30 August 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has announced the combination of its engineering services and engineering construction businesses to create Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick. Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, a circa £300 million revenue business, will be “at the forefront of the industry and will better serve
Ofgem has laid out in detail the competitive selection process it plans to introduce to the ownership of onshore transmission assets. The regulator will use the late competitively appointed transmission owners (CATO) model, comprising of three evaluated tender stages to assess a bidder’s suitability, experience and expertise
Some 1.6 million UK home owners have bought home insurance from their lender and many mistakenly believe they cannot switch for a better deal, according to a new survey. Some 30% or 466,200 households believe their home has to be insured with their mortgage lender as a condition of the
Aviva Investors, represented by international real estate advisor Savills, has sold a retail warehouse let to The Range in Truro to Ridge Hill Investments Ltd for £7.25 million, reflecting a net initial yield of 6.22%. The home, leisure and garden retailer occupies the unit, which compries 37,152 sq ft (3,451
A large majority of tradespeople are not getting the most out of their websites, and could be missing out on possible new business opportunities, according to a new study. IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest online and mail order supplier of ironmongery products to the trade, analysed the websites of 240 trade
A rogue builder who tricked homeowners out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has today (20th July) been jailed for fraud. Dennis Pickerden, 46, ran a number of building companies in north-east Lincolnshire. He developed a sophisticated scam to convince his victims to part with over a quarter of a
Spie UK has been awarded an £8 million contract by Kier in order to carry out the mechanical and electrical, or M&E, work on a new secondary school campus. Kier is constructing the William McIlvanney Campus in Kilmarnock, a project that has been valued at £45.3 million and will combine
45 global organisations have joined together in order to release a new measurement system that is expected to reduce the risk encountered on construction projects. The newly created International Construction Measurement Standards intend to reduce the infrastructure investment risk. A range of different organisations were a part of the 45
The specialist recruitment company, Hays has formed a collaboration with the BIFM after hosting a series of talks at the BIFM Careers Zone which took place as part of the Facilities Show 2017. The collaboration that has been formed between the two companies have released an extensive guide designed to
A team of London designers and a Guardian living scheme have teamed up together to develop a radical new design concept which is set to provide young people with an alternative to high rental rates in central London locations and re-assesses how vacant space can provide a sustainable approach to
30 August 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has announced the combination of its engineering services and engineering construction businesses to create Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick. Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, a circa £300 million revenue business, will be “at the forefront of the industry and will better serve its customers through drawing on the strength of expertise that already exists within the two businesses”, according to the organisation. In a statement the company said the move would help it to “be in a strong position to leverage economies of scale in local markets and provide added value for its customers around cost, quality and efficient delivery”. Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick will be led by managing director Simon Lafferty, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the mechanical and electrical sectors. He will continue to report to Dean Banks, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s UK Construction Services. Banks said: “The mechanical and electrical engineering sector is dynamic and requires breadth and depth of expertise, quality of delivery and significant capability. This move ensures we can fully leverage the huge experience and unrivalled scale we have within Balfour Beatty.” Lafferty added: “Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick will be one of the largest organisations of its type in the UK, offering a range of services and capabilities unique in the mechanical and electrical market.” Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick’s capabilities will span the nuclear, power, infrastructure, process and defence, transport, healthcare, education, residential and commercial sectors. It will offer additional capabilities through its in-house modular manufacturing facility, Modular Systems +, which delivers “innovative and value engineered solutions, and its industrial mechanical pipe fabrication facility, which manufactures and installs large, complex, low and high-pressure fabricated piping systems”. The company’s current contract portfolio includes works on the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers project, Urenco’s Tails Management Facility project, Crossrail’s Woolwich and Whitechapel stations, the Gatwick Airport Framework and three major projects within the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency’s Sellafield site. The company also has preferred bidder status for the Hinkley Point C Nuclear power station main electrical package. Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick employs a direct workforce of 2,200 across the UK. Source link
