Responding to the government’s introduction of a new apprenticeship levy, BSRIA has expressed concern as to whether members will have to continue paying the statutory industry levy to CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) along with this levy and that such shake-up will “kill-off” the CITB. Government plans for a
The North East of England is to benefit from new public sector business opportunities in the construction industry as leading e-tender service provider Millstream Associates attends local event. Millstream Associates will be showcasing their flagship product Tenders Direct, at Constructionline’s North East Meet the Buyer event in Sedgefield, on Thursday 10th September 2015.
Build UK has marked its official launch by publishing an Action Plan to address key industry issues and in turn improve the delivery of projects and drive growth. Formed as a result of the merger between UKCG and NSCC, Build UK brings together 27 of the industry’s largest Main Contractors
It has been widely documented that the financial crisis has caused mass instability to the construction industry. However, in the past 18 months the industry has shown signs that it is bouncing back, and this recovery was underscored in a recent “State of the Trade” survey by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
The number of new homes being registered to be built across the UK continues to outperform 2014 levels, according to the latest NHBC figures for July. Following the strong figures reported for Q2 2015, the new statistics reveal an increase of 14% for the rolling quarter May – July, compared
Chancellor George Osborne has announced over £500 million of funding for the Royal Navy’s flagship submarine base, HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane, securing 6700 jobs and creating thousands more. The work, which will take ten years to complete, is expected to start in 2017 and will support thousands of
Two brothers have been fined for allowing employees to work at height unsafely after workers were spotted while building an agricultural farm building in Lewes. The brothers who are directors of building firm G E White and Sons Ltd had workers constructing a steel frame building at a property on
Viewpoint Construction Software has announced that Costain has selected Viewpoint as a technology partner, purchasing Field View (formerly Priority1). Field View offers contractors a flexible and powerful framework for re-engineering any paper-based process and managing day-to-day project operations like defect management, snagging/punch lists, quality control, auditing, compliance, and health & safety and
Responding to the government’s introduction of a new apprenticeship levy, BSRIA has expressed concern as to whether members will have to continue paying the statutory industry levy to CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) along with this levy and that such shake-up will “kill-off” the CITB. Government plans for a new all-industry apprenticeship levy could spell the end for the current CITB system, with construction firms left in the dark as to how the new levy will interact with the existing construction-only levy. A consultation has been launched asking employers for their views on the new levy plans, making it clear the government is considering scrapping the existing system. The consultation document states that the apprenticeship levy will be economy wide and larger employers in the construction and engineering construction industries will be in scope of the levy alongside all other larger employers in the UK economy. On that basis government and the industries need to decide how best the existing levy arrangements respond to the apprenticeship levy. One option is for employers in the construction and engineering construction industries to pay the new apprenticeship levy while continuing to pay the existing industry levy and if this were to happen, the CITB would expect companies in the industries to fund their apprenticeships using the apprenticeship levy. Another option is to potentially remove the statutory industry levy arrangements completely, so that employers only pay the apprenticeship levy. This would represent a significant change to training arrangements in the construction and engineering construction industries and CITB would need to understand what effects this would have on the skills and capabilities of the UK construction industry. Both the CITB and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board will consult with employers before the introduction of the apprenticeship levy on whether they should continue to pay the industry levy. Julia Evans, Chief Executive, BSRIA, said: “Quality apprenticeships are essential for our industry to help strengthen the economy, deliver the skills that employers need and give millions more hardworking people financial security and a brighter future. Skilled people are the lifeblood of a strong economy to meet the demands of a competitive, global market. We hope that our members don’t have to pay such levies twice over and that the future of the CITB is safe – especially as the training it provides is dedicated to the construction industry. Another concern is the impact of the levy on the SME (small and medium enterprises) where most apprenticeships are situated. Given that 99.9 per cent of construction companies are SMEs, the future and livelihood of their apprentices could be under threat if larger companies resent contributing towards this new levy, smaller businesses will inevitably feel the impact. These are worrying times for the outlook of our industry’s workforce.” This move forms part of the government’s pledge to support 3m apprenticeships by 2020, include a requirement to take a company’s apprenticeship offer into account when awarding large government contracts, and publishing new industry standards so apprentices have the skills that firms need. The all-industry levy is expected to come into force from April 2017. The Apprenticeship Levy consultation seeks views on: – paying the levy; – how the levy should work for employers who operate across the whole of the UK; – how to make sure that employers paying the levy have the opportunity to get more out than they put in; – how best to give employers control of apprenticeships.
