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Hot rates
Unit Typical £ Keen £ Rate move
Groundwork and excavations        
Excavate to reduce levels 1 m maximum depth m3 1.25 0.9 Down
Excavate trench 1 m maximum depth m3 5.15 4.3 Down
Backfilling with granular fill m2 17.5 16 Down
Extra for breaking out reinforced concrete m3 20.75 14.75 Down
Remove excavated material from site m3 12.4 9.6 Down
Hardcore in making up levels m3 19 15 Down
In situ concrete        
Plain concrete foundations m3 58 54 Up
Reinforced concrete foundations m3 66 61.5 Up
Basic formwork to 250 mm foundation m 6.6 5.1 Up
Basic formwork to walls m2 25.35 22 Down
High yield bar reinforcement, 16 mm diameter tonne 575 510 Up
Mesh, 2.22 kg/m2 (A142) m2 1.65 1.5 Up
Mesh, 3.02 kg/m2 (A193) m2 2.95 2.3 Up
Polythene sheeting m2 0.6 0.55 No change
Masonry        
Facing bricks (machine-made) for wall m2 36.85 35 Up
Dense aggregate precast concrete block walls/partitions - 100mm m2 15 12.15 Up
140 mm m2 19.8 15.5 Up
50 mm cavity batts m2 2.65 2.05 Down
Structural steel framing        
Fabricated steelwork Grade 43 universal beams or columns, erected (less then 50 tonnes) tonne 1130 925 Up
Carpentry        
Treated sawn softwood - wall or partition member 50 × 100 mm m 2.4 2.1 Up
pitched roof member 50 × 150 mm m 3.4 3.15 Up
19 mm butt jointed plywood flooring m2 15 14 Up
Joinery        
Wrot softwood - 32 × 125 mm door lining m 9.35 9.1 Up
19 × 50 mm architrave, splayed m 4.2 3 Up
19 × 150 mm skirting, splayed m 3.85 3.55 Up
Roofing        
Concrete interlocking roof tiles m2 14.5 13 Up
Artificial slates m2 22.5 20.5 No change
Plastering and screeding        
75 mm thick floor screed m2 9.75 8 No change
13 mm lightweight plaster m2 7.25 6.75 Up
Galvanized mild steel angle bead m 1.4 1.1 Up
3 mm skim on 12.5 mm baseboard to ceilings m2 9.5 8.25 Up
Ceramic tiling        
Ceramic wall tiles, plain colours m2 29.45 27.5 Down
2 mm vinyl sheet m2 14.8 14.6 Down
Painting        
Mist and two coats emulsion on plaster m2 2.15 1.75 Down
KPS & three coats on wood m2 4.75 4.6 Down
Prime and three coats on metal m2 5.4 4.9 Down
Glazing        
4 mm clear float glass bradded in m2 22.1 22 No change
Holes for services        
Hole for pipe not exceeding 55 mm diameter through 100 mm blockwork nr 2.5 2.1 Up
Insulation        
200 mm mineral-fibre mat between members m2 5 3.25 Up
External works        
Granular material type 1 to make up levels m3 24 18.5 Down
Imported topsoil to make up levels m3 13 12 Down
Precast concrete paving slabs, coloured, textured, 50 mm thick, sand bed m2 15.5 12.35 Down
Fencing        
Softwood close boarded fencing 1800 mm high m 32.5 31 Down
Foul drainage above ground        
32 mm PVCu waste pipe plugged and screwed m 3.75 3.5 Down
110 mm PVCu soil pipe plugged and screwed m 9.5 8.5 Down
Drainage below ground        
Excavate pipe trench 1500 mm average depth - backfill with earth m 13.5 13 Down
backfill with granular material m 37 35 Down
Granular bed and surround to - 100 mm dramatic pipe m 5.25 4.4 Up
150 mm diameter pipe m 7 6 Up
Concrete bed and surround to 100 mm pipe m 14.3 10.3 Up
100 mm clay drain pipe with flexible couplings m 4.2 3.9 No change
Key indicators and materials prices
Percentage change over past 12 months (provisional to Sept 1999)
Key indicators  
Retail prices index  
Headline rate (RPI) 1.1