Ofgem has laid out in detail the competitive selection process it plans to introduce to the ownership of onshore transmission assets. The regulator will use the late competitively appointed transmission owners (CATO) model, comprising of three evaluated tender stages to assess a bidder’s suitability, experience and expertise alongside their proposals for the project. Ofgem will consult with industry on its proposals for the tendering of CATOs, as well as how their revenue will be structured, risk allocation, and obligations and incentives, with a view to being ready to run competitive tenders from mid-to-late 2017. Ofgem decided through the integrated transmission planning and regulation project which reviewed the arrangements for planning and delivering the onshore, offshore and cross-border electricity transmission networks in Great Britain to introduce competition to onshore assets. It is also currently reviewing responses to an earlier consultation on the identification process for where a competitive tender can be run and proposals for conflict mitigation measures. Ofgem said it will set out its decisions based on the consultations at the end of 2016 or early 2017. It will also publish outline draft tender documents, with a view to developing a draft CATO licence by Spring 2017. It is also simultaneously progressing assessments of specific projects to establish how to apply the generic regime to specific cases. Ofgem will outline its initial view by the end of the year on whether to tender the North West coast connections project. The consultation closes on September 29. Source link
Some 1.6 million UK home owners have bought home insurance from their lender and many mistakenly believe they cannot switch for a better deal, according to a new survey. Some 30% or 466,200 households believe their home has to be insured with their mortgage lender as a condition of the loan and 6% were told by their lender that it was a mandatory purchase. On top of this 24% think switching away from their lender’s insurance will invalidate their mortgage, according to the survey from Gocompare Home Insurance. Overall it found that 14% of home owners arranged their home insurance through their mortgage lender and 30%, almost half a million home owners, believed that they had to arrange their home insurance through their mortgage lender as a condition of their mortgage deal. And 24% of borrowers who arranged their insurance with their lender think that switching their insurance to another provider will invalidate their mortgage while 12% say they felt under pressure to buy their lender’s home insurance and 6% said they were told by their mortgage provider that they had to. Protecting a property with adequate buildings insurance, typically against fire, flooding, subsidence and storm damage, is as a requirement made by all mortgage lenders. Buildings insurance provides financial protection for the borrower, and ultimately the lender, from damage to the main structure of the home. While most lenders offer home insurance, borrowers are not obliged to buy it for them. However, the practice of compulsory home insurance tied-in mortgage deals was never formally outlawed despite promises to do so in the late 1990s. When questioned why they had opted to buy their lender’s home insurance, the survey revealed a mixture of misunderstanding, misplaced trust in their mortgage lender and consumer apathy. For example, 14% thought buying their lender’s home insurance might help with their mortgage application, 9% said they didn’t realise they could buy cover elsewhere, 22% said that their lender gave reassurances that the product was good value, 50% think that their mortgage lender provides the best value cover for their home insurance and 49% had opted to do so out of convenience. The survey also found that 72% hadn’t compared products and prices offered by other providers and 34% of home owners who arranged cover through their lender didn’t check cover levels and excesses to make sure they were buying the right policy. According to statistics published earlier this year by the Association of British Insurers, the main reasons for household insurance claims being rejected included the claim value being below the policy excess and the incident not being adequately covered by the policy. ‘We were shocked to find that so many people still think that their mortgage offer is conditional on buying their lender’s home insurance, and that a significant minority are essentially in a mortgage linked insurance trap, believing that switching away from their lender’s insurance will invalidate their mortgage,’ said Ben Wilson from Gocompare Home Insurance. ‘We were also concerned that a handful of lenders could be exploiting their relationship with their customers by pushing them to buy their insurance cover. If you have a mortgage on your home, then your lender will require you to protect your property with buildings insurance but it’s up to you where you buy that cover from,’ he explained. ‘While buying cover offered by your lender alongside your mortgage may seem an easy option, you might find you’re paying well over the odds. And over the lifetime of a mortgage, failing to regularly shop around for a good deal on home insurance could cost £1,000s in lost savings,’ he pointed out. ‘As well as finding a good value policy, you also need to make sure it covers all the things that are important to you, plus any minimum cover levels your lender may require, and comes with excesses that you can afford,’ he added. BOOKMARK THIS PAGE (What is this?) Source link
