M&A

Kwadwo Sarkodie is a partner and Tamsin Travers is counsel at Mayer Brown International LLP Confronted with spiralling costs and supply chain issues on a fixed price contract which is consequently becoming increasingly unprofitable, a contractor may face a painful choice: continue with the project at a loss or try…

The digital marketplace is hard to navigate, so how are construction firms ensuring they invest wisely in technology? Construction companies, faced with the need to adopt digital technologies to keep pace in a fast-changing world, will inevitably come up against a vast range of options. AI, drones, wearables… it’s a…

Are high upfront costs and a lack of clarity on work pipelines behind a recent spate of high-profile setbacks in the modular construction sector?  In the 1989 Hollywood movie Field of Dreams, a ghostly voice whispering “If you build it, they will come” inspired Kevin Costner’s character to turn his…

Did the government waste tens of millions of pounds extending the lives of construction firms that were beyond saving? Three years ago, as unprecedented social and economic restrictions were introduced to battle Covid, then chancellor Rishi Sunak set the tone for a huge package of emergency government support for business.…

Keith Cooper asks how scaffolding specialists have managed to protect their profits, despite the headwinds of recent years From the outside, scaffolding firms seem as susceptible as any other construction specialist to the many challenges of recent years. The pandemic, huge hikes in the cost of materials and the chronic…

With many subcontractors bitterly regretting the fixed-price contracts they signed before inflation spiralled, James Wilmore asks whether fluctuation clauses and advance payments will become the norm “Collaborative risk-sharing will be key to preserving industry resilience and capacity moving forward.” These were the words of the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) product…

Joshua Stein reveals the payment performance of the UK’s largest contractors – and asks whether it’s too easy for firms to manipulate the system Advertising sponsor   “If businesses or freelancers are owed a lot of money, their cashflow is affected. Unless they have a large amount of funds in…

The Autumn Statement may have protected major-project spending in the short term, but difficult decisions lie ahead. By David Prosser If politics is a game of managing expectations, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt pulled off a coup in November. For weeks in the build-up to the chancellor’s Autumn Statement, ministers…

The year got off to a bumpy start with a major contractor going under in January. But there was better news for those eyeing up nuclear builds. Here are the stories that Construction News readers flocked to read in 2022. 10. Boost for Rolls-Royce’s Snowdonia nuclear plans In mid-October, Rolls-Royce’s…

Some big-name contractors have gone under in recent years without following proper redundancy procedures. With taxpayers footing the bill for payouts, is there any incentive for failing businesses to play fair? David Prosser reports Labour. Raw materials. Interest rates. As these costs all soar, the mortal threat to many construction…