Equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) has long been a topic that has dogged the construction industry. There’s no golden bullet for fixing decades of limited progress, but the steps being made in the industry at the moment are nothing but encouraging, according to executive chairman of Pagabo, Gerard Toplass. Anyone
Are you looking to make some changes to your delivery business’s daily operations to increase its efficiency? We’ve got your back! Running a courier business isn’t a walk in the park—there’s a fleet to maintain, expenses to control, and a team to manage. Still, increasing business efficiency and making it
CHAS, the supply chain risk management expert, is urging construction companies to use Blue Monday 2021 as an opportunity to take positive action around mental health, including taking advantage of free resources such as the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity’s (Lighthouse Club) mental health and wellbeing training and their Helpline App.
The winter holidays always carry a symbolic meaning of family, togetherness, and helping each other. People go back to visit their hometowns and spend time with their loved ones. It is the time we look forward to and gladly reminisce after many years. However, many of us don’t have that
THE end of the Brexit transition period has passed, and with it many rules and regulations are changing across the board for many industries – including construction. Jonathan Oram, national framework manager at Pagabo, discusses the changes expected in public sector procurement following the UK’s departure from the EU. What
When creating a new 21st Century community at the scale of a traditional small market town (circa 4500 homes, large enough for a secondary school), the most critical element is its town centre – its beating heart – a thriving social and economic anchor, on which lies its success, writes
Sleep experts Dormeo believe everyone deserves a good night’s sleep and are passionate about finding ways to improve the UK’s sleeping habits. In response to UK Houseplant Week (10th-15th January 2021), Dormeo have gathered everything you need to know on houseplants and their effect on sleep. Search trends for natural
Owing to the pandemic there is a certain amount of uncertainty in the market but there are still opportunities for buyers with the necessary capital to buy new homes. If you are looking to purchase a new house, it is essential to improve your credit score and get all your
Ramboll, BAM and Sweco arrive in Antarctic to start BAS Construction season following strict Covid-19 measures The next stage of building a scientific support facility in Antarctica begins this week [11 January 2020]. To avoid the risk of introducing COVID-19 to British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station, the construction
This month we ask Steve Blacker at award-winning property developers Kebbell to tell us a little more about a day in the life of a site manager. What made you first want to become a site manager? I was actually a carpenter but I was really intrigued about the running
Equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) has long been a topic that has dogged the construction industry. There’s no golden bullet for fixing decades of limited progress, but the steps being made in the industry at the moment are nothing but encouraging, according to executive chairman of Pagabo, Gerard Toplass. Anyone that works in property and construction will tell you that there is not enough diversity in the industry, despite great progress being made over the last decade in particular. Just one in eight people who work in the industry are female, while a 2018 report on diversity showed that just 5.4 per cent of workers in the sector are BAME. As Amos Simbo, founder of the BPIC Network, said on the latest episode of Pagabo’s Building Blocks podcast, the fact that the topic of equality, diversity and inclusion – or lack thereof – is even being discussed shows how things have progressed, and how seriously it is now being taken in the industry. But just discussing it is no longer enough. Unfortunately, there are decades of poor practice on this front that need to be undone, and it’s no easy task. The experiences of Faithful+Gould’s Ella Sanders – who was actively discouraged from a career in construction while at school – illustrate that there’s still a way to go to mitigate the damage that has been done in the past, which is the key contributory factor behind the ugly statistics. It’s not something that is going to be done overnight, but the slow and steady progress being made currently is absolutely a step in the right direction. Especially given the industry’s historically poor performance around ED&I, it’s also important that we benchmark ourselves against other industries, see how we stack up and take learnings from their approaches where appropriate. Jenny Hinde – who, as executive director of The Clear Company works in ED&I across several industries, including construction – told us on the podcast that there is a real push from people working within the industry to get things right on the ED&I front, but this is largely coming from the bigger organisations. These companies are looking to take the lead and not be driven by their clients on embracing ED&I. However, this initiative doesn’t yet seem to be permeating down to SME level to the same extent and getting this to happen is an important stage on the journey. As Dara Jafari, associate director and ED&I lead at Faithful+Gould pointed out on the podcast, there is an important distinction to make between the professional side of the industry and the site work side. While both face similar challenges in terms of ED&I – and there has been a genuinely positive shift towards embracing the importance of a diverse workforce – the approach to tackling this can’t be one-size-fits-all. It’s important not to forget the “inclusion” element of ED&I. Jenny touched on the use of divisive language – “blue collar” and “white collar” being a prime example – and even the difference between the terms of employment for on and off-site workers as key indicators of the lack inclusivity. The question – as she put it – doesn’t just need to be “how diverse are we?”, but “how diverse and inclusive are we?”