Supply Chain

Bidding has opened for a £4.5bn construction framework covering public-sector projects across the south of England. The framework, a fifth-generation iteration of a panel agreement run by the provider, Southern Construction Framework (SCF), is a joint initiative between Hampshire County Council and Devon County Council. Work covered by the framework…

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched a consultation on further support for energy-intensive industries, including cement, steel and glass manufacturers. BEIS has started the consultation on targeted proposals which would see these industries receive more relief on their electricity and gas bills. Among the options…

Work being carried out by ISG on a vehicle battery ‘gigafactory’ in the north-east has been paused amid design changes. ISG was appointed to a £300m construction contract for the Britishvolt factory in Cambois, Northumberland, in December 2020 and began phased construction on the site in September. The client recently…

Monthly construction output fell by 1.4 per cent in June after seven months of consecutive growth, prompting fears that wider economic turbulence is starting to “squeeze” the new projects pipeline. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the decline experienced in June was largely down to…

The number of administrations in the construction industry climbed in July, Construction News can reveal. In June, 15 firms were reported as going into administration, including two specialist firms, whose directors claimed they collapsed because of a lack of support from main contractors. But that figure climbed in July, as…

Michael Riordan is managing director, UK, at Linesight  The rising cost of essential building materials has been a major concern for the construction industry for some time, fuelled by the now all-too-familiar factor of high energy costs. Then came the Russia-Ukraine war, which has simply piled more pressure on the…

The construction supply chain looks set for further disruption as workers at the Port of Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port, confirmed eight days of strikes starting later this month. About 1,900 workers will down tools on 21-29 August in a dispute over pay, which could worsen supply-chain issues facing…

There is a country-wide shortage of staff to teach higher-level construction courses, new research has found. A study carried out by the Association of Colleges on behalf of the Financial Times found that 85 per cent of colleges were understaffed for such courses. The lack of staff was revealed to…

Keller’s chief executive has hailed his company’s record performance in the first half of this year, despite “the world [going] to hell in a handbag” during the period. In the six months to the end of June, the ground engineering specialist reported worldwide revenues of £1.33bn, a rise of 36…

A local authority is considering re-examining construction projects worth more than £100m in the face of supply-chain volatility. Council officers in Aberdeen have told elected representatives to re-tender some schemes and alter the scope of others to deal with cost inflation. The projects include primary schools, road improvement works, regeneration…