Supply Chain

The Omicron variant looks set to exacerbate construction material shortages and drive further inflation, a key group has warned. The Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) product availability working group said it expected the rapidly-spreading strain of COVID-19 to add to supply chain pressures after Christmas. Although the material shortages that have…

The construction industry accounts for approximately 60 per cent of UK material use and a third of all waste. By maximising total material resource efficiency and moving beyond the 3R’s of reduce, reuse and recycle, introducing sustainable materials and the concept of a circular economy in construction is certainly achievable.…

A government business minister has rejected calls for new legislation to outlaw cash retentions by 2025. During a debate in the House of Lords, Labour peer Lord Aberdare said it appeared the government was playing a “waiting game” with the hope that retentions might “die out of their own accord”.…

2021 saw the pandemic, Brexit, and materials & labour shortages hit the industry. Record job vacancies and costs followed strong – although uneven – growth. As we move further away from the era of full-on lockdowns, the prime minister’s age of ‘Build Back Better’ was meant to be upon us,…

Skill shortages are the biggest concern for specialist contractors going into 2022. A survey of specialist contractors in the UK has highlighted the range of business concerns looming for the year ahead, with material shortages, a lack of skilled labour, and delays to projects cited as worrying problems. Almost two…

Scape is set to open bidding for a new £4bn national civil engineering framework. The third iteration of its national infrastructure framework has earmarked £3.25bn for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, Scape Scotland will tender for the remainder of the £750m exclusively for the country. It will enable the…

Tier-one bosses have called for both subcontractors and Whitehall to help increase diversity in the industry. Galliford Try CEO Bill Hocking told the Construction News Summit that senior leaders have been on “a crusade” for years to get more diversity into their businesses. While he claimed younger-aged employees at his…

Tender prices are expected to rise next year due to increases in the cost of energy, Arcadis has predicted. The consultant’s updated tender-price forecast for 2021/22 found that inflationary pressures on buildings is expected to peak at between 4-6 per cent in London and between 4-5 per cent regionally in…

The widespread material shortages in the UK are softening but bricks and timber could both face issues going into the new year, the Construction Leadership Council has warned. Though demand has fallen from the high levels seen earlier this year, supply is still struggling to keep up, according to the…

What is the state of payment in the UK construction industry today? Construction News wants to hear your views. The reliably of cashflow is crucial to every business. When the pandemic hit the country in spring 2020, central government pleaded for payments between businesses to keep flowing, from clients right…