June saw the JCT publish its official “guides” to the changes included in the 2009 revisions to its standard form contracts. Unlike previous JCT guides, these do not give a detailed description of the changes made by the 2009 Revisions. We’ve been looking at the JCT Standard Building Contract, 2005 edition (SBC05). To assist construction practitioners who would otherwise have to carry out their own comparison of the changes, we are working through the amendments and publishing as we go. (more…)

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has published a report, The State of the Nation: Defending Critical Infrastructure, on the security of the UK’s key infrastructure networks. The report pulls no punches, stating that “without reform, the UK is in danger of not having the infrastructure it needs to operate.” (more…)

The song says “When the going gets tough, the tough get going“. In the construction industry, this means “When the going gets tough, the tough get suing”. There is no doubt that things are tough at present. (more…)

ProCure21 is the procurement method for publicly funded NHS schemes (as opposed to schemes that use private funding, such as PFI and LIFT). As we highlighted in an update last week, ProCure21 will soon be replaced by ProCure21+.

So what is Procure21+ and how will it differ from the existing regime?

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PLC Construction has introduced a new regular feature: “Ask the Team”. This will be based on questions you have asked. We edit the questions and answers, where appropriate, to maintain anonymity.

Our first Ask the Team suggests an answer to the question “who is a building owner under the Party Walls etc Act 1996?”

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The Greater London Authority has published the draft Revised London View Management Framework Supplementary Planning Guidance (the draft framework). In simple terms, this sets out a strategy to “preserve London’s character and built heritage” by protecting the viewing corridors of key landmarks (such as St Paul’s Cathedral) and World Heritage Sites (such as the Tower of London) through limiting the number of tall buildings across the city. (more…)

In March 2009 the Danish government started paying compensation to women who had developed breast cancer after long spells working nights. This followed a decision by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the UN’s World Health Organisation, to classify night working as an activity that probably causes cancer.

Should the construction and engineering industry worry about a flood of claims from employees who work nights? (more…)