The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is asking contractors for their views about the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is currently conducting a triennial review of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) in line with the Coalition Government’s commitment to review public bodies every three years.
The review will examine the requirement for the CITB and other Industry Training Boards to continue and the future delivery options. Further information on triennial reviews can be found here.
BIS say the review is not a review of the policy relating to skills funding to which the Government remains committed. This consultation is completely separate from consultations on the statutory levy being conducted by or on behalf of the CITB.
The responses to this consultation will go directly to the Review Team at BIS. The date for responding to this consultation is 18 October 2013. Contributions will form part of the final report that will be published in 2014. No specific comments will be attributed to individuals or organisations who participate.
The questionnaire which can be accessed HERE. The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.
Balfour Beatty and Kier have become the latest main contractors to consider setting up new payment schemes designed to help the cash flow of their suppliers.
The move follows the publication of a report into the Carillion Early Payment Facility by NSCC yesterday.
Other contractors who have said they will look at setting up similar schemes that involve paying a fee to receive early payment include ISG, Galliford Try, Willmott Dixon and Wates.
National Specialist Contractors Council, NSCC, has warned specialist contractors about cost and payment issues associated with Carillion 120 days payment terms and its Early Payment Facility (EPF). The review warns contractor to be aware of potential costs and delayed payments that specialists could be exposed to.
Suzannah Nichol, NSCC chief executive ,said: “The way in which Carillion have told us they are operating their Early Payment Facility means that Specialist Contractors are being paid in 45 days at no cost to them. But let’s not kid ourselves; 45 days is only ‘early’ when your standard terms are 65 days.”
“NSCC believes, and has consistently stated through its Fair Payment Campaign, that 30-day payment terms are normal. We cannot see why Carillion has extended its payment terms to 120 days; it just complicates an already complicated payment mechanism! Contractual payment terms of 120 days are unacceptable both commercially and ethically.”
“It has taken us a while to understand Carillion’s Early Payment Facility and Supplier Incentive Scheme. We have met with Carillion representatives to discuss its objectives and they have clearly stated that their intention is to pay their supply chain early. We have also taken legal advice to interpret the various documents so that we can advise our members. It has taken a lot of effort and, if we have found it hard, I am not sure how a busy Specialist Contractor is supposed to understand it.”
NSCC’c research found that contracts which are subject to the Construction Act, the due date for payment is 112 days from the end of the month in which the invoice is issued or the date of the application for payment. This is arguably at odds with Carillion’s statement in the Supplier Incentive Scheme that it will endeavour to approve invoices within 30 days. As Carillion is not contractually obliged to approve an application for payment until 112 days later, specialist contractors may not be able to draw down under the EPF. It also prevents specialist contractors claiming interest on late payments until after 112 days have passed.
Under the Supplier Incentive Scheme Carillion has committed to reimbursing the bank charges paid by specialist contractors who reduce their payment terms under EPF. However, NSCC also found out that the scheme is not contractually documented and, if Carillion chose to withdraw it, the bank charges would have to be met by the specialist contractor.
NSCC also says that the EPF agreement terminates then a specialist contractor will be stuck with 120-day payment terms on existing contracts.
Last month, Carillion revealed it was expanding the system and said research showed that 89% of suppliers using the system felt it has had a positive effect on their ability to get paid promptly and flexibly. The firm said the figures showed critics were “absolutely wrong” about the scheme.
In the Carillion survey Peter Hall from The Horbury Group said: “Carillion’s new Early Payment Facility programme is a useful payment option and something we are more than happy to sign up to. It gives us a guarantee that we will be paid at a certain time, which means we can plan and forecast, but it also offers additional flexibility so that we can receive payment earlier if we want to. This is a particularly helpful facility to have.”
To see the NSCC investigation in full visit the NSCC website
Wetherby Building Systems has been selected to provide EWI solutions as part of a £38m regeneration scheme for Watford Community Housing Trust (WCHT).
