Contractors Focus – Page 5
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FeaturesBringing it all back home
With some main contractors taking delivery expertise back in house in the hope it will reassure clients they can get the job done, Joey Gardiner asks if the subcontracting model has had its day
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FeaturesConstruction on hold
Alarmed by the pace at which construction costs are rising, more and more clients are putting their projects on hold
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FeaturesConstruction policies: In the line of fire
After the Conservatives’ unexpected torching of construction policies, we look at the driving force behind this drastic industry shake-up
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FeaturesTop 150 contractors: Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow
This year’s contractors and housebuilders Top 150 list shows the sector pulling out of recession and with a spring in its step. But with big losses for some contractors pushing down profits, and margins increasing by a mere 1.2%, the danger remains they could still fall flat on their backs. ...
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FeaturesWho’s running Balfour Beatty?
New Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn has wasted no time making his mark on the contracting giant. But so far his actions haven’t managed to stem the flow of senior figures departing the troubled firm
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FeaturesInterview: Steve Elliott
Steve Elliott took Morgan Sindall’s fit-out business to an industry-leading position. After taking a year out he’s ‘got the band back together’ at BW Interiors and is thinking big again
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FeaturesPC Harrington: The higher they climb…
When PC Harrington Contractors collapsed into administration in May, it had debts of around £28.4m and just £900 cash in the bank. We reveal the true story of the firm’s demise
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FeaturesWates and Shepherd deal - at a glance analysis
Wates eyes expansion, while Shepherd Group focuses on modular builder Portakabin
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FeaturesBuilding Award Winners: Specialist Contractor of the Year
All of the nominees for this year’s specialist contractor category have experienced impressive growth in recent years, with the winner showing true innovation in its work
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FeaturesBuilding Award Winners: Major Contractor of the Year (over £300m)
For those who think you can never win two years running, here’s proof that you can. The competition was tough but Mace’s commitment to safety, to client engagement and to financial success, gave it the edge once again
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FeaturesBuilding Award Winners: Contractor of the Year (up to £300m)
There were three strong contenders for this category - including last year’s winner - but FM Conway’s consolidation of its reputation for delivering on time and on budget and the testimonials it gets from its clients won the day
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FeaturesBrookfield Multiplex: A decade later
As main contractor on the delayed Wembley stadium and chief player in the legal battle afterwards, Multiplex became a byword for tough contracting. But 10 years on the firm is set to become a £1bn turnover contractor
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FeaturesInterview: Stef Stefanou
The former John Doyle chairman unpicks the events that led to the firm’s closure in 2012, and reveals how the industry exposed a darker side in his hour of need
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FeaturesContractors' salary survey 2014: The only way is up
Construction’s recovery was always going to bring higher wages and the upward pressure on salaries is almost countrywide
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FeaturesInterview: Andrew Davies
When Andrew Davies, Wates’ chief executive, goes to the board next month it will be to tell them how he intends to double turnover at the £1bn family firm. But don’t expect a revolution
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FeaturesInterview: Gary Sullivan
Gary Sullivan, co-founder and chairman of Wilson James, explains what the army can teach construction
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FeaturesThe sum of their parts: Mergers and acquisitions
There’s no guarantee that mergers will work out for the companies involved - we look at four of construction’s biggest deals
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FeaturesTop 150 contractors and housebuilders 2014
Building’s annual list of the UK’s biggest performers in the construction sector shows that housebuilders have enjoyed the past 12 months most. But many predict the tides are ready to turn for contractors, as Joey Gardiner reports
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FeaturesSubcontracting through the skills shortage
The turnaround in the sector’s fortunes has thrown up new risks for subcontractors finding new skilled tradesmen. Building hosted an audio webinar, with insurer Zurich, to discuss preventing any potential pitfalls
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FeaturesTraining to nowhere
Plenty of young people across the UK are signing up for construction training - the real problem, according to a report out today, is that many are taking courses that simply don’t meet the industry’s needs.