Wates

Migrant workers are at an increased risk of exploitation on construction sites, a new report has warned. The probe by Achilles, which deals in supply chain risk, found migrant workers are vulnerable to unexplained deductions from wages, restricted access to mobile phones and “informal or unclear” employment arrangements. Based on…

Tier one contractor Wates posted record annual turnover last year although its statutory pre-tax profit nosedived, its latest accounts show. The firm – ranked 7th in last year’s CN100 index of top UK contractors – saw its revenue (excluding joint ventures) rise by 9.2 per cent from £2.1bn to £2.3bn…

Wates has been given the job of repairing Parliament’s crumbling Victora Tower after the competitive tender process for the job failed for a second time. Construction News revealed in April 2024 that the tender for the then-£95m job had to be re-run after errors were made in documents used in the…

A Wates joint venture (JV) has rejigged its approach to kickstarting a 1,380-home estate regeneration project in Essex after fire safety rules delayed progress on plans for tall buildings. The contractor-developer, along with its JV partner Havering Council, is currently redesigning high-rise buildings on the Waterloo Estate regeneration project in…

A major green energy contract helped propel Bouygues to the top of the monthly contractor league table for January. The contractor bagged a £170m job to develop Immingham Green Energy Terminal (IGET) in the Humber Estuary. This and two other projects took Bouygues to the summit in January, with a…

A family member of one of the industry’s biggest construction firms has accused the government of ignoring warnings over the impact of inheritance tax changes. Wates board member James Wates, who also chairs advocacy group Family Business UK (FBUK), said it lobbied HM Treasury on keeping Business Property Relief (BPR)…

The first full working week of 2025 has seen a flurry of job changes across the construction industry. Infrastructure specialist Costain announced the appointment of Eva Soto Pérez as its new engineering services general manager. Pérez moves from Morgan Sindall, where she was engineering director from June 2022. Her CV…

A single mammoth contract for HS2 work propelled Costain to the top of December’s league table, according to construction industry data specialist Glenigan. Work will begin in the first quarter of the year on the £400m job to deliver critical lineside mechanical and electrical systems for the high-speed rail link.…

Wates has won the £75m contract to deliver the 381-home first phase of a new community in Hampshire. The contractor has already broken ground at the 13.8ha Lower Acre site, with its work expected to complete by 2027. The scheme is the first of nine phases of development on the…

Tier one contractor Wates is setting up a new fit-out business headed by the former managing director of ISG Fit Out. Lee Phillips, ex-managing director of ISG Fit Out, will build and lead a team focusing on the London commercial fit-out and refurbishment market, Wates announced yesterday (30 October). The…