Aviva Investors, represented by international real estate advisor Savills, has sold a retail warehouse let to The Range in Truro to Ridge Hill Investments Ltd for £7.25 million, reflecting a net initial yield of 6.22%. The home, leisure and garden retailer occupies the unit, which compries 37,152 sq ft (3,451 sq m) of ground floor space and a 15,000 sq ft (1,393 sq m) mezzanine, for a rent of £481,227 per annum on a lease with 15 years unexpired. The property is situated within the main retail warehousing hub of the Cornish city of Truro, between Threemilestone Retail Park and Treliske Retail Park. Andrew Coles, asset manager at Aviva Investors, comments: “This sale is in line with our investment strategy and demonstrates the continued ‘post-Brexit’ appetite in the market for long term, secure income.” Ridge Hill Investments Ltd was represented by Strutt & Parker. Source link
A large majority of tradespeople are not getting the most out of their websites, and could be missing out on possible new business opportunities, according to a new study. IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest online and mail order supplier of ironmongery products to the trade, analysed the websites of 240 trade companies from across the UK, including those of builders, joiners, shop fitters and construction firms. The research found that 56% of the websites analysed contained content that had been duplicated across the site or had appeared elsewhere on the internet, therefore reducing the website’s search visibility. On average, construction firms were most likely to be making this mistake with 62% of this sector including copied content on their websites. The study also revealed that 33% of the websites investigated failed to include a call-to-action, which means they are reducing the opportunities for potential customers to contact them or make an enquiry. Of all the websites analysed, those in the carpentry sector (80%) were most likely to include a contact form or enquiry box, whereas construction firm websites were least likely to have one (42%). Using a quality content management system (CMS) to power a website helps businesses to manage a website and its content easily, as well as improve site maintenance. But only 45.5% of trade companies have a CMS system in place. And only 10% of the websites contained blog posts, which are useful for displaying business news and examples of their great work to customers. Wayne Lysaght-Mason, managing director at IronmongeryDirect, said: “When it comes to promoting a business and bringing in new customers, having a well designed and easy-to-use website can really help to boost visibility. “However our research reveals that the majority of tradespeople are still not investing in a quality website to help attract new or existing customers, with many not even having a call to action or using duplicated content. “Duplicated content on a website reduces its search engine visibility because the search engine does not know which version of the content is more valuable. As a result, the website will be pushed further down the search rankings, reducing the chances of customers finding the company. And if people can’t find them or can’t contact them, they are likely to take their custom elsewhere. “Websites are a valuable tool for businesses to shout about the great work they are doing so tradespeople should be reviewing their website’s content regularly, and utilising blogs and case study sections to showcase their work to potential customers. Those that invest in creating a good website or begin to do so will have a greater advantage when it comes to gaining more custom and increasing brand awareness.” To help tradespeople wanting to learn how digital marketing can grow their business, IronmongeryDirect has created a downloadable guide with some basic tips to support both novices and those already investing in promoting their business online. The guide offers advice on how to build a high quality website and making the site more search engine friendly, as well as the importance of including calls-to-action so customers can get in touch easily. It also includes information on how business owners can save hundreds of pounds on marketing activities. For more information and to access the digital marketing guides, visit http://www.IronmongeryDirect.com/toolbox
A rogue builder who tricked homeowners out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has today (20th July) been jailed for fraud. Dennis Pickerden, 46, ran a number of building companies in north-east Lincolnshire. He developed a sophisticated scam to convince his victims to part with over a quarter of a million pounds in total. Pickerden approached potential customers by cold-calling or visiting their homes. Homeowners were provided with references, portfolios of work and even DVDs to convince them he was reliable and trustworthy. Then extremely low quotes were given so they entered into a contract. Pickerden undertook a variety of projects including extensions, loft conversions and paving driveways. Work would get underway, but before long problems would arise, progress would slow, and clients would be asked to make further payments. Eventually he would ensure that there was a major disagreement and walk off the job leaving work unfinished and often in a dangerous state. Many victims lost their life savings and their homes. Several were so distressed by their experiences they have been left with long-term health issues including depression and stress. Pickerden pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading at an earlier hearing, and was today sentenced to six years and nine months in prison at Sheffield Crown Court. Arslan Khan of the CPS said: “Dennis Pickerden started building projects with no intention of ever finishing them. The work his companies undertook was shoddy and often dangerous. He repeated the same fraud over and over again, deliberately abusing homeowners’ trust. “His victims were left out of pocket. Some have lost their homes and others have serious health conditions that will need long-term treatment. “Pickerden’s offending was carefully planned and so extensive that prosecutors were able to show that it amounted to serious fraud. I hope today’s sentence will provide some sense of justice to those whose lives he affected.”
