News Archives

Building Regs to get red tape challenge

13/01/2012 10:46:16

Statutory construction regulations, including the Building Regulations, are to be made open to public scrutiny this month. They have just been released on the government's Red Tape Challenge website (www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk ). This is despite the fact that some parts of the Buildings Regs will be out for consultation in 2012.

The objective of this challenge is to reduce red tape to increase business efficiency, without compromising on safety. Housing, Construction and Planning is the latest sector featured on the website, allowing comment on regulations, from those it affects.

At the end of the consultation period, all comments will be forwarded to a “Star Chamber“ chaired by Oliver Letwin, Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, where he and his team will decide upon which regulations need strengthening, and which should be abolished.

The common thought is that this will not have much effect on the existing regulations in the short term. The industry has threatened to radically change Building Regulations over the years but as yet we have only seen increased regulation, not de-regulation. Proposed revisions to the Building Regulations are expected in draft form early this year, to be implemented next year, in 2013.

Ensure your team is up to date with the Building Regulations, changes and proposals, with our one day course 'Keeping up to speed with the latest Building & Fire Regulations'.

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We get a lot of calls asking what a CDM Co-ordinator is, and can anyone do this role?

10/01/2012 08:14:27

As the CDM co-ordinator you hold a key position in respect of your construction project health and safety risk management matters.

The role is particularly suited to the designer, or those involved in the early stages of a project. Many health risks can be managed more effectively during the design phase, rather than later on during the construction phase. Health risks can be managed with the same basic principles that are used to manage safety risks. Some people find that it helps them to deal with health risks by thinking of them as “slow acting accidents“. It is however important to recognise that in some cases health issues are less clear-cut than safety issues.

A great example of this is the one on the HSE website… ‘The effects of being struck on the head by a falling block of concrete are immediate and visible. There is no doubt what caused them. However if the same concrete block is cut up to produce clouds of dust containing respirable crystalline silica which is inhaled over a period of time, the possible resulting lung disorders (silicosis, emphysema or lung cancer) may not be seen for years. It may be difficult to tie the result back to the concrete block.

CDM Co-ordinators need to be able to prove that they are ‘competent’ in the role, and the level of competency will differ depending on the size of the project. Along with experience in construction management, the CDM Co-ordinator needs an understanding of the health and safety risks they’ll come across on a project. As a start we recommend you take a look at our ‘Becoming a CDM Co-ordinator’ course which discusses in depth the requirements and roles of a CDM Co-ordinator, and compliments further H&S training such as the NEBOSHH in Construction.

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Construction Act – verbal contracts now referred to in Adjudication

21/12/2011 16:27:34

One of the features of the amendments to the Construction Act contained within Part 8 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 is that section 107 of the old Act has been repealed. This means that it is no longer necessary for a contract to be wholly in writing or evidenced in writing in order for it to be referred to adjudication. So any new contract entered into from 1 October 2011 which is not fully recorded in writing could still be adjudicated on should a dispute arise in the future.

This had led many people to think that they can take their eye off the ball when preparing the documentation for contracts. In practice it has produced the opposite. The importance of making sure that everything that two parties wish to be contained in a contract is recorded has become even more important. If this is not done and either of those parties resorts to arguing terms which it says were agreed verbally then the parties will find themselves in a difficult area with an uncertain outcome. It is also an area which could significantly increase costs.

The only conclusion to draw therefore is that the change to the Construction Act actually makes it more imperative that contracts are properly recorded in writing in order to avoid expensive arguments from arising in future.

For more information on these issues please contact Michael Rowlinson on 01295 275075 or email him at michael.rowlinson@alway-associates.co.uk .

