Preparing for public procurement post-Brexit

/ Contractual Issues, Latest News, Public Sector

Blog Authors: Graeme Young, Partner and Shona Murphy, Associate – CMS UK The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Under the terms of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, the current EU public procurement rules have continued in force in the UK during an 11 month transition period. That transition period expires on 31 December 2020. While the UK may still be able to agree a limited form of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU by the end of this year, it seems…

JCT Launches New Group for Young Professionals

/ Specialist Interest Groups

JCT has launched the JCT Young Professionals Group (YPG), a new cross-industry networking initiative for construction professionals. The aim of the YPG is to provide a focus group for construction professionals within the first ten years of their career, those that are “young in the industry” regardless of age, and students, who are interested in elevating their professional profile, expanding their industry network and connecting with peers, and giving back to the industry through fostering a long-term engagement with JCT. In its role as a…

Government Initiatives Create Opportunities for Businesses and Homeowners

/ JCT 2016 Edition

Blog Author: Peter Hibberd The construction industry, in keeping with most other industries, is going through one of the most challenging periods known to those currently employed. In April this year, construction activity, according to the ONS, fell by 40% month on month for new works and around 38% for repair works. Not surprising given lockdown, but a degree of miscommunication meant that many contractors stopped working when they could have continued, albeit with restrictions. As we emerge from lockdown, and business takes on a…

Wroughton Academy, Norfolk

/ Case Studies

The site of Wroughton Academy in Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, was for many years shared by separate junior and infant schools. Having come under the same management recently, a project was commissioned to create a cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure to link the two buildings. A JCT Intermediate Building Contract with contractor’s design was the form of choice. The new CLT building symbolises the merging of the two schools under the Wroughton Academy umbrella by providing a new front and central focus point to the school, securely…

Chair’s Letter: Service or Product?

/ Chairman's Blog

Blog Author: Richard Saxon, CBE The Office for National Statistics lists the construction industry as part of the service sector. This makes some sense in that we provide bespoke facilities to customers rather like a restaurant provides meals. However, our output is not a transient meal but delivers a very concrete asset which needs looking after for its whole life, a service we do not provide except reactively. We treat our output like a product, leaving the buyer to look after it. Owners are not…

Construction Contract Execution During Covid-19 and Beyond

/ Contractual Issues, JCT 2016 Edition

Blog Authors: Marcus Harling and Alistair Russell – Burges Salmon LLP Electronic signatures, data rooms, Mercury execution? Evolving working arrangements mean we should all double check exactly how to execute construction documents. Whilst smart contracts and digital signatures are still very much the immediate future, for most people they did not arrive in time to help with the complexities of contract execution created by the COVID-19 lockdown. Suddenly the traditional way of contract execution became almost impossible and old questions on remote Mercury compliant execution…

JCT Interviews…Richard Young

/ Interviews

In this series we shed some light on some of the key people who are involved with or give their time to support JCT, to ensure that all areas of the construction industry are represented and can contribute to the development of our contracts. We will look at how our interviewees contribute to JCT specifically and gain their views on JCT’s wider role within the industry. Richard Young BSc Hons MICE Senior director, CBRE Project Management Member, JCT Council Richard Young originally trained as a…

Chair’s Letter: Must Recession mean Regression?

/ Chairman's Blog

Blog Author: Richard Saxon, CBE The 2008 recession destroyed a decade of progress in modernising construction practice as everyone reverted to pre-Latham/Egan behaviours. Progressive practice has climbed back in the last decade, but will it all be lost again? Two recessions ago, in 1992, the government asked Sir Michael Latham to report on how to improve the suffering construction industry. Construction always fares very badly in downturns as public and private clients typically slow or stop investing. Constructors and consultants shed staff and bid low…

Bunhill 2 Energy Centre

/ Case Studies

The Bunhill 2 Energy Centre, situated on the long-disused site of the old City Road underground station in Islington, is the second phase of Islington Borough Council’s Bunhill Heat and Power District Heating Network, launched in 2012. The innovative project uses waste heat from the Tube to provide sustainable, cheap heating and hot water to homes and other buildings in the borough. A JCT Design and Build Contract provided the contract solution. The Bunhill Heat and Power District Heating Network was supplying heating and hot…

AIMs Assets and Threads

/ General

Blog Author: Simon Lewis – Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP Whilst the world continues to struggle with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are signs that the construction sector is beginning to operate once again, albeit within strictly regulated parameters. Obviously, from an economic perspective this is a good thing but also there are a number of issues which are pressing for the construction sector and which should be progressed as swiftly as reasonably possible even in these difficult times. One of these…