The North East of England is to benefit from new public sector business opportunities in the construction industry as leading e-tender service provider Millstream Associates attends local event. Millstream Associates will be showcasing their flagship product Tenders Direct, at Constructionline’s North East Meet the Buyer event in Sedgefield, on Thursday 10th September 2015. The construction industry accounts for 6.1% of the total economic output in the UK, worth £103bn and resulting in 2.10million jobs in 2014. The industry has experienced fluctuations in growth since the recession, but from 2013 onwards there have been positive signs of growth. Private sector orders have increased and in Q1 of this year they were worth £15.3billion, with public sector orders worth £5.4billion and private sector infrastructure orders totalling £2.5bn.[ More than 4,000 private sector companies use Tenders Direct to find new business opportunities, of those over 950 are construction businesses, accounting for 22% of the customer base. In the last 12 months Tenders Direct has seen a 14% increase in public sector construction tenders in the UK and Ireland, with the number of available contracts rising to over 15,300. From January to July this year there has already been over 9,000 available construction contracts and these look set to steadily rise over the year. Tenders Direct has noted a significant increase in renewable energy tenders, including solar panels, geothermal/heat pumps, biomass heating, combined heat and gas and energy efficiency consultancy, around 35% more. There has also been a 25% increase in Architecture and Design team opportunities and an 8% increase in new build tenders, reflecting the governments Construction 2025 strategy and plans for growth in these areas of the construction sector. Tenders Direct managing director Tim Williams added; “Construction is a major source of tenders in the UK and Ireland, with the government reducing regulations and reforming the procurement of construction projects, this has reduced costs and opened further opportunities for small and medium sized companies. Around 70% of the construction tenders published over the past year have been below the EU threshold of £4.3million, which means they do not need to be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) These smaller, but still valuable, contracts are particularly attractive to smaller companies as there is much less competition from major contractors or overseas companies. Buyers are also being encouraged to break contracts down into smaller lots – which should make a huge difference for small companies in the construction sector.” “By attending this Meet the Buyer event we hope to be able to help companies in the North East, who are interested in supplying tenders to the public sector and inform them on how to find the right type and size contracts to increase their chances of winning tenders.” The Tenders Direct service provides private companies with comprehensive information on new business opportunities from the public sector. As well as helping to match companies with available tenders, the team will educate attendees to the event on the complexities of tender sourcing. Tenders Direct work with thousands of public sector organisations in the UK, Ireland and Norway to publicise their contracts, allowing direct access to contracts that many are unaware of. The dedicated research team solely identify contracts and include them within the Tenders Direct database – many of these are smaller contracts that would not be published by the Official Journal (OJEU) or on any other central resource. The Tenders Direct team, also manually categorise all tenders to ensure that only highly relevant opportunities are provided and therefore personalised to individual preferences and areas of specialism are sent to subscribers every day.
Build UK has marked its official launch by publishing an Action Plan to address key industry issues and in turn improve the delivery of projects and drive growth. Formed as a result of the merger between UKCG and NSCC, Build UK brings together 27 of the industry’s largest Main Contractors and 40 leading Trade Associations representing 11,500 Specialist Contractors. It provides, for the first time, a single voice for the whole of the contracting supply chain and offers a real opportunity to transform the construction sector. Build UK will initially focus on: The image of construction The industry’s skills needs Effective pre-qualification Health and safety performance Fair payment practices. By bringing together Main and Specialist Contractors and providing strategic leadership on these key issues, Build UK can help to drive best practice across the industry and improve productivity. Build UK Chief Executive Suzannah Nichol MBE said: “Today is the culmination of an exciting year bringing two leading organisations together and we are now looking forward to working with our members and partners to deliver real and lasting change on the issues that matter. By getting the right people around the table and having honest and open debates, we are confident that Build UK will be able to deliver progress, not just for the contracting supply chain but the wider industry and its clients.” The Build UK team will be attending the Construction Industry Summit in London on 8 and 9 of September where Suzannah will chair a session on Drivers for Growth within the Industry.
