Thursday 24 November 2016

Real industry collaboration to offer members greater benefits

CONSIDERATE CONSTRUCTORS SCHEME AND NATIONAL FEDERATION OF BUILDERS ccs-and-nfb-contract-signing-photo_small-mediumANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

London, United Kingdom, 21 November 2016: The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national scheme established by the construction industry to improve its image – and the National Federation of Builders (NFB) – the construction industry’s longest established trade association – have formed a partnership to promote best practice and raise standards across construction industry SMEs.

This first, truly ground-breaking collaboration between two construction industry organisations heralds a new way in which like-minded organisations can work effectively together to offer greater benefits to members, at no additional cost.

The partnership will provide NFB members, with a turnover banding of £500,000 to £3.5 million, free Company Registration with the Considerate Constructors Scheme. It will come in to effect from 1 January 2017.

By becoming a registered company, NFB members (in this banding) will have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to improving the image of the industry. Scheme-registered companies voluntarily agree to abide by its Code of Considerate Practice. The Code commits those registered with the Scheme to care about appearance, respect the community, protect the environment, secure everyone’s safety and value their workforce.

Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy said: “SMEs are a critical part of the construction industry’s future success. They have a huge role and responsibility to continually raise their standards and, in doing so, make a valued contribution to improving the image of the industry.

“The NFB provides a great platform for the Considerate Constructors Scheme to help support SMEs in championing the principles of considerate construction. We are therefore delighted to establish this partnership with the NFB.”

Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the NFB said: “We’re delighted to join forces with the Considerate Constructors Scheme to offer added value to our members. NFB members pride themselves on their professionalism and ability to deliver exceptional quality, so it’s great that their efforts can now be recognised as part of the Scheme.

“SMEs often miss out on opportunities simply because they don’t have the resources to complete the multitude of registrations and benchmarking initiatives available in the industry. By collaborating in this way, we hope to reduce this burden and improve access to opportunities, working towards achieving a fair playing field for SMEs in construction.”

A record number of over 900 company registrations have been made with the Scheme so far this year, with a total of more than 4,100 company registrations taking place since this type of registration was introduced by the Scheme in 2009.



from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/11/25/real-industry-collaboration-to-offer-members-greater-benefits/

Wednesday 23 November 2016

Latest survey reveals the numbers of women in construction could be worse than predicted

The number of females in professional construction roles is less than many analysts predicted, according to a survey carried out by specialist construction recruitment firm, One Way.

In a survey of professionals from across the industry, the firm found that 65% of respondents work in a company where less than 5% of the workforce is made up of women in an actual construction role.

When asked about the challenges for women in construction, over half (58%) stated that businesses themselves are to blame due to a range of issues such as stereotyping in the recruitment process and a lack of commitment from employers. Just over a third (35%) felt that it simply isn’t a popular career choice for women.

The survey – carried out as part of the firm’s #GirlsAllowed campaign which aims to bring together those in construction and education outlets to encourage more girls into the sector – also revealed that the majority (83%) believe that a lack of construction career education in schools is creating a concerning gap in female talent.

Reassuringly, over 80% of those surveyed agreed that they would personally get involved in an initiative to help address the lack of women in construction.

Paul Payne, Managing Director of One Way, commented on the findings:

“What is clear from these results is that employers need to do more to both attract more women into the industry and embrace them once on board. The results of the survey clearly demonstrate that the sector has a bad reputation when it comes to hiring females and given the severity of existing skills shortages, this simply cannot continue. While we were expecting to find low levels of employment, some of the figures were certainly below our initial perceptions, which makes the need for greater collaboration through initiatives such as the #GirlsAllowed campaign more vital now than they have ever been.”