Make sure that you and your team are up to date with the changes by attending one of our contracts courses. For further details of the subjects that we are running in the New Year, please see our website or call 0845 3133 414 and we'd be happy to help. http://www.constructionstudycentre.co.uk/courses.asp


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Dealing with construction contract problems

13/12/2011 11:03:18

A number of problem issues repeatedly arise with construction contracts, and cause time consuming and costly difficulties, if they are not dealt with properly early on, or even before they arise. Problems such as settling the contract and incorporating terms and questions of liability into the documentation; tenders lapsing; recognising and dealing with impossibility, unforseeability and uncertainty; conflict and ambiguity; retrospective design liability; delays and extensions of time and many more. Despite such issues being commonly encountered, they are often not understood and so the possibility of such matters arising and/or becoming more serious problems is considerable.

To help our delegates get through this minefield we have developed a number one day courses, ‘Dealing with everyone’s construction contract nightmares’ will review many such common issues and seek to explain the position in law to provide the delegates with a better understanding so that they can deal with and avoid such issues more effectively. On a similar vein we also have ‘Successfully managing construction adjudication and dispute resolution’ available in-house, and ‘Delays, damages and claims‘ will return on our spring term.

For further information please see www.constructionstudycentre.co.uk which details all of our courses, or call us on 0845 3133 414 to discuss your training requirements.


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Löfstedt Report on Health and Safety legislation was issued earlier this week

30/11/2011 11:50:37

The Löfstedt Report on Health and Safety legislation was issued earlier this week, along with the Government's response to it.

The Löfstedt Report gave six key recommendations, and aims to combine, simplify or reduce the current UK legislation of 200 or so regulations and 53 Approved Codes of Practice (ACoPs) where they were creating undue costs on businesses while offering little to improve health and safety outcomes, redirect enforcement to businesses where the risk is greatest and rebalance the civil justice system.

In its response, the Government has restated its commitment to simplifying health and safety legislation to ease the burden on businesses and encourage growth. It has promised to move swiftly to ensure these recommendations are implemented.

Mark Singleton wins 'Risk Manager of the Year' awards 2011

18/11/2011 11:33:19

The best international risk management talent was honoured last night as the winners of the Risk Management Awards 2011 were announced at the Lancaster Hotel in London.

Winners told of their surprise and shock as they picked up awards for categories such as Risk Manager of the Year, Risk Management Product of the Year and Institute of Risk Management (IRM) International Diploma in Risk Management Student of the Year 2011.

Mark Singleton, head of risk management for Rhead Group, scooped the award for Risk Manager of the Year - by By Tom Bovingdon, Risk Management Professional

Mark will be delivering his brand new project risk management course for Construction Study Centre Ltd next term; for more detail please see the course outline and available date on our website.





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Changes to the Building Regulations and Building Control are afoot.

10/11/2011 16:51:58

The primary duty of compliance with Building Regulations rests not with the Building Control surveyor, but with those responsible for carrying out the building work; the client, architect and contractor, which makes it extremely important that you know what the regulations are, and what changes are around the corner.
The Government are set to review regulations in a red tape reduction bid for construction, to see what regulations might be removed or diminished.

More specifically, a consultation paper is set to be issued in December covering proposed amendments to the Building Regulations and changes to the Building Control system, so expect changes in Building Control Departments in England and Wales over the next few months.

Initial thoughts are that the following might change:
- Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) to be strengthened as part of the journey to zero carbon for new homes from 2016 and other buildings from 2019
- Part A (Structure) recognition of the increasing role of structural Eurocodes
- Part P (Electrical safety) recognising the government’s concerns that it is currently over-burdensome in relation to the benefits it brings
- Part M (Access to and use of buildings) clarification of access statements
- Parts M, K (Protection from falling, collision and impact) and N (Glazing) are also expected to be simplified
Ensure that you’re up to date with the latest Building Regs by attending one of our courses

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New course dates for Spring 2012

09/11/2011 08:14:49

We've just updated our site with all of the new dates and courses that we intend to run on our Spring 2012, and have added some of our Summer 2012 dates too.

As well as repeating favourite subjects such as NEC, CDM, JCT, Building Regulations, Surveys and PPM to name but a few, we have added some new subjects and re-instated ‘Delays and Damages’ and ‘JCT Design and Build’ as requested by a number of clients.

