Blog

Who should be at the heart of a Project (whether BIM or not)?

/ BIM

Much of the construction related rhetoric we hear every day neglects to mention or challenge the most critical member of the Project team. Everyone else gets a mention: the designers, the constructors, the techies that enable clever stuff to happen, but very little is said about the guys that need the project, appoint the team, pay for it (in so many ways!) and then also benefit from it (hopefully!). At the heart of all projects is of course not the Architect or Project Manager but…

Twerton Mill

/ Case Studies

The recently completed 7,500m2 Twerton Mill development offers 327 premium student living units, located on a site steeped in industrial heritage and within a popular student and local residential area. Built by Midas Construction Limited, the project was commissioned to tackle an accommodation shortage across the city, where the rising student presence has contributed to 67% of population growth within recent years. Based on a challenging site, the use of the JCT 2011 Design and Build contract provided a good balance of cost certainty with…

JCT 2016 – New Features Announced

/ JCT 2016 Edition, JCT Product Updates

With the JCT 2016 Edition due to arrive later this year, commencing with the Minor Works family of contracts in the Summer, a preview of the key changes and features of the 2016 edition was given by JCT chair, Richard Saxon CBE, in a speech at the Olswang Annual Construction Conference in February. Here is an overview from Richard’s speech of the key features of the JCT 2016 Edition: The JCT 2016 Edition will incorporate and update provisions from the JCT Public Sector Supplement relating…

Insolvent Abuse

/ Contractual Issues

Blog author: Peter Hibberd Insolvency of any party on a building project is regrettable and something advisers should look to militate against at pre-tender stage. Pre-contract checks on financial position, current workload and resources are essential prerequisites to entering a construction contract: yet, despite such checks, insolvency remains a possibility. Although insolvency in the industry has fallen slightly over the past year, history shows that, once construction activity picks up, insolvency is likely to increase.Insolvency numbers have been lower because monetary policy has provided financial props…

JCT interviews…Dr Andrew Flood

/ Interviews, Sustainability

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. Dr Andrew Flood JCT Council Member, Local Government Association (LGA) Chair, JCT Sustainability Working Group Dr Andrew Flood is…

Is it time for an international JCT contract?

/ Contractual Issues

Blog author: Barry Hembling – Fladgate LLP English language standard form contracts are an appropriate choice for use on international construction projects. This was the conclusion of The Hon. Sir Vivian Ramsey at the 2015 JCT Povey Lecture which considered the international applicability of the cultural and legal concepts of using such contracts abroad. The principal theme of the lecture was that parties may not be able to rely on various terms that might otherwise be implied into contracts when English standard forms are used…

Globalisation – winners and losers

/ Chairman's Blog

Blog author: Richard Saxon CBE, JCT Chairman Construction used to be the most local of industries. Buildings were made from the nearby materials by local craftsmen and master masons. There were no ‘professionals’. As modern materials came in so they were sourced from further afield and professionals emerged to decide how to use them. Whilst bulky materials are expensive to ship, the UK has largely gone over to importing building products, with a major negative balance of payments for manufactured components. For a wide variety…

JCT launches new website and online store

/ Latest News, Press Releases

The Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) has launched a new website and a dedicated online store for customers to access and purchase JCT products. JCT contract users have been able to purchase contracts via the JCT website since 2013, but the success of this service, along with a continued increase in sales of JCT contracts has driven the need for an improved, dedicated store site. The new shop site at www.jctltd.co.uk offers a user-friendly online shopping experience, optimised to work fully across desktop, tablet and mobile…

Judging Panel set for JCT’s most creative student competition to date

/ Education, Skills and Students, Press Releases

The judging panel for the JCT Student Essay Competition 2016 has been announced. The competition offers both support and a creative opportunity for construction students, with a winning prize of £1,000 and runner-up prizes of £250 available. In a change to previous competitions, students are able to present their ideas in any way they wish, be it essay, video, set of designs or drawings, photographic/visual essay – whatever they feel best enables them to present a creative idea on the topics of skills shortages, sustainability,…

Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester

/ Case Studies

With a clutch of awards, including a RIBA National Award 2015, the 2015 Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year, and shortlisted for the RIBA Sterling prize, the extension to the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester is a masterpiece of transparency and integration with its exterior parkland space. A JCT Standard Building Contract provided the contract solution. The University of Manchester’s Whitworth Gallery first opened in 1908, and was designed by J.W. Beaumont. The north-south facing façade is the original red brick and terracotta, neo-Jacobean…