“While it’s great to see so many respondents commit to taking more action, there were some concerning views that came to light that I feel need to be altered immediately. Aside from some of the gender stereotyping comments, other remarks suggested that some in the industry itself don’t think construction is a sector that women should be in. This is quite simply untrue and is an attitude myself and the team at One Way certainly want to turn around.”



from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/11/23/latest-survey-reveals-the-numbers-of-women-in-construction-could-be-worse-than-predicted/

Thursday 17 November 2016

Christmas comes early for construction workers thanks to Brian Alfred

Tax rebate specialists Brian Alfred are offering new and existing customers the opportunity to get an early tax rebate months before the usual tax refund date of April 2017. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for those in the construction industry who fancy some extra cash for Christmas or even to beat the January blues.

Construction workers who make use of the early tax rebate offer will receive up to 60% of their tax rebate amount for the year 2016-2017 early, with the remainder being paid at the usual time next April. There are no hidden fees, loan agreements or credit checks needed, Brian Alfred will simply advance part of the full year rebate early.

For the average UK CIS worker, this could mean they can claim an early tax rebate of up to £900 by Christmas. This will be a welcome bonus for construction workers just in time for the hectic and often expensive festive season.

Commercial Practice Director at Brian Alfred, Anda Gregory says of the product: “We’re proud to be the first and only tax rebate specialist to offer an early tax rebate. We listened to our customers and realised that Christmas is a time of year when they really want to treat their families, so we launched this product to give them some added support in making it one to remember.”



from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/11/17/christmas-comes-early-for-construction-workers-thanks-to-brian-alfred/

Tuesday 15 November 2016

National Awards for top performing construction companies and suppliers

Considerate Constructors Scheme crowns Most Considerate Companies and Most Considerate Supplier at 2016 National Awards

award-winners-day-1-4-medium award-winners-day-2-mediumLondon, United Kingdom, 15 November 2016: The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national scheme established by the construction industry to improve its image – has recognised the Most Considerate Companies and Suppliers at this year’s National Awards.

Four companies were presented with the coveted top award of ‘Most Considerate Company 2016’, they are: Connect Plus Services (annual turnover: £10m and over); Rydon Maintenance – Islington (annual turnover: £3.5m to <£10m); Linfoot Country Homes Ltd (annual turnover: £250k to <£3.5m) and Solent Industrial Roofing Systems (annual turnover: Under £250k).

HSS Hire Service Group Ltd triumphed as the ‘Most Considerate Supplier 2016’, making them the first registered supplier to win this prestigious title since Supplier Registration was introduced in 2014.

The Considerate Constructors Scheme’s National Awards are one of the most respected accolades in UK construction. By registering with the Scheme, companies and suppliers demonstrate a strong commitment to improving the image of the industry.

The awards recognise the highest performing companies and suppliers which have demonstrated excellence in relation to the community, the environment and their workforce.

The prestigious awards ceremony took place on 10 and 11 November at the Four Seasons hotel in London.

In total 21 Gold, 32 Silver and 43 Bronze Awards were presented to registered companies, and two Gold, one Silver and four Bronze Awards to registered suppliers. Of the Gold Award winners, seven companies were shortlisted and received the ‘Most Considerate Company Runner-up’ and one supplier the ‘Most Considerate Supplier Runner-up’.

Connect Plus Services undertakes planned and reactive highway maintenance works to sections of the M25 motorway and its arterial link roads through a 30-year contract with Highways England. This enthusiastic and safety-conscious team was applauded for its constant refinement of depot and site safety, and consideration of its workforce.

Linfoot Country Homes Ltd is a family-owned business located near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, specialising in high quality new and converted homes in the South Midlands for over 20 years. In constantly striving to achieve yet higher standards, this company projected an image which was a credit to all those involved.

Rydon Maintenance (North London Region) is in the 13th year of a long-term contract with Islington Council for the repair and maintenance of more than 6000 properties. This potentially intrusive work demands a high degree of care and consideration and this was clearly demonstrated by Rydon through its community work.

Based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Solent Industrial Roofing Systems specialises in providing roofing services industry-wide. One recent project was for a storage building on a military base in Wiltshire and the company spared no effort in ensuring the development was sensitive to the client’s operations security standards.