Spie UK has been awarded an £8 million contract by Kier in order to carry out the mechanical and electrical, or M&E, work on a new secondary school campus. Kier is constructing the William McIlvanney Campus in Kilmarnock, a project that has been valued at £45.3 million and will combine Kilmarnock Academy, James Hamilton Academy, New Farm Primary, Silverwood Prim and an Early Childhood Centre. There will also be a third new school created that will replace the provisions that was offered at Onthank Primary School and Grange Academy. As part of the construction project, Spie UK will supply a range of services to the site. These include: low temperature hot water, heating systems that include underfloor heating, domestic water services, syphonic drainage, data-voice, LV Switchgear, stand-by generator, lighting and power, combined heat and power unit, ventilation, fire sprinkler system, fire alarms and security systems. Spie will also be fitting a daylight-linked PIR lighting control system. A part of this feature will be an absence detection in classrooms. When this project is completed it is thought that the school will have the capacity for 1,465 secondary students, 383 primary pupils and 160 early years places. This means that the construction will be able to accommodate children from 2 to 18 when the William McIlvanney Campus is completed. In the past Spie has worked for Kier in order to carry out a multi technical services worth £7 million at Garnock Community Campus for North Ayrshire Council. Spie was selected for the work as they have a great deal of knowledge in the mechanical and electrical sectors as well as being known for their energy management, which will be useful for this new Kilmarnock Campus. The tam at Kier are pleased to be working with Spie again and knows that their expertise will allow the company to deliver an innovative solutions for the modern school construction.
45 global organisations have joined together in order to release a new measurement system that is expected to reduce the risk encountered on construction projects. The newly created International Construction Measurement Standards intend to reduce the infrastructure investment risk. A range of different organisations were a part of the 45 that formed a coalition to create the standards. Among the number was the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors as well as the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors, the Indian Institute of Quantity Surveyors and the International Cost Engineering Council. Infrastructure projects that are carried out around the world all have different ways to forecast the cost of construction. This inconsistency means that investment can be risky and lead to confusion as investors find themselves unable to compare schemes. The creation of the International Construction Measurement Standards works to form a standard high level presentation of costs for projects. This standardisation shows the cost of construction at a project, regional, state national or international level and offers a consistent measurement on a global scale. This newly created system will also be beneficial to the construction industry as it will make investment decisions more simple and remove one of the barriers for investment in this industry. This could lead to improved global construction project benchmarking, which means that investor confidence can also be built, appeal more to private sector investors. Arcadis is one of the companies that has committed to making sure that the new measurements are used in The UK. Arcadis also works in 40 different countries, with projects in 70 different countries. One standard cost measuring systems will incredibly beneficial, removing the need to convert the costs into the for required format for the country. This standard will remove the inconsistency experienced by companies working internationally as well as the helping the companies offer a better value for money service.
