Technology

DfE reviewing all Caledonian Modular work over safety fears

Caledonian Modular

The Department for Education (DfE) says it is reviewing all work carried out by Caledonian Modular after three schools it delivered have had to be closed due to fears over structural and fire safety. As Construction News reported yesterday, Haygrove School in Somerset and Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Essex…

Council launches procurement for £500m of tools and plant

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Kent County Council is looking to acquire £500m-worth of construction equipment. The local authority published an official notice on 18 August, heralding a six-lot framework covering the purchase and hire of machinery, plant and tools. The first section of the agreement focuses on the buying of grounds-maintenance equipment including tractors,…

Administration beckons for offsite data-centre specialist

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Bedfordshire-based offsite data-centre construction specialist AC Plc has filed for administration. The firm, which posted a turnover of £49.1m – up from £20.7m the previous year – in its most recent set of accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022, lodged its court application on Friday. AC Plc also…

TechFest 2023 shortlist revealed

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The shortlist for TechFest Awards 2023 has been revealed. In total, 115 entries have been shortlisted across 18 categories recognising the achievements of the construction and civil engineering industries in harnessing the potential of technological innovation. Firms in the Mott MacDonald family lead the nominations – the firm itself has…

Extended entry deadline announced for TechFest Awards

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Innovative construction and civil engineering firms now have extra time to enter an awards ceremony recognising their achievements. The deadline for the TechFest Awards has been extended to Friday 21 July, giving potential entrants just under two weeks extra to submit their entries. Celebrating innovation in civil engineering and construction, the awards…

Materials supplier launches offsite construction arm

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A prominent building-materials supplier has launched its own offsite construction arm to capitalise on demand for the activity. Brussels-based business Etex Group, which has a presence in 45 countries including the UK, created the Remagin brand to offer a “comprehensive” and “end-to-end” service to customers. Created by merging three of…

Modular firm’s revenue doubles over three years

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“Extensive” public sector work has helped offsite specialist firm Reds10 see its third consecutive year of growth in both revenue and profit. Reds10’s revenue for the year to 31 March 2023 rose by 32 per cent to reach £83.8m, more than doubling since 2020/21, when it was £37m. The company’s…

Firms picked for £1.2bn modular homes framework

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A raft of modular firms have been named for a £1.2bn framework to build thousands of homes across Britain using modern methods of construction (MMC). The new modular and offsite homes will be delivered under not-for-profit public sector construction framework provider London Housing Consortium Procurement Group’s (LHC) new Modern Methods…

US modular firm signals ‘aggressive’ UK growth with new director hire

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US-based modular giant Volumetric Building Companies (VBC) has expanded its UK management team as part of what it described as “aggressive” growth plans. Tim Uttley has joined the firm as commercial director for the UK and special markets. He will lead VBC’s business development activities in the UK, as well…

Major firms trial software to count carbon via invoices

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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,…