New subjects for Spring 2012
- Project Risk Management
- H&S: How to build Safety into your projects
- Subcontracting with the latest JCT and NEC contracts
- Earned Value Management – APMG Foundation Level

We haven’t increased our prices next term, they remain the same, so for further information or to book, just search the relevant subject on our website or call 0845 3133 414 and we'll do all we can to help.


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More Construction Act Amendments Published

31/10/2011 08:58:52

The Association of Consultant Architects and the Institution of Chemical Engineers have both published amendments to its family of contracts to reflect the new Construction Act changes. The Royal Institute of British Architects is to publish a new suite of contracts and the Association of Consulting Engineers is also bringing out new versions of its Conditions of Engagement. New editions of DOM/1 and DOM/2 are expected next month.

You may download the amendments to the PPC and IChemE contracts free of charge from http://www.blissbooks.co.uk/free_downloads.php

Contract updates

24/10/2011 16:11:20

The amendments which will make the NEC 3 family of contracts Construction Act compliant are now available.
Alway Silver can provide advice on how these changes affect your business. Alternatively training can be provided by Construction Study Centre, all contract courses contain an update on the new Construction Act.

The NEC3 amendments can be downloaded fromhttp://www.blissbooks.co.uk/images/NEC3_Local_Democracy_Economic_Development_and_Construction_Act_October_2009_Amendments.pdf

The JCT 2011 contracts have also been published. A full list of the contracts and prices is available at
http://www.blissbooks.co.uk/images/JCT2011ContractsList.pdf

Contract Training Courses
http://www.constructionstudycentre.co.uk/contracts-legal-courses.asp

Details of our Getting to grips with NEC course can be seen if you click the 'View Details' link below...

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FIDIC PUBLISHES FIRST EDITION OF ITS SUBCONTRACT

18/10/2011 13:49:39

FIDIC has now published the first edition of its subcontract form for use with the Red Book. This follows the publication of its Test Edition in 2009

As requested by a number of clients we are doing a one off date for our 'Working with Fidic contracts' training course next month in London. For more information, please call us on 0845 3133 414 or see our course details on this one day course...

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Adjudications and disputes

17/10/2011 13:29:31

The TCC has rejected a challenge to an adjudicator’s jurisdiction because it alleged more than one dispute had been referred to adjudication. The court found that all the issues referred to the adjudicator were steps on the way to determining what the full value due to Beam was, and that this was a single dispute.

Witney Town Council v Beam Construction (Cheltenham) Ltd., [2011] EWHC 2332 (TCC)

Adjudications and disputes tying you in knots ? Why not book onto our one day 'Successfully managing construction adjudication and dispute resolution' course aimed at those in the construction industry who get involved in disputes from time to time, whether on behalf of employers, contractors or subcontractors, but who do not specialise in disputes work.

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The NEW JCT 2011 Contracts have been published

13/09/2011 16:38:09

Ensure you are up to date with the latest JCT contracts.

The NEW JCT 2011 Contracts were published on Friday, and all of our JCT courses will reflect these new changes.

For further information please take a look at our course details. This term we are featuruing 'At the cutting edge of JCT contracts' and 'Working with JCT Minor Works & IFC contracts' on our public courses, but we have many other subjects on JCT available in-house shoudl these not suit.

Call 0845 3133 414 to discuss.

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The Technology and Construction Court has ruled

31/08/2011 14:10:47

The Technology and Construction Court has ruled that an adjudication decision based on ‘without prejudice' material will not be enforced by the courts.

When ‘without prejudice’ communications are presented in court, because judges are legally qualified, they can usually put them out of their mind. In adjudication, however, because most adjudicators are not legally qualified, there is a sense of unease that such material might influence the adjudicator. For this reason, without prejudice communications should not be put before an adjudicator, and lawyers who do so may face professional disciplinary action.