It has been widely documented that the financial crisis has caused mass instability to the construction industry. However, in the past 18 months the industry has shown signs that it is bouncing back, and this recovery was underscored in a recent “State of the Trade” survey by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). In a weighted, composite measure that combines workload, expected workload and enquiries, Scotland’s net balance increased by 10 points to 14%, the highest return since the end of 2007. One area which is particularly flourishing is South Ayrshire. Kier Construction are currently in the final stages of preparation for projects at Ayr Academy and Marr College. Contracts Manager for the projects, Philip McDowell, recently spoke of the projects’ impact on the local economy. “The projects’ will have a significant impact on the South Ayrshire economy over the next 2 years and beyond. Some of our supply chain partners from the region have invested in plant and infrastructure to meet the requirements of the secure and visible pipeline of work. In addition, we are committed to working with hub South West and SAC to actively encourage small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to join our hub SW Supplier Network. Through this we provide local contract opportunities and help potential suppliers secure work via the Supply Chain Institute. Additional support is also available via our Skills Academy generating work placements, apprenticeships and training opportunities.” Philip will be joining Gordon Reid on stage at Scotland Build 2015 this November to give an update on the first stages of the projects, as well as the opportunities these projects offer the Ayrshire economy. The talk is part of a wider event highlighting the success of the Scottish construction industry. Taking place at the SECC, Glasgow on the 25th & 26th of November, this 2 day trade show and conference will feature the leading contractors and suppliers who are facilitating the booming recovery. Scotland Build is free to attend, and will feature 22 CPD accredited training workshops. For full details on the event visit www.scotlandbuildexpo.com , or email marketing@oliverkinross.com.
The number of new homes being registered to be built across the UK continues to outperform 2014 levels, according to the latest NHBC figures for July. Following the strong figures reported for Q2 2015, the new statistics reveal an increase of 14% for the rolling quarter May – July, compared to the same period last year, with 43,684 new homes registered in the UK (32,521 private sector; 11,163 public sector). Last year, 38,365 new homes were registered in the same three month period (28,804 private sector; 9,561 public sector). The public sector increased by 17% during this time, when compared to the same period last year, providing further evidence of noticeable growth as a result of the changes to, and the extension of, the Affordable Homes Programme. As the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC’s registration statistics help to provide new and accurate data on the country’s new homes market. In July, registrations increased by 12%, with 14,876 new homes registered (11,270 private; 3,606 public) compared to 13,320 in the same month last year (10,389 private; 2,931 public). Commenting on the latest registration statistics, NHBC Chief Executive Mike Quinton said: “Following the strong growth we reported in our quarterly statistics, it is pleasing to see this progress continue into the second half of 2015. However, as we have continually stressed since housing output began to increase two years ago, the UK is still building way below the volumes of homes that we desperately need.” NHBC UK statistics for May – July 2015 show that: During May – July 2015, the number of registrations was 43,684, a 14% increase on last year (38,365). Of these: Private sector registrations in May – July 2015 increased by 13% (32,521), compared with the same period last year (28,804). Public sector registrations in May – July 2015 increased by 17% (11,163) when compared to the same period last year (9,561).
