New Government measures come into force today requiring contractors bidding for government contracts to have committed to their own plan to achieve net zero emissions.

The new rules apply to all firms bidding for government work worth more than £5m a year, not just those who are successful.

A carbon reduction plan sets out where a firm’s emissions come from and the environmental management measures that they have in place.

Many large contractors already self-report parts of their carbon emissions, known as Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect owned) emissions as part of the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting regulations published in 2018.

The new rules go further, requiring a commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050 at the latest, and the reporting of some Scope 3 emissions.

These Scope 3 emissions represent a significant proportion of a firm’s carbon footprint and include business travel, employee commuting, transportation, distribution and waste for the first time.

The Government argues reporting and reducing these emissions will play a substantial role in decarbonising its supply chain, and the UK economy as a whole.

The measures will apply to all central government departments as well as their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Andrew Griffith, UK Net Zero Business COP Champion, said the new rules will drive forward the government’s green agenda while also striking a balance to not overly burden and potentially exclude small and medium sized enterprises from bidding for government work.

“The message to businesses is clear – engaging on net zero is no longer an option but a necessity from today, with businesses large and small now needing firm climate plans and commitments in place to supply major government contracts.

“As we prepare to host the UN COP26 Summit this is exactly the type of leadership and collaboration required from government and business to show the world that we are serious about investing in a greener, more prosperous future.”

A fit out contractor has been fined after an employee suffered multiple fractures after falling fifteen feet from scaffolding.

Manchester Magistrates Court heard on the 24 October 2019, an employee of TA Knox Shopfitters Ltd was working from a tower scaffold at the front of the Footasylum Store in the Trafford Centre, Manchester, when the scaffold moved throwing him off balance.

He fell backwards against the safety rail of the scaffold, which gave way and he fell fifteen feet to the ground. The employee suffered ten fractured ribs, a fractured shoulder and a collapsed lung.

An HSE investigation found that the safety rail had not been fixed in place correctly, causing it to give way when the employee fell against it. It also found that the tower scaffold had not been erected by somebody with the appropriate skills, knowledge and training.

If the edge protection been suitable and sufficient and the tower constructed by somebody competent to erect tower scaffolds, the incident could have been prevented.

TA Knox Shopfitters Ltd of Bredbury, Stockport pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,623.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Seve Gomez-Aspron said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities and severe injuries in this country. The risks associated with work at height are well known.

“This incident could so easily have been avoided by ensuring that suitable and sufficient edge protection had been used and qualified people had been on site to erect a tower scaffold.”

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The Ministry of Justice has unveiled plans to build two new prisons on land around an RAF air base in Essex.

New Category B and C prisons, each containing 1,715 inmates, are being proposed to be built at Wethersfield air base in Braintree.

They will each follow the new standardised designs, consisting of seven separate house blocks each rising to four floors with 240 inmates in each block.

Each prison will also have support buildings. These will include a reception area, kitchens, workshops, a visits hall and offices.

Wethersfield air base double prison plan

In local community consultation papers, newly-appointed prisons minister Victoria Atkins said: “We believe that, following detailed feasibility work, land next to Wethersfield air base would be a good location for two new prisons as part of the prison estates strategy.

“Our plans, if successful, would bring many benefits to the local community, such as hundreds of jobs during construction, careers within the prison sector and an increased spend in local businesses.”

If a decision is taken to proceed, planning permission will be sought next year.

The Government has committed to creating 18,000 additional prison places by the mid-2020s’, through a combination of building new prisons, as well as extending, refurbishing and maintaining existing prisons.

Four are planned as part of the Ministry of Justice’s £1bn New Prisons Programme.

These will be delivered by a framework of preselected contractors: ISG, Kier, Laing O’Rourke and Wates.

Earlier this month, MoJ submitted plans for a major new prison in Lancashire adjacent to HMP Garth and HMP Wymott near the town of Leyland.

Other prisons in the pipeline include Full Sutton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, another new category c prison planned on land adjacent to HMP Grendon and HMP Springhill in Buckinghamshire.

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King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP) has appointed McLaren Construction as main contractor on its latest commercial and residential development at the 67-acre central London site.

Confirmation of the appointment comes just months after McLaren handed over the Luma residential building at Kings Cross.

The new R8 building will comprise two 13-storey blocks linked by a two-storey podium garden with landscaped roof gardens for users of both buildings.

To the east is a residential building of 72 apartments and the western block contains 170,000 sq ft of office space with retail on the ground floor.

KCCLP has entered into a management agreement with The Office Group, the premium flexible workspace provider, which will see them partner to create the largest – and the first purpose-built – design-led, flexible workspace in King’s Cross within these new buildings.

John Butten, Regional Managing Director for the Major Projects division at McLaren Construction, said: “McLaren’s projects at King’s Cross give a snapshot of the depth of capability in one of London’s largest regeneration projects since the 19th century.

“Following on from the high specification apartments in Luma we are now applying the same build quality to more homes, offices and retail.