Learn more about adjudication and dispute resolution with our one day 'Sucessfully managing construction disputes - adjudication and dispute resolution' course...

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Communications under Standard Forms of Contract

24/08/2011 08:36:43

A recent failure in our email system shows how much we depend on this fast and, on most occasions, reliable communication method. But how are emails viewed by the standard forms of Contract?

Under JCT, any communications required by the contract must be in writing and sent or transmitted by a method previously agreed by the Parties in writing (by way of an agreed “communications protocol”) and is served by any effective means, save where a communication is expressly required by the contract to be send by Recorded or Special Delivery. Absent such an agreement, it would be for the Party relying on the communication to prove it was delivered; in that respect, the JCT only considers documents served by hand or post. Accordingly, for email communications to be effective, they should be stated as such, along with a list of email addresses, in the communications protocol.

Under the NEC, any communications required by the contract must be in a form which can be “read, copied and recorded” but will only have effect when received at the address stated in the Contract Data (or any subsequently notified address if different). Accordingly, for email communications to be effective, the email address must be stated in the Contract Data or subsequently notified to the other Party.

Those working in the construction industry must communicate effectively and correctly in order to manage the construction process. Our Golden Rules of correspondence, notices, forms, negotiation + admin course which includes an update on the Construction Act reviews the issues to be considered in communications, common forms, correspondence, negotiation and various aspects of administration.


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Court Refuses to Enforce FIDIC Dispute Adjudication Board Decision

02/08/2011 09:36:24

The Singapore High Court has refused to enforce a FIDIC Dispute Adjudication Board award because the DAB did not make the award in accordance with the contract provisions.

Don’t get tied up in legislation, our one day ‘Working with FIDIC’ course will explain the philosophy behind the full range of the FIDIC family of contracts (1987 and 1999) and will focus on the provisions of the Conditions of Contract for Construction for Building and Engineering Works designed by the Employer but will also consider the other forms available. The differences between the FIDIC contracts and the NEC and ICE will also be explained, as well as the use and significant features of FIDIC forms.

This course will be held at our London venue in Bloomsbury Square on the 30th of November, call 0845 3133 414 for further details


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Construction Act applies from Oct 1st 2011.

20/07/2011 09:03:35

With the date set as the 1st of October for the implementation of the new ‘Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009’, we’ve had a number of calls asking if we can do training for this, and in short the answer is, of course we can.

In light of the changes all of our contract related courses will include a section with a brief review of the Construction Act, the likely impact of this on the contracts being studied and its impact on payment and adjudication provisions.

Along side of this, the JCT have also released the news that they intend to publish 2011 editions of their contracts in line with these legislation changes. All new JCT contracts will be published in September, so all of our JCT courses from then will also reflect and review these changes, keeping you right up to date with all you need to know.

Prices next term remain the same again, so please take a look at our website www.constructionstudycentre.co.uk which details all of our courses and is constantly being updated with new dates and courses as they are planned, or call us on 0845 3133 414 to discuss what we can offer you.


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Republic of Ireland - Impending Adjudication Bill

20/07/2011 08:59:54

It has been a picture of hope in the Republic this month for the impending Adjudication Bill. Whilst, in our opinion, the proposed amendments will be to the detriment of the procedure in terms of how it might assist cash flow, nonetheless this is a “better than nothing“ piece of legislation.

In the UK the equivalent Act is about to be revised, many would say for the worse. It appears the combined default procedure drafting of the Bill in the Republic provides a lesson in drafting the UK could learn from.

If you want to know more about Adjudication how it may help or harm your business please see our 'Adudication and Dispute Resolution' course or contact our colleague Robert Shawyer at Robert.Shawyer@alway-associates.ie


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New Glasgow venue

07/07/2011 15:26:50

For all of our delegates north of the border, we've changed our Glasgow venue to the newly refurbished Grand Central Hotel, and it's looking fabulous.
For a sneek peek, take a look at http://www.principal-hayley.com/locations/grand-central-hotel/map--directions.aspx

Construction Act changes to be finally implemented

07/07/2011 15:22:08

Don't forget - Key changes to the Construction Act 1996 to be finally implemented from 1 October 2011. All of our contract courses cover these changes.

