Supply Chain

Two contractors fined a combined £22m for taking part in the demolition sector’s cover-bidding scandal have lodged appeals, claiming the competition watchdog made errors over defining the relevant market. In March, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fined Keltbray, Squibb Group and eight other firms it found had colluded on…

The UK construction-equipment sector saw its total revenue grow by 15 per cent to £15bn in the four years to 2022, according to a new report. The Construction Equipment Association's (CEA) UK Construction Equipment Sector Report for 2023 says the sector demonstrated “robust” growth despite the challenges brought by Brexit,…

The owner of the plant firm that owns the excavator used to demolish the 18th Century Crooked House pub in the West Midlands has denied any involvement in carrying out the work. South Staffordshire District Council has launched an investigation into potential breaches of planning and building laws after the…

Willmott Dixon will reuse 100 tonnes of 1930s steel salvaged from the former House of Fraser on London’s Oxford Street for an office retrofit near Tower Bridge. Developer FORE Partnership is removing the steel beams from the former department store, claiming it is the first time pre-Second World War steel…

The cost of construction materials fell slightly in June, but prices remain higher than they were at the start of the year, according to official data. In monthly figures published by the Department for Business and Trade, the price index for materials in all construction work fell by 1.3 per…

Construction firms are in the dark over the logic behind the government’s decision to exempt construction products from a relaxation of rules surrounding product testing. Firms have been warned that a government pledge made yesterday to allow the indefinite use of the European CE mark regime does not apply to…

Ibstock plans to close a brick factory in North West England, as it responds to a slump in its markets. The brickmaker reported revenue of £223m for the six months to the end of June, down 14 per cent on the same period last year. The firm said the drop…

Will imminent reforms boost or hinder take-up among construction firms of HMRC’s research and development tax credits scheme? David Prosser investigates Will construction companies miss out on valuable incentives designed to encourage innovation under a shake-up of the research and development (R&D) tax credits scheme? His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs…

Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Galliford Try are trialling a new technology that provides real-time reporting of embodied carbon. The new software allows contractors and suppliers to more accurately measure their scope 3 emissions – indirect carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in their supply chain – rather than using approximate,…

Matt Bloor is chief commercial officer of construction-procurement firm YardLink In 2015, a global McKinsey study revealed that almost every construction mega-project would typically overrun its budget by at least 30 per cent. Now, with inflation adding £23bn to annual UK construction output costs, and every sector feeling the pinch,…