In the first project of its kind, the two year ECO-funded programme is the largest in the UK and will see 4,700 homes, across four of WCHT’s estates, fitted with a variety of carbon saving measures by 2015.
Cosyseal Group, a business specialising in the installation of energy saving measures to the social housing sector, has been appointed by WCHT to manage the large-scale project, which required an experienced EWI partner with a proven track record to design an appropriate EWI solution.
Wetherby has been enlisted to design and supply an effective EWI system that will not only be thermally efficient, but will also improve the aesthetics of the 4,700 homes included in the project, which will give the community a whole new lease of life. The EWI provider will also be responsible for regulating the installers on site to ensure all systems installed meet strict ECO guidelines.
In addition to WCHT’s housing stock, the option to have EWI installed will also be rolled out to all private homeowners within the same estates, who will be able to receive the energy-saving measure free of charge under the ECO scheme.
Commenting on the project, Paul Kirby, Sales Director at Wetherby, said: “It is fantastic to be involved with such a major project. Following a slow start, the ECO schemes are really gaining momentum now and this project clearly demonstrates the widespread benefits that ECO can offer.”
A new range of professional interior solutions, including glazed and flexible partitioning, cubicles, storage walls, shelving, and doors has launched under the brand-name Sektor.
Available exclusively distributor CCF and via www.sektorinteriors.com, each product has been designed to meet contractor demand for value, availability, reliable service from partitioning specialists, and choice.
Sektor has been developed with three key fundamentals in mind: high-quality solutions that are quick and simple to install, have flexibility with existing components and are readily available for over the counter purchase or rapid delivery.
Noel Robinson, Sektor technical and training manager, said: “We identified the need for a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality solutions for all environments, budgets, and aesthetic requirements.
“It was clear that a reliable service is equally important, as the own brand of CCF, Sektor is not only available from a number of UK locations and via the brand new website, but it takes just two to three days for the delivery of a complete partitioning system. Backed by the expertise of the CCF team and its reputation for reliability, contractors and specifiers can be confident that they will have the solutions they need, on time and in full.”
The technical expertise of CCF and Sektor means that customers can benefit from added support and recommendations to meet the most demanding specifications covering fire, acoustic and structural performances. Contractors can gain further product and specific application details at the Sektor website. Complete with installation guides, technical drawings, the site provides a quick and simple way to find a solution, access information and place an order.
A range of products from the Sektor portfolio is available online and exclusively through branches of CCF with a product showroom in Southall, Middlesex.
For further information on Sektor visit www.sektorinteriors.com.
A major construction and refurbishment programme at Southampton General Hospital has seen a number of key buildings given a fresh look.
LSC Facades has installed Trespa Meteon panels as part of a £6.3m redevelopment project which required a durable facade solution which would be easy to clean and would perform exceptionally well outdoors.
The project provides the Trust with an additional loading bay area, laboratory space on two levels above including a new mass spectrometer lab, and future space on an additional upper level, which will remain as a shell at this time. The trust secured additional funding which increased the height of the building to include additional floors, with an increased level of fit out works.
Prater and Lindner Facades, both part of the German Lindner Group, have delivered a complete roofing and facade solution for one of the UK’s most ambitious projects – the new Library of Birmingham. At an estimated cost of £188 million will be the largest public library in the country.
The new Library of Birmingham has been designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo and the main contractor is Carillion.
Prater then installed cladding with Kingspan composite panels and single skin cladding sheets, as well as capping to the perimeter roof upstands using its very own aluminum powder coated products. In total, Prater has waterproofed 7500 square meters of the library, which also includes an area on the ground level podium.
In addition, Prater has formed a bio-diverse roof garden on top of the finishes using soil, pebbles and old tree branches, to attract local wildlife and to offer visitors a pleasant environment to enjoy all year round.