. The good news is that the shift is definitely happening. Those on the podcast that dealt with public sector clients all agreed that they had seen greater focus on ED&I in bid documents, and importantly that shift had progressed from questions about simple compliance to ones asking more about how it is being delivered in practice. Most impressively, there also seems to be a desire from those clients to learn more about that delivery, and how they can replicate it within their own structures. Acting upon this self-awareness is absolutely critical to ensuring we handle these challenge in 2021 and beyond. As Dara pointed out, it’s one thing for a board of directors to identify that they potentially have improvements to make where it comes to ED&I, but it’s quite another for them to recognise that – for that very reason – they themselves may not be best placed to solve the problem. It’s a long battle, and not one that is going to be won overnight. However, the positive steps being taken across the industry show us that we are moving in the right direction. You can listen to the most recent episodes of Pagabo’s ‘Building Blocks’ podcast on Anchor and YouTube.
Are you looking to make some changes to your delivery business’s daily operations to increase its efficiency? We’ve got your back! Running a courier business isn’t a walk in the park—there’s a fleet to maintain, expenses to control, and a team to manage. Still, increasing business efficiency and making it into a successful business opportunity is possible if you have a good team and the right tools in place. But how do you increase your delivery efficiency? The secret to increasing delivery efficiency lies in your ability to utilize resources effectively. Even the smallest changes deployed can have a significant impact on your business. That said, here are some tips to help you increase your delivery service efficiency. 1. Set Priorities Any efficient delivery process starts with setting order priorities. This way, you’ll be able to easily identify stops that must be done at the beginning of your route based on an order’s importance or specified calendar date. But to achieve that, you’ll need to invest in route planner software. The best route planner apps let you set advanced parameters like priority stops and time-constraints. For instance, if you’re a courier and one of your clients needs their package delivered ASAP, you can prioritize that stop and your route planner app will optimize the fastest route for that stop. This not only increases delivery efficiency but also ensures customer needs are met, and on time. 2. Go Paperless You want your delivery agents and other staff to stay organized, right? That goal can easily be achieved by going paperless. Having a paperless office or processes will save you time that you’d have spent sorting, printing, and mailing filing papers. But when you go paperless, you’ll significantly improve delivery efficiency since you’ll be able to create, search, and store documents online. These online documents can be accessed anywhere and from any device. Plus, you’ll be able to quickly find any personal or business document you need, instead of spending hours digging through piles of file folders. 3. Focus on Customer Service In a crowded marketplace, making a positive impression can mean the difference between getting repeat customers and clients switching to the competition. That said, your success in the courier industry depends on how you treat your customers. Do they always complain of late delivery? What about pricing…are your customers concerned about your high prices? Are they satisfied by your mode of delivery and communication? If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, you’ll need to work on the areas of your business that are lacking. For instance, if your customers always call to inquire about delivery progress, you could invest in a route monitoring software that provides real-time updates to customers. If communication is the problem, you could open multiple channels of interacting with your clients, ranging from social media to live chats and more. 4. Limit Unauthorized Vehicle Use One of the benefits of investing in fleet tracking software is that you get to track your drivers and manage your fleet better. This not only helps you to track your vehicles in the event they get stolen but also helps to limit unauthorized vehicle use. If not tracked and monitored, your delivery drivers might divert from their scheduled route to attend personal errands in-between jobs. Worst of all, unscrupulous drivers might use your delivery vehicles for unrelated and unauthorized businesses. Such activities might paralyze business operations, cause wear and tear, and affect the overall fleet efficiency. Wrapping Up By incorporating the above strategies, you’ll stand to benefit from increased delivery efficiency and be able to stick to your commitments.