The specialist recruitment company, Hays has formed a collaboration with the BIFM after hosting a series of talks at the BIFM Careers Zone which took place as part of the Facilities Show 2017. The collaboration that has been formed between the two companies have released an extensive guide designed to help those who are looking for a successful career within the facilities management sector. Both BIFM and Hays have worked together to create the guide as a resource that can be utilized as a part of the job hunting process and covers the basics such as setting out your CV to more detailed advice about how applications can then be tailored to a particular role in the Facilities Management sector. Another sector of the guide refers to how social media can be used for job searching as well as how they can have a negative impact on your job search. The guide focuses on recommending platforms that can be used to promote personal branding and the different ways of making sure that your social media can be used to showcase your skills and career interests. Also available in the Hays and BIFM guide is thorough advice for the interviewing process and how best to follow up afterwards. The Facilities Management field is diverse and offers a wide range of different job roles, the partnership between BIFM and Hays will hopefully promote this as well as the constantly changing nature of the sector in order to attract more people to start a career in this sector. The Guide: ‘ Finding a Job in Facilities Management; Your Guide to Success’ is available online and will aid people as they try and navigate the job hunting process during a period where demand is getting more and more fierce and the process of finding work at all is getting more and more complex.
A team of London designers and a Guardian living scheme have teamed up together to develop a radical new design concept which is set to provide young people with an alternative to high rental rates in central London locations and re-assesses how vacant space can provide a sustainable approach to affordable living in city centres. Lowe Guardians is a property management company providing quality, affordable, inspiring accommodation for London’s young professionals by making the most out of vacant buildings and providing a place to live and thrive. At the same time, it provides property owners with a low-cost, professional and reliable solution to keeping their building secure. Lowe Guardians currently occupy many forms of vacant space; from offices, warehouses and pubs to police stations all on a short term basis. Teaming up with Studio Bark, a pioneering architectural practice that delivers cost conscious environmental architecture, Lowe Guardians has developed a modular SHED concept which can be constructed in a day within an otherwise abandoned property, creating a high quality, affordable accommodation unit for young professionals, keyworkers and creatives. Studio Bark first came into the public eye when their sustainable, private home ‘Periscope House’ was featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs. Recent research conducted by Lowe Guardians found that there are currently 600,000 empty properties across the UK that could be used for temporary residency using the new SHED solution. This includes thousands of prime sites in central London. Tim Lowe, Director, Lowe Guardians, said: “The vacant buildings we assess can vary hugely in both condition and function. Sometimes the sheer or size or layout of properties means we are unable to take them on. Derelict warehouses remain a huge, untapped potential for us that could benefit Guardians and property owners alike. “However, the reality is that turning vast, open spaces into private rooms for Guardians has always been both tricky and time consuming. Our aim is to help London professionals and keyworkers as much as we can and this means taking on larger vacant buildings that offer huge potential for providing quality accommodation. “The SHED concept provides a safe, sustainable alternative for workers seeking short-term accommodation. In every site we occupy, we fit the spaces out to a habitable standard but this has historically created a considerable amount of waste; both financially and environmentally. We were looking for a solution which allowed us to much more creative with the space, and take everything with us when we went onto the next site.” Each SHED takes one day to build and is made of lamb’s wool insulation, oriented strand board (OSB), and recycled polyester. The SHEDS come in varying sizes but start at around 120 sq ft. As a flexible solution for the short term, and a responsible solution for the long term, the SHED provides an environmentally friendly, self-contained solution for each individual Guardian. It takes a day to build and dismantle and can be rebuilt on another premises which minimises waste. It can also be decorated or changed by Guardians that are passionate about the space they occupy. Tim Lowe, said. “Many of our Guardians live fast-paced, transient lifestyles. In some ways, this makes it even more important that at the end of a busy day, they have a private space that is entirely personal to them. Our Guardians want to have an impact on the space they live and the bespoke nature of the shed allows them to do that.” “Although our primary focus is on housing property Guardians in the vacant sites, there are multiple areas where the SHED concept can be used in and we see real scale in being able to use this system to make a genuine change in housing in London, the UK and the rest of the world, helping to alleviate homelessness and providing a solution to the refugee crisis.”