“This must be one of the most visible regeneration projects in the UK. That makes our repeat work at King’s Cross an important showcase for our can-do culture and aim of always exceeding clients’ expectations.”

The new buildings’ design, by Piercy & Co, draws inspiration from industrial warehouses, with exposedinishes and spacious high ceilings.

It will be delivered by McLaren using fast modern construction methods, such as a unitised façade system on the commercial block. Lighting by 18 Degrees will also be

carefully integrated to avoid exterior lighting poles.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2024.

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The Crown Commercial Service has started the tender race for its ProCure23 and major project framework for public spending departments.

The fourth-generation ProCure23 element for the NHS will be split into three lots, while two other lots in the bundled tender will cover MoD airfield works and major construction projects valued at more than £80m.

The final major projects lot will account for the majority of total forecast spend over the 56-month lifetime of the frameworks at £20bn.

These last two lots are effectively a partial refresh and expansion of the Government’s Construction Works and Associated Services framework to provide extra market capacity and usher in principles in the Construction Playbook.

A webinar is planned for 4 October to launch the contest.

Framework lots

P23 value-based lots:

1. projects under £20m; split into seven regions (Value £3bn)

2. projects £20-£70; 8 places (£3bn)

3. projects over £70m+: 8 places (3bn)

Construction Works and Associated Services 2

4. Airfield Works – national lot; 6 places (£1bn)

5. General construction over £80m; 20 places (£20bn)

Building on past iterations, P23 is hoped to bring the latest best practice in construction methods to the NHS and focuses on delivering greener facilities, reducing carbon emissions and promoting social value.

The present P22 arrangement is shared by six firms: BAM, Galliford Try, Graham, Tilbury Douglas, Kier and Vinci/Sir Robert McAlpine joint venture IHP.

In its 19 year history, the ProCure framework has successfully delivered more than 1,200 projects across England, with a cumulative spend of £9.7bn, and ProCure23 will build this heritage into a third decade.

For more information click here.

Those interested in attending the webinar session please express your interest by emailing [email protected]

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Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has replaced BDP as architect of its £600m children and adults hospitals at the Leeds General infirmary site.

BDP was confirmed as preferred bidder for the scheme last month when initial designs were unveiled – but has now been replaced by a rival team.

The trust said: “Following a period of preferred bidder engagement the Trust has not been able to progress these discussions and in line with procurement best practice, started preferred bidder conversations with the Perkins & Will team, led by Penoyre & Prasad with Schmidt Hammer Lassen, who have now been appointed as the preferred bidder and will design the new hospitals in a once in a generation development opportunity for Leeds and the wider region.”

Simon Worthington, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Director of Finance and Senior Responsible Officer for the Hospitals of the Future Project, said: “We were unable to proceed with one of our tenderers but, in accordance with good procurement practice the right thing to do was to follow due process and this has resulted in the Perkins and Will team being appointed as the Trust’s Preferred Bidder to take forward this design opportunity.

“The competition process to appoint an architect was very strong with a number of international practices taking part which meant we received some exceptional concept designs.  The Perkins and Will concept design is very exciting and will create a fantastic landmark for the hospital and the city of Leeds and we are delighted to be working with them to create the new hospitals.”

Perkins & Will Managing Principal, Mark Rowe, said: “It’s obviously a huge privilege to be entrusted with the design of such a prominent site in one of the country’s most important cities.

“Working closely with the Trust, we believe we can deliver an outstanding building that not only supports exemplary clinical care and treatment but that over time can become as cherished a part of the Leeds cityscape as George Gilbert Scott’s exemplary original hospital.”

The Trust is planning to start construction in 2023, enabling it to align with the Government’s New Hospital Programme and benefit from the collaborative approach of working at scale, allowing it to share its experience with other less developed schemes, in areas such as digital technology, sustainability and modern methods of construction.

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Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £52m contract by National Grid to deliver essential cabling works as part of the London Power Tunnels 2 project.

Balfour delivered the cabling works for phase one of the project, north of the Thames, in 2017 and will now start on the second phase of the scheme to ‘rewire London and connect with the capital’.

Works will include installing 200km of 400kV cables within a 32.5-kilometer tunnel network, deep below the ground between Wimbledon and Crayford.

Connecting several substations across the city, the cables will run through an underground tunnel network to minimise disruption to local communities and the travelling public when future maintenance and repair works are required.

Balfour Beatty will deploy the second generation of its Automated Cable Installation Equipment (ACIE) machine.

Developed in-house and utilised on the first phase of the scheme, the second-generation machine features laser sensors and cameras to improve the speed and quality of the works.

The ACIE has also revolutionised the safety of tunnel cable installation works by reducing the number of people required within the underground tunnels manually installing the cables.

Ian Currie, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission and Distribution business said: “We are delighted to be working with National Grid once again. Our world leading expertise and innovation in tunnel cable installation, combined with our deep sector knowledge, makes us ideally positioned to successfully deliver this critical piece of national infrastructure.”