CHAS, the supply chain risk management expert, is urging construction companies to use Blue Monday 2021 as an opportunity to take positive action around mental health, including taking advantage of free resources such as the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity’s (Lighthouse Club) mental health and wellbeing training and their Helpline App. The third Monday in January is sometimes referred to as Blue Monday because it is supposedly the saddest day of the year due to the impact of post-Christmas blues, poor weather and stretched finances. With latest HSE figures showing mental health issues at work are on the rise and coronavirus exacerbating the issue, Blue Monday 18th January 2021, has the potential to be a particular low point. CHAS is using the day to raise awareness of the availability of free resources to help construction businesses and workers take positive action around the awareness of and management of mental health. The Lighthouse Club, which provides mental, physical and financial wellbeing support to the construction community, has several free resources including a free helpline, free training programmes and a free app, described as the ultimate self-help tool in the palm of your hand. CHAS has pledged an annual donation through the Lighthouse Club’s Company Supporter programme for several years and donates £1 for every satisfaction survey that a contractor completes. In addition, in 2021 CHAS will be highlighting the Lighthouse Club to its 30,000 contractors and 2,000 clients in every monthly newsletter and on the My Contractor Portal as a reminder that the charity is there whenever construction workers need them. Sarah Still, Marketing Communications Manager at CHAS comments: “The work of the Lighthouse Club is so important and like so many other charities at a time when their work is needed funding is squeezed. We have supported them for several years, during which time their work has touched many people’s lives and helped numerous construction workers and their families. “When we heard that they had lost £750,000 in 2020 due to the cancellation of all its events and organisations being unable to hold planned ‘Lighthouse Days’ we wanted to help ensure they could keep shining their light brightly even in these difficult times. In 2021 we will continue our financial support for the Lighthouse Club and we have also pledged to help them raise awareness of the essential work they do and the resources they provide.” Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity adds: “We are delighted to be partnering with CHAS to ensure that their members can access all the support they need and deserve, whether that’s support with mental, physical or financial wellbeing. As well as helping us spread the word they are also one of our valued Company Supporters who pledge an annual donation to ensure that we have predictable and sustainable income going forward. Thank you so much to everyone at CHAS for making sure that we achieve our mission of ensuring that no construction worker or their family is alone in a crisis.” Find out more about the Lighthouse Club at: https://www.lighthouseclub.org/ For more information on improving mental health in the workplace, see: https://www.chas.co.uk/blog/six-steps-to-improve-mental-well-being-in-the-workplace/
The winter holidays always carry a symbolic meaning of family, togetherness, and helping each other. People go back to visit their hometowns and spend time with their loved ones. It is the time we look forward to and gladly reminisce after many years. However, many of us don’t have that luxury. Many are either unable to leave home due to medical issues or have no family members. As much as we want to spend our time with our families, what better time to give back than for the holidays? What Is A Caregiver? If an elderly person is having medical difficulties, both mental or physical, they need assistance with daily tasks. A senior may be unable to walk, has trouble with dementia, or just needs company from time to time, so they don’t feel alone. There are many complex circumstances that make them feel left out and sometimes even afraid. A person who would take care of them part-time or would be fully devoted to them can be two different types of caregivers – a paid professional and a volunteer. Volunteering as a caregiver is not the same as taking this obligation as a professional. Certified professionals are already in the know with all their tasks and various approaches to work. A volunteer, on the other hand, is just that – someone who wants to help someone physically and emotionally but has no educational background. Responsibilities Of A Volunteer Caregiver Having certain skills is very much welcome especially when they need daily assistance such as feeding, bathing, transportation, and others. If you want to be prepared as much as possible, do research and learn before deciding to take responsibility for an elderly person. They have to fully rely on you so consider proper training and certifications. If you plan on helping others in the long run, take up caregiving training such as certified nursing assistant (CNA). However, a legitimate certification in CPR and First Aid is a good start and makes a difference in emergencies. Training such as this one can be attended online, so you can be flexible with your time. Seniors who don’t have any medical issues also need our help. If they have no one to turn to for simple daily errands or for pure company, volunteers from their community take the role of a friend. Here the tasks would be running errands, walking, medication reminders, chatting, playing board games, and so on. Their mental health is equally important, so doing all these activities improves their cognitive function and their mood. Also, there are many cases where the elderly person became a significant part of a volunteer’s life. After some time spent together and sharing stories, caregivers consider them family and include them in important milestones. Benefits Of Volunteer Caregiving Firstly and most importantly, the