Among its own scope of works at the site, Lindner Facades has installed the unusual and stunning façade for the Library of Birmingham. The building is effectively ‘wrapped’ in 8500m2 of unitised façade with a feature frieze of curved aluminum. The fifth and sixth floors are constructed using 3m wide, and up to 6.5m high gold anodized cladding. This cladding features again curved around the Shakespeare Memorial Room and Rotunda spotlight on the roof of the Library.
Moreover, Lindner Facades has supplied 1500m2 of steel framed ground floor glazing with soffits and a number of bespoke doors. While further refurbishment work has been carried out on the adjacent REP theatre, with approx. 600m of windows to the front of the building and 2,500m2 of cast glass channel façade to the new extension at the back of the building.
For further information please visit: www.lindner-group.com and www.prater.co.uk
photographs Christian Richters
SIG Interiors has launched a new overview guide to its exclusive Tenon Partition Systems range.
The Tenon Partition Systems range offers the entire spectrum of advanced partitioning systems to help customers select the right product to meet any project specification, from new build to refurbishment.
The new system overview guide details the range of systems available from straightforward sound or vision divides to complex multifunctional specifications. Customers can seek inspiration from best practice case studies about how Tenon Partition Systems have been applied at various projects, along with ironmongery, manifestation and other finishing options.
Anew guide is also available providing comprehensive details of the full doors & joinery product range from Tenon Partition Systems, including solid core single doors, single or double glazed, and more bespoke offerings. The guide also includes ironmongery options to finish any project and provides guidance on building regulations to ensure doors are DDA compliant, where required.
The new Tenon Product & Price Guide is available to download from the dedicated Tenon Partition Systems website at www.tenonpartitions.co.uk.
Leading interior building products distributor CCF has launched a brand-new product guide that has been specifically designed to make product selection simple, whilst providing customers with a greater understanding of the complete solutions available to them.
The brochure features more than 4,000 products and accessories across seven categories, including market leading brands in the interiors and insulation sectors, to ensure customers have access to a complete solution, supplied from stock or delivered nationwide. The guide also includes an extended variety of specialist products to give customers as much choice as possible.
Comprising of the best in insulation, drywall, ceiling, partitioning, flooring and fire protection products, the handy A5 sized guide has been designed to be simple to navigate and as informative as possible, including detailed overviews and measurements which cover thicknesses, dimensions, and pack coverage.
Michelle Russell, Marketing Manager at CCF, said: “Developing a comprehensive product guide stemmed from a recognition of the pressures and time-constraints that customers face on a daily basis. Contractors, specifiers, building owners and facilities managers need to be able to source solutions quickly, so we have included as much information as possible together with product images.
“Accompanied by a dependable delivery service that supplies stocked products direct to site, and the skilled staff at CCF, we are confident that the new product guide will improve our service offering and support customers nationwide.”
The brochure is available across the entire CCF branch network. It is also downloadable from http://www.ccfltd.co.uk/.
The eye-catching curves of the iconic Redcar Beacon – the landmark development for the redeveloped seafront at the North East England resort – were made simpler and faster to achieve by using Knauf Aquapanel Exterior Cement Boards as the render carrier board.
Blending the designs of two buildings associated with the seaside – the lighthouse and the helter-skelter – the Redcar Beacon is a seven-storey circular building with an extremely tight diameter of just 6 metres that was created by Seven Architecture to provide a focal point to the newly-strengthened sea defences.
Main contractor Willmott Dixon engaged Farpod, the Ossett-based drylining and joinery contractors, to install Knauf Aquapanel Exterior as the backing for the curved rendered walls for the external and semi exposed internal walls, using a double layer in many cases for impact resistance.
Neil Farr from Farpod said: “We estimate that we saved about a third of the time we would have spent using conventional cement board and achieved a better finish because we would usually have to install two layers of 6mm thick cement board – which then leaves facets in the curve, rather like a 50p piece.”
The 24m tall building will encourage tourism so that visitors can take in panoramic views from the top-level viewing platform, buy refreshments from the ground-floor café and visit the art and crafts workshops that will occupy the floors between.
Prev