Construction Act amendments to NEC 3 are expected to be published in September.

New course dates for Autumn 2011

10/06/2011 14:28:11

We've just updated the site with the dates and courses we intend to run in the Autumn.

As well as repeating favourite subjects such as NEC, CDM, JCT, Building Regulations, Surveys and Planned Preventative Maintenance to name but a few, we have reinstated ' Golden Rules of construction admin...' and 'Dealing with condensation, damp & rot in buildings' courses due to popular demand, and added some new one day courses.

New for Autumn 2011
. Putting Project Management into Practice
. Managing Health & Safety on site work - minor construction / project work
. Working with FIDIC

Prices next term remain the same again, so for further information, or to book, just search the relevant course on our website or call 0845 3133 414 and we'll do all we can to help.

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JCT TRACKED CHANGES DOCUMENTS TO BE PUBLISHED THIS MONTH

27/05/2011 16:32:02

The Joint Contracts Tribunal is to publish the Tracked Changes documents for the eight principal standard forms of contract this month. The documents will be a paper booklet with black and white text with the changes from the JCT 2005 contracts highlighted in red.

The top eight contracts are: Design and Build, Intermediate and Intermediate with Contractor’s Design, Minor Works and Minor Works with Contractor’s Design, and the three versions of the Standard Form of Building Contract i.e. With Quantities, Without Quantities and With Approximate Quantities.

For our one day JCT training update course please see 'At the Cutting Edge of JCT Contracts' which also covers changes to the Construction Act

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Competency and accreditation for CDM Co-ordinators

19/04/2011 13:38:37

Appendix 4 of the Approved Code of Practice sets out the criteria for assessing the Competence of Duty Holders under the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007. In Clause 26 of the ACoP it states that clients must appoint a competent CDM Co-ordinator. Those clients without construction expertise should rely on the CDM Co-ordinator's advice on how best to meet their duties.

The Institution of Construction Safety (ICS), whose Register is referred to in Appendix 4, acts as an independent third party accreditation scheme, providing reassurance to members of the public, government agencies and procurement bodies that ICS members are accredited as competent to perform the duties of CDM Co-ordinator. Accredited Members of ICS are included in the ICS register of competent CDM Co-ordinators.

There is no direct academic qualification as a CDM Co-ordinator, leading to a “ticket to practice”, and we draw a distinction between third party accreditation and self-assessment, or self certification.

There is still a large proportion of CDM-Cs who are self proclaimed as competent, and many of them will have attended training and be very good at it. However, if there are client concerns about standards of competency and how to assess this, then surely the answer is third party accreditation?

Details of the ICS accreditation scheme, qualifications and training required, and routes to membership can be found at www.instcs.org . ICS accepts attendance at Construction Study Centre courses as part of our competency assessment
Andrew Leslie, General Manager, ICS

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JCT celebrates success

14/04/2011 09:52:26

This week we joined the JCT, at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, in celebrating its 80th anniversary and its success in bringing standard forms of contract and practice notes to the building industry. Apart from a well afforded afternoon out, the event included music and a private viewing of ‘Visioning the Future’ exhibition.

JCT’s focus was on its new education mission, highlighting the importance of training and education in the construction and property sectors, and interestingly they are intent on setting up a bursary to assist companies with this. Surveys show that JCT contracts are used on four out of five of all building contracts across the UK. With such a large proportion of the market, those operating in the industry need to have a working understanding of JCT contracts.

A number of our contracts courses cover JCT, however by far the most popular is our general overview course ‘At the cutting edge of JCT contracts’. From 2005 to 2011 there has been an avalanche of new or revised contracts from the JCT, including its first Framework Agreement and first Partnering contract. Our course brings together all the changes, and includes an up-date on the Construction Act.