main reason you should be volunteering is helping a senior in need. They will be thrilled to have you as a caregiver but also as a friend. On the other hand, there are a lot of advantages for the caregiver as well. You will develop social skills and increase your self-esteem which will work for you later, both in your private life and career. When you look after someone, you may realize you should be caring for yourself more and start prioritizing what is important to you. The amazing feeling of purpose shakes you up and shows you what life is all about – being good to yourself and helping others. We are caught up in the day-to-day tasks, work, school, and fast-paced life. The amount of stress nowadays is immeasurable and it takes a toll on our health. Working as a volunteer caregiver, you clock off from your problems and leave everything behind you, even just for an hour. You focus on the person you are taking care of and make sure your time together is well spent. Through different activities such as a simple walk and a conversation can significantly reduce stress, lower your blood pressure and bring your mind and body into a peaceful state. To Conclude If this is new to you and you want to contribute, start step by step. Go to your local volunteer community. They will introduce you to all the possibilities and how you should start. You’ll meet members who can tell you their background and how it has changed their lives. The experience will benefit both the volunteer and the senior person. With these programs, you’ll be able to help many elderly people this holiday season. The feeling of having someone to call whenever they need assistance or a chat makes them feel safe, welcomed, and important. It is good to know someone thinks you are a reliable, kind, and giving person.
THE end of the Brexit transition period has passed, and with it many rules and regulations are changing across the board for many industries – including construction. Jonathan Oram, national framework manager at Pagabo, discusses the changes expected in public sector procurement following the UK’s departure from the EU. What will change? Jonathan said: “From the beginning of 2021, we are no longer bound by the EU Procurement Regulations, but the public sector remains bound by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR2015). Initially, the main impact of Brexit on the procurement process is that all future public sector opportunities will be advertised on Find a Tender, which replaces the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). “No longer bound by the EU’s regulations, the UK government has had the freedom to begin the process of reviewing the current suite of procurement regulations. The government’s ‘Transforming Public Procurement’ green paper – published last month – has some interesting thoughts around trying to bring public sector procurement into something that is more suitable for the sector as a whole, acknowledging that not one size fits all and that there are shortcomings in the current processes.” The proposals in the green paper are at initial exploratory stages, but procurement professionals will watch with interest to see how these will map into new policies in the future. Jonathan continued: “We are expecting to see amendments to PCR2015, most likely over the next 12 to 18 months – being re-released as PCR2022. There are already some additional requirements being implemented alongside the current PCR2015 requirements that tie into the government’s procurement strategies surrounding social value, carbon neutrality and SME engagements – with good examples of this being included in ‘The Construction Playbook’. “However, any future amendments would still have to be in line with the principles of the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which is an agreement for World Trade Organisation (WTO) members, including the UK. This would include embedding the principles of public procurement within the law and would expand on the three existing ‘EC Treaty’ principles of transparency, integrity, and fair treatment of suppliers to also include value for money, efficiency, and non-discrimination.” Increased flexibility will be key for the future of procurement Two areas that the green paper proposes are around updating and simplifying procurement procedures, as well as the types of resulting frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems, which will have the most impact. Jonathan said: “Within the procurement procedures, one of the more interesting proposals centres around what is being termed the Competitive Flexible Procedure. This would be similar to the existing Light Tough Regime, which is only applicable to procure specific social, health or other services. It would replace some of the existing procedures and give commercial teams the flexibility to design a compliant procurement process that meets both their needs and the needs of the market, which can only be seen as a good thing. “The green paper also talks about the possibility of open frameworks to introduce more flexibility. As it stands, frameworks are locked, meaning once suppliers are appointed there is currently no mechanism within the regulations to add on new suppliers during the term of the agreement. The proposed open type of framework would, at specified points, allow new organisations to bid, and for already appointed organisations to update their previously successful bid to reflect the prevailing market conditions. “The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) process is also set to be reviewed once more. The rules were made more user-friendly in PCR2015 when compared to PCR2006, but the expansion of the scope and flexibility of DPS could see it fit for wider purposes, with the creation of DPS+. Dynamic purchasing systems are starting to become more prevalent and are proving to be a very useful tool for public sector organisations in supporting local and social value agendas.” Centralised data to support SMEs and greater accountability Jonathan also predicts a tightening up around the