Procurement – Covid-19

Prosecution for demolition firm after worker crushed on site

An Essex based demolition firm has been fined and one of its directors ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work after a labourer was crushed by plant, leading to life changing injuries. Ace Demolition Services was fined £20,000 at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court and John Gilligan was given a 12 month community order.

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Greater oversight of project spending demanded

Government departments have been urged to make greater use of accounting officer assessments to better oversee how public money is being spent, including on major construction projects. The Public Accounts Committee says it is “disappointed that departments are not making as much use of these assessments as they should”.  

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Flooding fear from new housing needs addressing

Legislation and standards need strengthening to discourage new housing and business developments from connecting to existing drainage networks, according to a new report.  The call comes from the National Infrastructure Commission which says such action could prevent 95,000 properties from facing a high risk of surface water flooding in future.

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National Highways faces difficult decisions to prioritise projects

Reductions in funding for strategic road enhancements over a five year period failed to achieve any notable savings as the cost of delivering planned projects rose by a similar amount, new figures have revealed.

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Concerns raised by lawyer over proposed developer levy

Government has launched a 10 week consultation into the design and implementation of a Building Safety Levy, to be paid by developers and charged on new residential buildings in England requiring building control approval. But one legal professional warned that the new Levy would represent “a quick fix” to fund much needed remediation works on a wide range of buildings.

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Move to block slow developers likely to be ineffective

Plans to allow councils to block planning proposals from developers with a history of slow build-out in the area have been announced. One lawyer has described the policy as “surprising” and says it is unlikely to have the desired effect of speeding up house building.

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New guide published to aid project delivery

Britain’s public spending watchdog has published a good practice guide to help project managers better understand the challenges of delivering large schemes. The National Audit Office's new document called ‘Delivery Environment Complexity Analytic’ sets out 12 factors it says need to be understood and managed effectively to ensure successful delivery of a project, programme or policy.

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Improved carbon reporting urged to de-risk projects

Accurate emissions reporting must become integral in the design of major infrastructure to help entice greater private finance into green projects, the sector has been warned. Schemes may also risk litigation for failing to mitigate the release of carbon.

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Sector embraces pledge to maintain infrastructure spending

Construction lawyers and the industry have broadly welcomed Government’s plans for infrastructure spending – set out in last week’s Autumn Statement – which include a commitment not to cut from capital budgets.

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Contracts guidance marks step towards outlawing retentions

Construction lawyers have welcomed new guidance on the use of retention clauses under NEC forms of contract, which emphasises that a retention fund may not always be required on projects. However they question the value of proposed alternative protections for clients, particularly on smaller schemes.

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