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Will the recent European Court of Justice ruling in the ‘Nussbaumer’ case cause any changes to CDM 2007?

28/03/2011 14:45:12

The CDM Regulations 2007 were laid before Parliament in early 2007 accompanied by an HSE Explanatory Memorandum stating that there were still two points where the EC doubted the adequacy of implementation of the Council Directive. Discussions are on going and may result in amending CDM 2007.

The points are the exemption of domestic clients from all duties under the Regulations and the use of notifiability of a project, rather than the simultaneous presence of two or more contractors on site, as the trigger for appointment of the CDM-C and PC and the drawing up of certain formal plans.

The ‘Nussbaumer’ case before the European Court of Justice was about an Italian ‘private client’, Martha Nussbaumer, having work done to a roof of a ‘domestic property’ which did not require ‘planning permission’ but had more than one contractor present. Under the Italian interpretation of the Directive there was no requirement to appoint co-ordinators for safety and health matters or produce a safety and health plan.

The implications from the judgement make clear that the Directive states that there is an unequivocal requirement to appoint co-ordinators for safety and health matters on any construction site on which more than one contractor is to be present and does not permit any derogation from that requirement.

The interpretation is considered to be that we should generally have full application of CDM 2007 to all construction projects, irrespective of who is the client or how long the construction phase is, if more than one contractor is present.

In conclusion it is considered that the ‘Nussbaumer’ case judgement has not introduced any new issues beyond those already under discussion between the HSE and the EC and therefore we will have to wait and see the results of the next stage of discussions.

For more information please contact Paul Gray on 0845 313 3414 or by email on enquiries@constructionstudycentre.co.uk

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Author! Author! Speaker has book published

16/03/2011 14:03:59

A Practical Guide to the NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract written by our speaker, Alway Associates Director and Rhead Group Head of Disputes, Michael Rowlinson was published by Wiley-Blackwell on 4 March 2011 as part of their highly regarded construction law series.

Launched in 1991, the New Engineering Contract (NEC) has become one of the UK's leading standard forms of contract for major construction and civil engineering projects. Currently in the third edition, popularly known as NEC 3, it is a process based construction contract embodying project management best practice, and thus the basic philosophy behind the contract is different to the more adversarial principles and approach of other standard construction contracts.

Written as a practical guide to the application of the procedures contained in NEC 3, Michael’s book will aid users in the transition from their use and understanding of the other standard construction contracts to the collaborative project management based approach of the ECC.

Written for anyone working in the construction industry working on a project under the ECC, it will be of interest to the complete construction supply chain including employers, construction professions, contractors and sub-contractors. It will also be of interest to consultants and lawyers advising any of these parties, either in the preparation of contract documentation or the resolution of problem situations which may arise.

• A practical guide to the application of the procedures contained in the NEC Engineering and Construction Contracts

• Written specifically for people actually using and administering the NEC contracts – rather than lawyers

• Covers all the variations created by the Main and Secondary Options


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A Practical Guide to the NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract

23/02/2011 08:16:34

Wiley-Blackwell have advanced the publication date of Michael Rowlinson’s
forthcoming book, A Practical Guide to the NEC3 Engineering and
Construction Contract, to 4 March 2011. This is the date that copies will be
available from the warehouse for distribution.
Further details and the opportunity to pre-order a copy of this excellent book
can be found at http://www.wiley.com/remtitle.cgi?isbn=9781444336887.”

Five reasons why you shouldn’t ignore your responsibilities for health and safety in the properties that you manage

16/02/2011 08:47:25

Calling all Estates Managers, Building Managers, Property Surveyors and Facilities Officers ……….five reasons why you shouldn’t ignore your responsibilities for health and safety in the properties that you manage:

1. A London property management agency was prosecuted for failing to maintain lifts at two commercial buildings. The company pleaded guilty and was fined £10,000.