past performance of suppliers and how that may influence a bid, saying: “As it stands, past performance can be considered when looking at a bidder’s application for tender, but it remains difficult to exclude them because of it. “At the moment we have the ‘prompt payments’ league table, which will see a company reviewed should they fall off it. What we may see introduced in the future is a reversed form of this, with the building of a supplier list whose performance can exclude them from procurement activity.” As well as increased flexibility, the government is working towards a centralised procurement database, on which company details will exist and link together with tender processes. Jonathan said: “In reality, this is something that has needed to happen for a number of years. Making this standard practice will really help to reduce costs, as well as remove barriers for SMEs, and help with government initiatives to engage with these companies more on procurement activity. “There is a proposed requirement to provide more information throughout the life of a contract. This could be via an opensource data standard such as Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS), which is used by more than 30 governments around the world and would allow more transparency and quicker transfer of information. By having this openness, supply chains will be able to run more smoothly and ensure that the correct suppliers can be engaged at the appropriate points. “Overall, any changes that come in the next few years will be positive ones from which the public sector will greatly benefit from. The introduction of much more flexibility is the key and will allow procurement and built environment specialists to work together and ensure that the best results are delivered for clients on a truly case-by-case basis.” For more information, please visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/
When creating a new 21st Century community at the scale of a traditional small market town (circa 4500 homes, large enough for a secondary school), the most critical element is its town centre – its beating heart – a thriving social and economic anchor, on which lies its success, writes Lord Matthew Taylor. In times gone by, towns would start up at a river crossing, crossroads or market square where travellers could rest and eat or simply wait for the ferry. Traders, innkeepers, blacksmiths, bakers and so forth would vie for the passing and resident trade. As demand grows, the street grows too alongside churches, schools, court houses and squares for markets and places to gather for public events and celebration. Over time, it becomes the High Street and the heart of the new town. England’s market towns are defined by these historic centres, with many traditional, although fewer modern, models to draw on. This was the vision of Ebenezer Howard, and delivered with the still thriving (and popular) centre in Letchworth Garden City, with a nod to Marlborough in Wiltshire or Faversham in Kent. Key Principles Looking ahead, I’d suggest four guiding principles for successful new Garden Communities: 1. A Clear Idea of Success The Garden Community Programme as a whole has to think beyond just attractive ‘homes and streets’. From the start there has to be both a clear vision of what success will look like, and even more critically, a clear, stage-by-stage delivery plan that will enable the sequencing and curation of this vision. 2. Human Scale Alongside this sense of place, communities that are planned with High Streets that are walkable, with densities that have an attractive, human scale urban form, are not just sustainable but also deliver better local commercial outcomes. Designing in focal points at the centre creates momentum of movement and patterns of behaviour, rather than losing people from day one to centres elsewhere. 3. Generating Local Economy Supporting a vibrant range of local enterprises and start-ups means including small premises with low rents, with low fit-out costs, below rateable value and suitable for a variety of uses. The best of these are proving not just resilient to the impact of the internet, but more and more attractive to locals. In Poundbury in Dorset, and Nansledan in Cornwall, an impressive range of shops, cafes and more were factored in at the start, with the early development curated to support and foster them. 4. Vibrant Settlements, not ‘Bolt-Ons’ The fundamental ambition of the Garden Community programme is to create new settlements that grow into vibrant 21st Century towns and villages – not commuter housing estates in the countryside. However, there is a notion that this historic quality and range of facilities cannot be delivered in a new community, and that the limited offer that can only be made viable late in the development, once significant housing has been delivered. Both views are a recipe for failure in place making. A wide range of shops and other facilities can thrive, if well planned, sized and priced for local entrepreneurs. creating the critical mass people will actually use. And this needs to grow with the community to establish patterns of internalisation and community from the earliest possible stages. Summary – Creating the beating heart In short, a successful community has to start with seeding a thriving centre. It will need to be planned from the beginning to grow this way, establishing a sense of place, and movement patterns that build local momentum. However, it does not rely purely on a backward glance to historic centres. New settlements such as Poundbury, with less than 1500 homes, have delivered distinct and successful retail neighbourhoods, coupled with a driving force of local entrepreneurs. Working out what that successful heart looks like, and then defining how it is sequenced and delivered, is the essential task. That is the only way to ensure that any new settlement, or major urban extension, meets the Garden Community ambition, the aspirations of the council, and above all what future residents will expect of a great community in the 21st century.
