By Jordan Marshall2021-02-09T13:14:00+00:00
Cabinet Office appoints lawyer to establish gold standard for public sector work as part of Construction Playbook reforms
The Cabinet Office has launched an independent review of construction frameworks as part of the implementation of its Construction Playbook reforms.
Cabinet Office minister Lord Agnew has confirmed David Mosey, professor of construction law at King’s College London, will lead the review to establish a gold standard against which proposed frameworks can be measured. The review will also consider standard contract terms and training packages.
David Mosey
The aim is for this to enable contracting authorities to identify which frameworks meet the practices and policies set out in the playbook in December in order to make the delivery of public sector work more efficient and sustainable.
Peers questioned minister Lord Martin Callanan over the government’s lack of progress on retentions reform.
Lord Callanan, a junior minister at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy whose remit includes corporate responsibility, said the government is still working with the Construction Leadership Council and others to try to reach a consensus on retentions.
His comments maintained the government’s neutral stance on the controversial topic, set out in February last year as it published the results of a public consultation on retentions reform. The consultation concluded three years ago, in January 2018.
In the House of Lords debate, crossbench hereditary peer Lord Aberdare, Alastair Bruce, noted that it is also three years since the collapse of Carillion, which resulted in “many small construction firms losing hundreds of millions of pounds in retentions”. He asked: “What are the government doing now to prevent small construction firms, already un
Tony Kay has joined Construction Alliance North East s board. THE Construction Alliance North East (CAN) has continued its expansion. Tony Kay, the president of the Northern Counties Builders Federation (NCBF), has become the latest addition to the board as the regional alliance targets procurement opportunities for North-East contractors in 2021. Mr Kay brings a wealth of experience. As commercial director at Classic Masonry and Bespoke Concrete Products, he has more than 35 years of experience in the industry. Starting out as a quantity surveyor, he has also worked with English Heritage, William Anelay Ltd and Northumbria University. Mr Kay said: “CAN has a crucial role to play in championing regional companies.
By Tom Lowe2020-12-21T13:55:00+00:00
France’s 48-hour ban on freight hauliers from Britain began last night
Construction firms could face extra costs after France shut its border with the UK for 48 hours last night in an attempt to contain a new, more contagious strain of covid-19.
Source: Shutterstock
Around 10,000 lorries a day travel between Dover and Calais during peak periods such as Christmas
EU member states are currently meeting to discuss a coordinated response after France shut its border with the UK at 11pm last night.
It means no lorries or ferries have been able to sail from Dover since while Eurotunnel said travel from the UK to France has also been suspended – although the route was still open for travel and goods coming in the opposite direction.
By Elizabeth Hopkirk, Tom Lowe2020-12-21T16:11:00+00:00
Long delays could lead to product and contract inflation, says Jack Pringle
The border crisis could lead to project costs rising sharply if the situation is not resolved swiftly, a senior architect has warned.
If building products remain caught up in the chaos after the Christmas slow-down, projects will be delayed and eventually prices would go up, said Jack Pringle, former RIBA president and co-founder of Pringle Brandon, now part of Perkins & Will.
But he also cautioned that, compared with Brexit, it was a temporary hitch and not a major cause for concern for architects.