequent poll of 1,039 Northern Irish homeowners aged 21 and over has found that as many as two thirds (66%) have looked …

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