Supply Chain

A new construction products regulator has been announced by the government. The body will be given the power to remove any product from the market “that presents a significant safety risk and prosecute any companies who flout the rules on product safety”, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government…

A rollout of digital classification of construction materials across the UK is being led by the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF). A group of companies, including Travis Perkins, has committed to fast-tracking adoption of ETIM (European Technical Information Model), a standardised means of describing product specifications, designed to clarify requirements along…

The Cabinet Office has issued advice to firms about changes in procurement processes following the UK's exit from the European Union, and is looking at further changes to the process. New public procurement notices are no longer posted on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and appear on…

Construction News yesterday published a major analysis of industry payment-practice reports, using government data to identify the best and worst payers in the CN100. Across the 100 largest contractors, the median time to make payment was 41 days. This was a two-day improvement on the 43 days recorded for the…

Whitehall’s measures to avoid low-ball bidding will not increase the risk of price fixing, two authors of the Construction Playbook have said. As previously reported, the new guidance for government procurement includes a provision designed to prevent jobs being awarded to low-ball bidders with clients being obliged to refer any…

The government is planning to cut down the number of frameworks used by departments in a move it says will help reduce administration. The measure will be implemented gradually following an examination of the existing ones, Cabinet Office crown representative Phil Brookes told Construction News. A review “with a view…

Travis Perkins has asked customers not to order more goods than they need following the announcement that building merchants can remain open under England’s new lockdown rules. In a statement released this morning, the company said that all its branches will remain open across the UK “where it is safe…

Construction industry analysts have cautiously welcomed the Brexit trade agreement sealed by the UK shortly before Christmas. Progressive Equity analyst Alastair Stewart told Construction News the impact of the deal, which came into force on 1 January 2021, had been broadly positive. “I think it’s a great big anti-climax for…

McNicholas Construction Services has become the last Kier company to be readmitted to the prompt payment code (PPC). In November 2019, five Kier businesses including McNicholas were suspended from the code for failing to pay 95 per cent of invoices within 60 days. Since then, the other four Kier-owned firms…

The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has said it is working with government to identify what materials shortages are being caused by capacity problems at British ports due to COVID-19. Issues mainly relate to goods imported from the Far East, including power tools, screws and fixings, and sanitary ware such as…