Sleep experts Dormeo believe everyone deserves a good night’s sleep and are passionate about finding ways to improve the UK’s sleeping habits. In response to UK Houseplant Week (10th-15th January 2021), Dormeo have gathered everything you need to know on houseplants and their effect on sleep. Search trends for natural remedies, plants and sleep have risen: SEOMonitor shows that searches for ‘home remedies for sleep’ has shot up 85% from this time last year, ‘natural sleep remedies UK’ has seen a 436% rise and ‘plant for good health’ has seen an increase of 133% ‘Bedroom indoor plants’ has risen 84%, and ‘bedside plants’ has shot up 250% Please find below Dormeo’s top five houseplants you should include in bedroom interior design to help achieve a peaceful night’s sleep: Lavender- Best houseplants for a deep sleep With a long history of medicinal use, studies found it not only improves sleep but energy, vibrancy and general wellbeing. Researchers also found that lavender increases ‘slow-wave sleep,’ often referred to as ‘deep sleep’ which plays an important part in memory consolidation and brain restoration. Perfect for helping you achieve a deep sleep, Lavender is proven to lower heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels. Lavender plants like to be kept warm and in sunlight, so make sure your plant is in a sunny location and don’t overwater! Aloe Vera- Best houseplants to purify the air Aloe Vera releases oxygen at night, helping improve air quality which means we get a better night’s sleep as a result. Aloe Vera is a succulent, which requires minimal watering as it retains moisture in it’s leaves – perfect for those who are less green-fingered. An additional benefit of Aloe Vera is that the gel from inside the leaves can be used to soothe skin irritations such as insect bites and burns. Peace Lilly- Best houseplants for increasing air humidity Peace Lilies are known for purifying our air and removing harmful toxins by clearing chemicals such as Benzene and Trichloroethylene from the air. Alongside this, peace lilies also add moisture to the air and can increase air humidity by up to 5%. This provides a better sleeping environment, as air that is too dry can irritate airways and even increase suffering from colds and other viruses. Peace Lilies grow luscious green leaves and beautiful white flowers, making them an aesthetic and useful addition to your bedroom décor. English Ivy- Best houseplants for allergy sufferers English Ivy is perfect for sufferers of allergies and those with breathing difficulties such as Asthma as the plant has been proven to remove indoor airborne mould, making breathing easier. Placing an English Ivy plant in your bedroom will surely improve the air quality for allergy sufferers but be careful, the plant is poisonous if eaten so keep away from kids and pets. Spider Plant- Best houseplants for a clear head NASA found the Spider Plant is excellent at purifying your air with tests showing that the plant is capable of removing 95% of harmful chemicals such as Formaldehyde, Benzene, Carbon Monoxide and Xylen from the air. Removal of such chemicals from the air can help reduce headaches and help you feel well rested and clearer headed when you wake. Spider Plants are also low maintenance and don’t require a lot of attention.
