The final account

Good to hear from you

We’re always pleased to hear from our readers by whatever means, including their BlackBerries. The gadget appears to be bringing some of you the advantage of slipping us news of up to the minute developments, even as you sit in all-day board meetings. For example, we were amused to receive a text this week from one QS boss bearing the immortal lines: “I’m still in this bloody meeting and I can’t see an early end. Can we reschedule?” Keep them coming.

Waiting for the switch

The Olympic Delivery Authority's bold intention to use the NEC3 contract for all 2012 work does not appear to be happening just yet. We hear current work is being procured under the Office of Government Commerce's S-CAT framework deals. Perhaps the upcoming programme manager for the Olympics will kick-start the NEC switch.

Speaking of which...

Speculation is intensifying over the Olympics programme management role. Is it all sewn up for the politically well-connected Bechtel?

The fact that last Sunday’s Observer revealed that Treasury minister Stephen Timms held talks with the firm in June will do nothing to put off those believing that the decision has already been made.

Regardless of who wins, it will be fascinating to see the rapid repositioning of firms and new alliances made once the uber Olympics role has been awarded.

Takeovers and overtaking

M&E QS firm MPG Associates is celebrating snapping up GF Civils by sponsoring young Indian racing driver (and male model) Phiroze Bilimoria (right). Phiroze is taking part in the British GT Championship on Sunday at Rockingham in a Porsche 997. Here’s hoping he can repeat the success of Jenson Button by taking the chequered flag this weekend.

DL does the three peaks

Congrats to an eight-strong team (above) from Davis Langdon for completing the Three Peaks challenge and raising over five grand for charity to boot. The eight who completed hikes up Ben Nevis in Scotland and the Scafell Pike in the Lake District before moving on to Snowdon in North Wales were: Chris Haines, Vicki Larkins, Becky Baker, Daniel Key, Katie Ladbrook, Demelza-Dawn Lund, Martin Rix and Sally Doddington.

All made up

News reaches us of a forthcoming Women in Property event. The association typically hosts the type of fairly serious events you would expect: site visits, talks on the new masterplan for Birmingham and so on. Not this summer in the association's Midlands branch however. This August the branch is putting on a “Chocolate and Cosmetics evening”. WiP assured us it was all in the interests of hard-nosed networking.