Opinion – Page 438
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CommentHow safe are the specialists?
Another well known family name looks like becoming history this week. In an echo of the famous sale of Laing to O’Rourke in 2002, Hills Electrical was taken over by one of its rivals for the nominal sum of a pound.
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Comment
The facts of life
I read with interest the copious articles (8 February, page 62-65) regarding the Office of Government Commerce’s Guide to Best Fair Payment Practice and the follow-on subject of project bank accounts.
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Comment
When theres nobody to chase
Tony Bingham’s boss, a main contractor, was very good at chasing retentions from employers and getting paid (25 January, page 60); the problem comes when the employer goes bust.
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Comment
An honest answer
Reading Amanda Levete’s arguments in support of nuclear power (8 February, pages 30 -31) reminded me of a conference I attended four years ago.
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Comment
What London needs
Further to your article on the establishment of a London board of the Home and Communities Agency (7 February, Building.co.uk), the availability of affordable housing in the capital is one of the city’s most pressing issues.
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CommentWeb watch — What users want
It may seem a simple criterion to consider when developing a website, but a lot of construction firms are happy to settle for a meaningless brand extension exercise
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CommentDo cheer up
Okay, so the recession might be just around the corner, possibly even here already, but there’s no need to get so damn gloomy about it. In fact, it could bring all sorts of benefits
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Comment
Adjudication enforcement: Harris Calnan Construction Co Ltd vs Ridgewood (Kensington) Ltd
The claimant applied for summary judgment arising out of an adjudication decision and claimed for costs on an indemnity basis. In the course of the adjudication the adjudicator rejected the defendant’s challenge to his jurisdiction, finding that there was a contract in writing between the parties.The defendant challenged the enforcement ...
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CommentTelling the truth to young people
Open mike When it comes to a career in construction, it’s hard to get talented youngsters interested. Which is especially frustrating because they’d love it if they could just get on site
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CommentBuilding buys a pint … for London Projects, Bovis Lend Lease
“What’s the only football team in the country whose name you can’t colour in?” asks ops director Simon. We ponder this for a while. “In either upper or lower case,” he adds helpfully.
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Know your limits
Shy Jackson (25 January, page 60) refers to the government’s renewed interest in the Law Commission proposals on reform of the law of time limitation.
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Whose risk is it?
In his legal column, James Bessey (25 January, page 59) tells us “there was a first and second layer of insurers. The first paid out, but the second reserved its position”. If the court has established liability, on what grounds can an insurer refuse to pay?
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For the love of it
With the long hours, job insecurity, capricious clients, and the quality of work life resulting from shoestring budgets (not to mention low pay) isn't it amazing anyone stays in this game (“Architects look abroad as staffing crisis deepens”, 1 February, page 15)?
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Comment
City Inn vs Shepherd Construction: Time was on our side
Shepherd Construction spent eight years arguing for a five-week extension on a hotel project in Bristol. Which gave its legal team plenty of time to hone its case …
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CommentJCT consultation: A sustainable strategy
We all agree that sustainability, like apple pie, is a good thing, but we’re not sure how we should tackle it. The big stick of legislation, some gentle guidance, or a mixture of the two?