Undertaking inner London deliveries is no easy task, but HSS Hire Service Group Ltd, whose head office is based in Mitcham, south west London, has robust policies and procedures in place to ensure professional, safe and efficient operations.

Considerate Constructors Scheme Executive Chairman Isabel Martinson said: “Congratulations to all award winners. The Scheme is hugely proud to honour the great achievements of top performing registered companies and suppliers. Over 900 companies and suppliers registered with the Scheme in the past 12 months, representing significant growth on the previous year, and making competition even tougher. With such high demand for construction activity across the UK, it is essential that the industry works collaboratively and continues to raise standards.”

Click here to see each of the winners in the categories of Runners-up to the Most Considerate Company Award, and Runner-up to Most Considerate Supplier Award, as well as each Gold, Silver and Bronze Award winner.

Visit Twitter @CCScheme #ccsawards and the Scheme’s LinkedIn company page to see more from the awards ceremonies.



from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/11/15/national-awards-for-top-performing-construction-companies-and-suppliers/

Thursday 10 November 2016

Cold storage business

The cold storage industry faces changes regularly. Ted Kohlenberger, California team leader for National Resource Management, said the industry would be facing some fundamental changes that will affect our cold room suppliers. His firm specializes in energy management. The topic of regulating the refrigerant system has been on discussion for over18 months. Concerns to the EPA initiatives aim at phasing out hydrofluorocarbons and other refrigerants with global warming potential.

The industry is getting more data and analytic on refrigeration controls. Consumers are fed information on the effects of cold storage with more emphasis. This has been driven by initiatives of upcoming and impending food safety modernization passed in 2011. Most of these initiatives get more attention over the years claiming to be working towards energy management. Some FSMA initiatives require more and better data. It also requires more and better consolidation analysis of the data.

Our cold room suppliers play a central role in data acquisition and investments in the cold storage industry. There are advanced technologies that simplify the whole process and Eco-friendly. Temperature monitoring is one of the break-through realized to protect the overall cold chain for both tractor-trailer and facility-based operations. Automated air purification technology eradicate produce-spoiling ethylene gases, as well as mold and bacteria.

High-pressure pasteurization and electronic cold pasteurization food treatment systems ensure food safety and extend shelf life. This technologies have no effects on humans or the environment but there is a move towards developing natural refrigerants. Ammonia, carbon dioxide, propane, butane and methane are some of the chemicals involved in the refrigeration process. Tony Lucarelli, the vice president of Hillsboro ore-based cold storage, said changes would not be cumbersome.

He said in the cold storage suppliers systems, it is pretty much ammonia based refrigeration systems with some integration of CO2 in some applications. The new refrigerants may not be cost effective but the technology should cut on some extra costs.

The post Cold storage business appeared first on Econ Construction LTD.



from Econ Construction LTD http://www.econconstructionltd.co.uk/cold-storage-business/

Work starts on Europe’s tallest modular residential block

Wednesday 2 November 2016

Winners of Considerate Constructors Scheme 2016 National Awards

Winners of Considerate Constructors Scheme 2016 National Awards to be revealed

for-press-release-2-mediumTop performing registered companies and suppliers get ready to celebrate success at Considerate Constructors Scheme National Awards

London, United Kingdom, 1 November 2016: The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national scheme established by the construction industry to improve its image – is getting ready to reveal the UK’s most considerate companies and suppliers of 2016.

The Scheme, which has registered around 900 companies and suppliers in the past 12 months, will be hosting the 2016 National Awards on 10th and 11th November, at the luxurious Four Seasons hotel on Park Lane.

Supplier Registration was introduced in 2014 and this year’s awards mark the first year that suppliers will be eligible to win a National Award.

Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders, and Liz Male, Chairman of TrustMark will be announcing whether each winning company has received a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award for their achievements. There will also be Runner-up Awards and winners for the coveted ‘Most Considerate Company’ and ‘Most Considerate Supplier’ Awards.

Considerate Constructors Scheme Executive Chairman Isabel Martinson said: “The Awards celebrate the phenomenal efforts being made to improve the image of the industry for the benefit of the public, the workforce and the environment.

“It is particularly exciting this year to be awarding, for the first time, the significant contribution that suppliers are making. As the industry knows, suppliers perform a vital role in the construction process, and have a significant responsibility to behave in a considerate manner at all times to ensure they portray a positive image of the industry they represent.”

Follow the awards on Twitter at @CCScheme #ccsawards.



from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/11/02/winners-of-considerate-constructors-scheme-2016-national-awards/

Tuesday 1 November 2016

Construction to dodge post-Brexit vote recession

Faltering commercial workloads will be offset by strong growth in infrastructure and school spending over the next two years, according to the latest major industry forecast.

constructionEconomists at the Construction Products Association said the industry will avoid a post-Brexit vote recession with slow growth of 0.2% and 0.3% this year and next.

The latest forecast is a sharp revision to the 3.6% predicted for 2017 and 2018 before the EU referendum.

While commercial office building is expected to be worst hit, strong growth is expected in infrastructure and education as the Government pulls the levers to keep the economy running.

Noble Francis, economics director at the CPA, said:  “Surveys across the industry highlight that activity in the construction sector has been sustained post-referendum, primarily based upon work on projects that were signed in the 12-18 months before the referendum. 

CPA construction forecasts highlights

  • Construction output to rise 0.6% in 2016, 0.3% in 2017 and 0.2% in 2018
  • Offices construction to increase 8% in 2016 before falling 3% in 2017 and a further 10% in 2018
  • Factories construction to fall 5% in 2016 and 2% in 2017
  • Infrastructure work to rise by 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018
  • Private housing starts to rise 2% but remain flat in 2017 and fall 2% in 2018
  • Retail construction to fall 8.0% in 2016 before falls of 4% in 2017 and 2% in 2018

“Looking forward, projects in the pipeline mean that construction activity is likely to continue throughout the rest of 2016 and the first half of 2017, ” he said.

“From the second half of 2017, however, there is likely to be a clear division between the fortunes of privately-funded construction sectors where the current uncertainty is likely to have a major impact, and those that are largely unaffected by post-referendum uncertainty – such as infrastructure and education – which are either publicly-funded or in regulated sectors.”

Francis added that offices output is expected to decline 3% in 2017 and a further 10% in 2018.  Industrial construction is also expected to fall 11.6% between 2015 and 2018 as renewal and refurbishment of existing factories continues but large manufacturers make fewer new major investments.

But major projects such as HS2, Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and the Thames Tideway Tunnel are anticipated to provide growth of 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018. 

Within education construction, activity is expected to rise 5.8% by 2018 due to public sector capital investment in the Priority School Building Programme and private sector investment in universities, including £1bn programmes at Manchester, Cambridge and Glasgow.

“Outside of these sectors, private house building has not been affected by the uncertainty so far and is expected to rise by 2.0% in 2016.  It is anticipated to remain flat in 2017 before a 2.0% fall in 2018 due to slower demand as UK economic growth and real wage growth both weaken considerably next year. 

“However, private house building could be boosted by new measures in the government’s Autumn Statement on 23 November.  The slower real wage growth in 2017, driven by higher inflation due to the recent falls in Sterling, is also expected to lead to a decline in retail construction of 4% in 2017 and 2% in 2018.  This in a sector already hit by the shift away from traditional retail towards online shopping.

“With an upcoming Autumn Statement, it is vital that the Chancellor focuses on reducing uncertainty for the private sector, sustaining the housing sector and ensuring delivery of education construction and major infrastructure projects already in the pipeline.”



from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/11/01/construction-to-dodge-post-brexit-vote-recession/