Owing to the pandemic there is a certain amount of uncertainty in the market but there are still opportunities for buyers with the necessary capital to buy new homes. If you are looking to purchase a new house, it is essential to improve your credit score and get all your finances and documents in order. The mortgage experts at Rex Homes Real Estate have some additional information on how you can turn your credit score around. Why Is It Is Important to Have A Good Credit Score? Credit score affects the amount you can borrow. Mortgage lenders always take the credit score into consideration when reviewing your mortgage application. A good credit standing is an indication to lenders that you are a good borrower and can be trusted to pay back the loan. An excellent credit score can help you obtain low-interest rates thereby allowing you to save thousands of dollars. How Can You Improve Your Credit Score? Multiple factors such as length of credit history, payment history, credit limit, and the amount you owe can influence your credit score. Here are 5 steps that you can follow to improve your credit score. Check for errors on your credit report Inaccuracies in the credit report can hamper your chances of mortgage approval. Some of the most common credit report errors include incorrect accounts, duplicate or fraudulent accounts, incorrect payment information, or outdated information. You should periodically check your credit score through the credit bureau and get any errors corrected by filing a formal dispute with the bureau. 2. Pay your debts and credit mix About 30% of your credit score is made up of your credit utilization which is based on the credit you have and the amount of it that you have used. If you have more than 25% of your credit amount in debt, then work toward paying your debts to get the amount down to less than 10% to boost your score. In addition to debt payment, a mix of credit also helps in increasing your credit score. 3. Pay your bills on time Your credit payment history usually accounts for 35% of your credit score. Late bill payments by just 30 days can reduce your credit score by almost 100 points. It is recommended to set up reminders and automatic payments to ensure that all your bills are paid on time. 4. Minimize your credit card spending It is best to start paying off your major credit card bills and keep your credit card utilization low in the months leading up to your mortgage application. This will keep your account balances in check at all times as you do not know when the lender will check your credit report. 5. Think before opening a new credit account New credit constitutes 10% of your credit score. If there are multiple credit inquiries in a short period, it may be a red flag to lenders as it shows that you are too reliant on credit. Hard credit checks can also lower your score. Hence, it is best to hold off on applying for new credit cards or taking out any large personal loans. If you are planning to buy a home, seek help from a good mortgage professional who can assist you in improving your credit score and finding the best prices based on your current credit.
Ramboll, BAM and Sweco arrive in Antarctic to start BAS Construction season following strict Covid-19 measures The next stage of building a scientific support facility in Antarctica begins this week [11 January 2020]. To avoid the risk of introducing COVID-19 to British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station, the construction team spent two weeks in quarantine and had three Covid-19 tests prior to making the almost 11,000 kilometre voyage by ship. A 20 person-plus team from BAS construction partners BAM, Ramboll and Sweco is working on the second season of building the cutting-edge science and operations building. Construction can only take place during a short window during the Antarctic summer months, avoiding the harsh, dark winter. This season the team aims to complete the pre-cast concrete foundations, ground floor slab, rock anchors and stub columns, as well as drainage and the perimeter wall, before returning in December to complete the outer structure. The new scientific support facility, named the Discovery Building, commemorates the discovery of Antarctica just over 200 years ago. The project is part of the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP). Facilities in the new two-storey 4,500m2 building include preparation areas for field expeditions, offices, a medical centre, recreational spaces (music room and climbing wall) and science workshops. The Discovery Building has a unique design, such as a thermally-efficient envelope to minimise energy use, along with heat recovery generators and photovoltaic solar panels. It also has a snow and wind deflector – the largest of its kind in Antarctica – to minimise time spent removing snow accumulation from around the building. Bright, open-plan offices foster collaboration and improve health and wellbeing of staff living in remote locations. Roof lights increase natural light and reduce the effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The project is delivered by the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation partnership, which includes construction partner BAM and their team, design consultants Sweco, Hugh Broughton Architects, with Ramboll acting as BAS’s Technical Advisers, with their team NORR architects and Turner & Townsend. Maurice Siemensma, Project Manager at BAM said: “We’re delighted to return for another construction season to Rothera, to undertake the installation of the foundations, the concrete perimeter walls, the underground drainage and completing the earthworks for the Discovery Building. Although this year’s construction season has been shortened, we have put together a programme to ensure we can continue progress on this crucial piece of infrastructure, which will support the construction works in the coming season substantially”. David Brand, Senior Project Manager at British Antarctic Survey said: “By working in collaboration