All items excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX) – government’s target index 2.1
All items excluding mortgage interest payments and indirect taxes (RPIY) 1.3
Construction industry  
Construction materials -1.9
Housebuilding materials -1.1
Mechanical machinery and equipment 1.4
Electrical machinery and apparatus -1.7
   
Source: Office for National Statistics (September 1999 figures are provisional) 
Regional variations
% variation from outer London % adjustment to Spon’s major works section
Outer London 0 –7
Inner London 9 2
East Anglia –12 –18
East Midlands –16 –21
North –16 –21
Northern Ireland –33 –38
North-west –13 –19
Scotland –13 –19
South-east –4 –10
South-west –12 –18
Wales –17 –23
West Midlands –17 –23
Yorkshire/Humberside –15 –21
Electricians’ wage agreement 2000-2001
National standard rates     With London weighting    
Shop reporting Job reporting   Shop reporting Job reporting  
  transport provided own transport   transport provided own transport
Technician £8.94 £9.27 £9.49 £9.46 £9.81 £10.04
Approved electrician £7.82 £8.15 £8.37 £8.34 £8.69 £8.92
Electrician £7.13 £7.46 £7.68 £7.65 £8.00 £8.22
Labourer £5.52 £5.85 £6.07 £6.04 £6.39 £6.62
Senior graded electrical trainee £6.42 £6.71 £6.91 £6.94 £7.23 £7.43
Adult trainee £5.52 £5.85 £6.07 £6.04 £6.39 £6.62
Adult trainee (under 21) £4.14 £4.39 £4.55 £4.66 £4.91 £5.07
ECIBA credit values and electrical apprentices’ rates
Grade Weekly credit values Holiday portion Suggested “top-up”*
Technician £35.52 £28.37 £15.07
Approved electrician £31.96 £24.81 £13.79
Electrician £29.77 £22.62 £12.95
Labourer £24.67 £17.52 £11.13
Senior graded electrical trainee £27.52 £20.37 £11.78
Adult trainee £24.67 £17.52 £11.13
Trainee under 21 £20.29 £13.14 £8.80
Apprentices’ hourly rates (London)      
Junior apprentice   £2.61**  
Senior apprentice (stage one)   £3.70   
Senior apprentice (stage two; one year’s experience)   £5.67  
* Figures have been calculated by DL&E based on the Electrical Contracting Industry Benefits Agency “top-up” holiday funding example.
** The National Minimum Wage rates will increase this to £3.00 an hour for for 18-21 year olds.
Build-up of the annual cost of a notional 11-person gang (London weighting)
Technician (1) Approved electricians (4) Electricians (6) Subtotal
£ £ £ £
Hourly rate from 7 February 2000 10.04 8.92 8.22  
Working hours a year 1725 6900 10350  
£/year 17 921.40 63 688.80 88 036.20 169 646.40
Incentive scheme @ 5% 896.07 3 184.44 4 401.81 8 482.32
Daily travelling time allowance 4.54 4.54 4.54  
Daily travel allowance 2.13 2.13 2.13  
£/year 1 534.10 6 136.40 9 204.60 16 875.10
JIB combined benefits scheme (weeks) 52 208 312  
Benefit credit value 35.52 31.96 29.77  
Top-up funding for WTD (optional) 17.24 15.72 14.73  
£/year 2 743.52 9 917.44 13 884.00 26 544.96
National Insurance contributions        
Weekly gross pay (subject to NI) each 434.88 389.45 361.05  
£ contributions (12.2% above £83 a week) 42.93 37.39 33.92  
£ contributions/year 1 974.78 6 879.15 9 362.52 18 216.45
Total per year       239 765.23 
Training, including any trade registrations (1%)       2 397.65 
Severance pay and sundry costs (1.5%)       3 596.48 
Employers liability and third-party insurance (2%)       4 795.30 
Annual cost of notional 11-person gang (10.5 people actually working)       250 554.66 
Annual cost per productive person       23 862.35 
All-in hourly rate (based on 1725 hours)       13.83