Government

Mace has put forward proposals for how the private sector can deliver HS2’s Euston station development but the Department for Transport (DfT) has not yet responded, the contractor’s boss has said. Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds told City AM that his firm’s proposals had “gone into a black hole”. “When…

A proposed new method for assessing the energy performance of buildings is set to be more transparent and adaptable than the current one. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) opened a consultation on a new Home Energy Model this week, alongside its consultation on the new Future…

The Labour Party has named the former head of Siemens UK as the leader of a review into infrastructure delivery. Juergen Maier, who was chief executive of the rail company from July 2014 to December 2019 and is currently non-executive chair of the Digital Catapult business group, will lead work…

The government has named three companies given contracts worth a total of £35m to provide temporary classrooms at schools affected by the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Algeco UK, Portakabin and Wernick Buildings have been awarded contracts worth £11.55m each by the Department for Education (DfE). The £35m cost…

Government officials who contract construction businesses may lack the skills needed to make the most of a law change designed to simplify and improve the way contracts are awarded, MPs have warned. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised “concern” over the commercial capabilities in place to successfully implement the Procurement…

Peers have accused the government of acting too slowly on cash retentions, as a minister shut down suggestions that there should be a statutory ban on the practice. Export minister Lord Offord of Garvel argued against suggestions from peers to increase government intervention in eliminating cash retentions. Retention payments – typically…

The government is to start work on creating a risk register of data on mass-timber buildings, as part of a package to allay insurer fears over the material’s use in construction. In its Timber in Construction roadmap, launched yesterday (11 December), the government set out proposals to mitigate the safety…

More than 100 schools are set to be completely rebuilt due to the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) crisis, the education secretary has said. On Wednesday (6 December) the government updated its list of schools and colleges in England that it has identified contain RAAC. The number now stands at…

A Bouygues Travaux Publics-Murphy joint venture (JV) has landed the £1.34bn tunnelling contract for the Lower Thames Crossing. The JV beat competition from a venture comprised of Bam Nuttall, Ferrovial Construction and Vinci Construction Grands Projets, and a bid from a Dragados and Hochtief Infrastructure JV to land the work.…

Former government construction adviser Paul Morrell has hit out at ministers' muted response to a building-safety report published in April. Testing for a Safer Future, written by Morrell and legal expert Anneliese Day, questioned whether regulators would be able to enforce higher standards and said certification bodies had failed to…