Chancellor George Osborne has announced over £500 million of funding for the Royal Navy’s flagship submarine base, HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane, securing 6700 jobs and creating thousands more. The work, which will take ten years to complete, is expected to start in 2017 and will support thousands of jobs. More than £500 million will be spent on ship lifts, sea walls, jetties and other major projects to ensure Faslane continues as a world leading naval base; home to Astute and Successor submarines, their crews and engineers until at least 2067. This announcement follows the Chancellor’s pledge at the Summer Budgetto maintain the NATO commitment to spending at least 2% of GDP annually on defence, making the UK the only major world economy which meets both the NATO target and the 0.7% on international aid target. Faslane is the largest military establishment in Scotland, and alongside Portsmouth and Devonport is one of three major naval hubs. From 2020, Faslane will be the Royal Navy’s ‘Submarine Centre of Specialisation’ which means all of the UK’s underwater capability will be based in Scotland. The Ministry of Defence also expect to base Successor class submarines at Faslane when they come into service from 2028. Currently the base hosts around 6,700 military and civilian staff and contractors, but this is expected to increase to about 8,200 by 2022 based on submarine capacity alone, with today’s additional infrastructure development also contributing thousands of jobs. Speaking from Faslane, the Chancellor said: Today’s announcement of more than £500 million demonstrates the UK government’s commitment to investing in the infrastructure and capability to ensure that Faslane remains the centre of UK submarine operations for the next generation. I’m proud to say that this government continues to recognise that our brave Armed Forces across Britain have always been resolute in defence of liberty and the promotion of stability around the world. That’s why I recently committed to meet the NATO pledge to spend 2% of our national income on defence every year of this decade. A strong and secure country is vital to both our prosperity and national security. There will be thousands more jobs right here in Faslane, as well as across the UK supply chain. Across Scotland, around 12,600 people work in defence and my defence spending commitments will secure these jobs and provide huge opportunities for defence, security and technology companies all over the UK. The government’s investment in defence will also support the UK’s defence and security exports industry. In 2014, UK defence and security exports totalled nearly £12 billion, making the UK the second-largest exporter of defence and equipment services after the USA. Recent examples of UK export success include Rolls Royce engines for the French A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft, MBDA’s advanced short range air to air missiles to India, and Thales ForceShield integrated air defence system plus Starstreak missiles to Indonesia.
Two brothers have been fined for allowing employees to work at height unsafely after workers were spotted while building an agricultural farm building in Lewes. The brothers who are directors of building firm G E White and Sons Ltd had workers constructing a steel frame building at a property on Blakeney Avenue, Lewes on 17 March 2015. An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) told the court he saw roof sheets being fitted at approximately four to five meters from the floor with no safety netting or scaffold, and workers standing on roof sheets. They were immediately served with a Prohibition Notice preventing them from continuing work until the safety issues were remedied. However when HSE visited the site again six days later the structure was only half netted and one side of the scaffold had been removed. The court heard back in 2011 exactly the same issue had been identified on another site on the Directors and an Improvement Noticed had been issued to their company, G E White and Sons Ltd to put in place a management system. Jason and Gary White, both directors of construction firm G E White & Sons Ltd, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for failure to comply with Section 4 1(c) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Worthing Magistrates’ Court. Jason White of Chapel Field House, Lewes, East Sussex and his brother Gary White of The Meadows, Lewes, East Sussex were each fined £6000 and ordered to pay costs of £1362 between them.
Viewpoint Construction Software has announced that Costain has selected Viewpoint as a technology partner, purchasing Field View (formerly Priority1). Field View offers contractors a flexible and powerful framework for re-engineering any paper-based process and managing day-to-day project operations like defect management, snagging/punch lists, quality control, auditing, compliance, and health & safety and environment through the power and simplicity of tablets. After a thorough review to find the most suitable mobile system, Costain selected Field View and plans to implement its use companywide in an effort to reduce the amount of paperwork required on jobs. “Field View is a way of digitizing our paper-based forms out in the field. Instead of taking a traditional sheet of paper around to several locations for signatures, a digital form can be distributed to multiple people for approval instantly,” stated Costain Mobile BIM Technician, Harrison O’Hara. “This saves not only time, but also paper, which equates to both efficiency and carbon reductions.”
