Training for today and tomorrow
With a more buoyant construction market, it is those firms continuing to invest in training that are best placed to help housing providers bring their homes up to modern standards.
Billy Baird, Projects Director at roofing and cladding services provider Marley Contract Services, looks at how the company has managed to maintain its skills base.
THE skills shortage is particularly acute in the construction industry and encompasses a wide range of disciplines from bricklaying through to plumbing.
A lack of...
Construction contracts: NEC3 v SBCC
Any conversation between an experienced project manager and a specialist construction lawyer on the choice of contracts is likely to be a lively one...
It’s time for Scotland to stop missing out on solar thermal
By Stephanie Clark, Policy Manager, Onshore Renewables at Scottish Renewables
IT’S all too easy to scoff at solar power in Scotland, but falling hardware prices...
More action needed over skill shortages
By Ross Mickel, Managing Director of Mactaggart & Mickel Timber Systems
IT’S no surprise to anyone in the construction industry that our trade is currently...
Securing the future of our industry
By Alan Burns, Divisions Manager for City Building
There have been reports for some time of a skills gap in the construction industry where talents...
Seven steps to better cash flow management
By Lee Swinerd, Director, KPMG LLP
In the early stages of a business, cash flow is arguably the most important factor to consider. Indeed, one...
Don’t miss the opportunity to leapfrog competition
Public Relations expert, Julie Moulsdale, explains why construction firms should make the most of the many opportunities that exist to raise their profile.
THE Scottish...
Gap in the market for medium-sized firms
THE recent demise of Muirfield Contracts felt like a throwback to the darkest days of the recession when reports of contractors going out of...
CDM 2015: are you ready?
Claire Mills at bto solicitors outlines the changes coming into effect with the new Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
CDM 2015 will replace CDM...
£125 funding needed to achieve sustainable housing
IN light of John Swinney’s recent Budget speech, which focused largely on the social inequality caused by fuel poverty, Philip Hogg, Chief Executive of trade...
Dig unveils Roman Army artefacts
ARCHAEOLOGICAL investigations near Dumfries have revealed new insight into the Roman Army’s occupation of southern Scotland during the second century AD.
Artefacts discovered include...
Incentives are making hydro FiT the grid
Feed-in tariffs (FiTs) are financial incentives for electricity generated from small-scale renewable and low-carbon sources.
FiTs are guaranteed payments to small-scale generators, which are...
It’s never too soon to get connected
Firms looking to get hooked up to the Scottish water network should waste no time starting the process. Willie Aitken explains why.
IN the majority...
Strengthening the supply chain
The industry has weathered tough times and we are now seeing more emphasis on collaborative working. Gavin Hamblett, Pre-Construction Director at Prater, explains we...
Procurement Bill passes sensible ideas – but more needs to be done
DAVID Wright, Head of External Affairs at SELECT, the Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland, has welcomed the passing of the Procurement Reform Bill,...
New finance director for Barratt Homes
BARRATT has appointed Colin Mitchell (pictured) to the post of Finance Director in the West of Scotland.
Colin, who was most recently Finance Director at...
How to run an adjudication effectively
Adjudication remains a widely used and popular form of dispute resolution in the construction sector. Julie Scott (pictured), an Associate in the construction and...
‘Considerate’ Balfour Beatty set standard
BALFOUR Beatty has been recognised as a Considerate Constructor for its approach on three prestigious Scottish projects, the Scottish Crime Campus fit-out for the...
Investing for the upturn
MACTAGGART & Mickel is a fourth generation family business and a top 50 UK house builder with developments throughout Central Scotland, with land interests...
It’s survival of the fittest – Greg Callan
The companies with the best chances of riding out the recession are those which have adapted to the economic realities argues Greg Callan.
THE latest...