Cable installation work will begin in January 2023 with the full package of works expected to be completed in 2026. At peak construction, Balfour Beatty will employ a workforce of around 150 people, as well as approximately eight apprentices.

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Civils contractor Clancy has delivered strong financial performance and boosted its order book to £1bn after a successful group restructure.

Rising profitability, with operating margins up to 4.5% from 1.4%, and strong cash flow allowed Clancy to unleash a record capital investment programme.

Around £20m has been invested in plant, equipment and technology to effectively build a platform for long-term growth.

This includes a growing spend on increasing Clancy’s zero-carbon fleet and an ‘electric first’ company car policy.

Despite the pandemic, the Harefield-based firm delivered an £11.1m pre-tax profit in the year to March 2021, up from £3.5m previously, and completing a business turnaround from a £2.8m loss four years ago

Turnover slipped back by 14% to £255m due to both the planned exit from loss-making business and the impact of the pandemic.

The firm, which employs 2,200 people, boosted its order book following a strategic focus on water, energy and wider infrastructure markets.

This summer Clancy opened the way for further expansion securing a new contract with Scottish Water providing repair and maintenance to Scotland’s water and waste water network for up to 12 years.

The expanded framework will help to double the size of Clancy’s operations in Scotland.  While a place on Northumbrian Water’s capital works framework supported a growing presence in the north east of England.

Kevin Clancy, chairman at Clancy said:“We are a family-run business and retain an entrepreneurial spirit which has enabled us to be agile and resilient throughout the challenges of the past year.

“This helped us to stay on track to deliver our long-term strategy, with results that reflect our journey over the last three to four years as much as the most recent twelve months.

“Our model of direct employment and investment in people remains a differentiator at a time when the construction industry as a whole faces significant challenges over the availability of experienced resource.”

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National Highways has confirmed the five companies shortlisted for two road contracts worth a combined £1.9bn to design and build routes north and south of the river on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing.

The bidders being invited to tender are:

Kent Roads (Lot 1 – £600m)BFV JV; comprising of BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Construction (UK) Ltd and VINCI Construction Grands Projets CostainKier Eiffage (KEJV); comprising of Kier Highways and Eiffage Génie CivilSkanska Construction UK

Roads North of the Thames (Lot 2 – £1.3bn)

Balfour Beatty Civil EngineeringKier Eiffage (KEJV); comprising of Kier Highways and Eiffage Génie Civil

The £600m Kent Roads contract is a two-stage design and build contract for the part of the route from the A2/M2 corridor to 1km south of the southern tunnel entrance, with strategic utilities and environmental interfaces

The £1.3 billion Roads North of the Thames contract, is also a two-stage design and build contract delivering the route from 1km north of the northern tunnel entrance to Junction 29 of the M25. New link roads are required to connect the route with the M25, A13 and A1089

The shortlist for the £2bn tunnel contract connecting the two roads was revealed earlier this year.

The successful bidders will design and build a total of 14.3 miles of new roads that will connect the longest road tunnel in the UK to the strategic road network.

Matt Palmer, Lower Thames Crossing Executive Director, said “The Lower Thames Crossing is the most ambitious road project this country has seen since the M25 was completed 35 years ago.

“These contracts show our commitment to this project, which will support 22,000 jobs during its construction and provide a huge economic boost to the UK economy when it opens for traffic.

“Our challenge is to build a new crossing that not only supports the next generation of low carbon vehicles but also allows us to enhance the natural environment and leave a positive legacy for generations to come.

“We look forward to this next stage of the procurement process with the five shortlisted companies and hope the final bids match our aspirations.”

PERI has held its first CPD (continuing professional development) event to give engineers from Richter and 48.3 Scaffolding Design Limited an insight into its scaffolding range and applications.

The event was held at PERI’s new £15m facility in Brentwood, allowing attendees to get closer to the temporary works systems they are used to working with on screen.

The agenda involved a blend of product knowledge and practical exercises, which gave the engineers a better understanding of how scaffold and formwork designs impact the end user and the construction process on site.

Graduate Engineer at Richter, Huda Lohiya, said: “I found the workshop really useful; any time I had a question I didn’t feel embarrassed to ask it, which is really important, especially as a woman in engineering.

“Being able to implement the components and put them together during the practical exercise has helped me to understand some of the struggles on site. So now, when I think about designing a project, I’m thinking of ways to simplify the process and how I can make it easier for those building the system.”

Charles Stratford, Business Development Manager – PERI UP, added: “In today’s world, it’s really important that we share our knowledge and work collaboratively with the whole supply chain. The days are gone where you stand alone in winning major projects and promoting safe working practices.

“We feel it’s important that engineers have a full appreciation of weight, buildability, and the integration with other systems to be able to put the best design forward.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback around the event, and we look forward to hosting more days like this where we can support the next generation of industry workers as we strive to make the construction process more efficient and safer.”