with our construction partners and colleagues at BAS, we have planned this year’s construction season and overcome a number of challenges, including logistics and maintaining safety for our staff. This short season will see the completion of a vital stage of construction for this new facility at Rothera, which will help generations of scientists understand the future challenges of climate change.” The Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation (AIM) programme is commissioned by UKRI-NERC (Natural Environment Research Council. It aims to keep the UK at the forefront of climate, biodiversity and ocean research and will last between 7-10 years and is worth an estimated £100m. Find out more information on the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation programme on the British Antarctic Survey website: https://www.bas.ac.uk/polar-operations/antarctic-infrastructure-projects/
This month we ask Steve Blacker at award-winning property developers Kebbell to tell us a little more about a day in the life of a site manager. What made you first want to become a site manager? I was actually a carpenter but I was really intrigued about the running of a site and how it all came together so I progressed to an assistant site manager position and have been a site manager now for 20 years. What skills do you need to be a site manager? A trade background gives you a head start. You need to be knowledgeable about the build process and have some IT skills, to understand what works commercially, be good at problem solving and have a good eye for detail. Strong communication skills, being a team player and a people person are really important. What are your main responsibilities? I am responsible for the day-to-day running of a particular construction project being developed by Kebbell. I have one eye on the timescales and another on the budget of a project, and I manage any delays or problems encountered and deal with all the sub-contractors. I like to get the best out of the people on site and our designs. Encouragement and quality are key. I keep a close eye on snagging and do daily inspections. Tell me about your typical day? Really every day is different depending on things like deliveries, weather, snagging, who is on site, the stage of the development and so on. There is a lot of travel involved because I live in Welwyn Garden City and drive every day, and occasionally at the weekends, to whichever site I am working from. I get to site usually about 07:20 and spend the first part of the morning checking all of the tradespeople are okay and are aware of what the priorities of the day are. I order materials, I might deal with local residents or councillors or health and safety officers. Building inspectors do frequent visits at key stages. At about 16:45 I finish on site having made sure everything is locked up and is secure and I then head home and start looking forward to the weekend. I enjoy a clay-pigeon shoot! What are the best and hardest things about the job? The best thing is definitely taking a development from muddy field to building amazing new homes and then seeing buyers and their families move in. I enjoy seeing it all the way through. The hardest thing is when unexpected delays occur. Sometimes contractors or suppliers can’t meet deadlines which means schedules get pushed out which can be frustrating. Kebbell have an exceptionally high requirement level for quality and sometimes tricky conversations have to be had with tradespeople. What have you been working on lately? I have worked at Kebbell for five years, most recently on a new development of 8, two bedroom apartments called Misbourne House in Gerrards Cross which is set to complete in early 2021. One of the main issues I had to deal with on this project was getting hold of the materials we needed during both national lockdowns. I am shortly moving to a new site at Iver which will be a bigger build as a collection of 39, two and three bedroom luxurious apartments in three blocks with basement parking. The bigger project means more tradespeople on site. I like the variety but don’t really have a favourite project although I enjoy high end developments because of the even greater attention to detail needed. What has been your proudest moment? I was chosen for an NHBC Pride in the Job Quality Award in 2019 for the work I did as Site Manager at our Aubury Place development in London. We got top marks from an inspector and then I was chosen as award winner by a director of NHBC. We went to the awards dinner in Brighton and it was one of my proudest moments. How long do you stay on a project at any one time? It really depends on the size and build of the project. For example, I spent three years working on Aubury Place but just one year at Misbourne House. How has Covid-19 affected your job? It has mostly affected our suppliers and several times we have been close to the wire like nearly running out of roofing materials! As Misbourne House is made up of eight apartments social distancing was easily achieved by the tradespeople working separately in each apartment. What do you think makes Kebbell different from other housebuilders? Everyone at Kebbell is a team player and we always strive to deliver the best homes possible. We are always looking for any opportunities to enhance a house. For example, if it is possible to create a little more storage or change the position of a TV point, to maximise the flexibility of a room, we will take the time and effort to do that. It is often me who sees these opportunities whilst we are building so I will consult with Nick Kebbell, our Managing Director, and the rest of the team and together we perfect the change. We always think about how people will actually live in our homes and constantly question “would I be happy with that in my house?” If the answer is no then we make any changes necessary to turn it into a yes! What do you think makes a house a home? Family is what makes a house a home. To find out more visit https://kebbell.co.uk