2. An NHS Trust, a security firm and a company director have been fined after asbestos was released during maintenance work at a hospital. All three parties were found guilty with fines totalling over £9,500

3. A property management company was fined more than £30,000 after admitting it exposed workers to asbestos. A HSE inspector visited the site and found chrysotile (white asbestos) was present on the roof. The inspector issued a Prohibition Notice, which required the work to cease and for the building to be evacuated until the asbestos was removed by a licensed contractor.

4. A brewery has been ordered to pay £27,481 in fines and costs following a number of fire safety breaches at one of its pubs in London.

5. A property company and a construction contract worker have been fined a total of £13,000 after a labourer fell through a roof

All of these court cases (and far too many more to mention here !) have happened in the last two years and all show the consequences of failing to adequately manage property related risks.

Our one day course…… Property related risks to ignore at your peril! …..
provides an overview of the legal requirements and associated risks of managing all non-residential properties in the private and public sector.

Delivered by Rob Castledine, a former local authority Health & Safety Enforcement Officer with over 20 years H&S experience in the property related sectors, the course provides a step by step guide on how to manage key risks such as fire safety, asbestos, legionella and contractors.

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HSE clampdown on unsafe construction sites

14/02/2011 14:41:00

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), plan to start a month of unannounced visits from today, 14th February 2011, on construction sites across the country.

The intensive inspection initiative aimed at reducing death and injury in one of Britain's most dangerous industries is to ensure contractors are complying with Health and Safety regulations on site such managing work at height safely, complying with the CDM Regulations, as well as checking that the risk of exposure to asbestos and other dangerous substances is properly managed.

Construction companies will need to ensure that they comply with their health and safety obligations in readiness for any unannounced visit. This may include identifying and properly planning jobs that involve refurbishment, repair and maintenance activities as well as new build.

Last year inspectors visited 2014 sites and 2414 contractors. They were forced to issue more than 350 prohibition notices to stop dangerous work - much of it relating to working from height.

To learn more please see the HSE website

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Funding freeze for Back to schools unlawful?

14/02/2011 11:39:04

The Administrative Court has declared unlawful the decision by the Secretary of State for Education to freeze funding for the rebuilding and refurbishment of schools in six local authority areas.

The case arises from the decision made by the current government, shortly after it was elected, to bring to an end the Building Schools for the Future programme. This had been one of the flagship policies of the last administration. In the course of that decision, certain school projects in the funding pipeline were allowed to proceed, while others were cancelled. A group of aggrieved local authorities challenged the basis on which the cut-off point was determined.

In his judgment of 11 February, Mr Justice Holman held that there had been serious procedural failures in the making of the decision so as to render it unfair. He has remitted it to the Secretary of State to be reconsidered.

Policy changes in sustainable construction

03/02/2011 12:08:12

Sustainable Construction seems to be a moving target, so it is important to be aware of the latest policy changes, whilst also understanding the basic principles that should not change says Tom Woolley, author of the award winning Green Building Handbook and Natural Building.

The concept of “zero-carbon” has been recently revisited by the UK Government and targets are apparently going to be reduced. 2011 may see the adoption of environmental regulations for construction products by the EU and this may lead to a more holistic approach to green building instead of just a narrow focus on energy efficiency.

The use of ecological materials, better indoor air quality as well as lower energy bills can all have a positive pay back for both individuals and businesses.

The construction Industry are increasingly adopting the use of innovative materials and forms of construction but Tom Woolley thinks there are many dangers in using some technologies that are poorly understood.

Already there is evidence of condensation problems and building failures with new air-tight and energy efficient buildings using synthetic lightweight materials while many remain sceptical about natural, breathable renewable materials that are increasingly becoming available.

Tom Woolley’s CSC course will review the state of the art and try to throw some light on the confusing range of options available to assist practitioners make better informed choices when asked to deliver sustainable solutions in both new build and renovation.

Book your place on our ‘Practical Approach to Sustainable Construction’ course to find out more www.constructionstudycentre.co.uk or call us on 0845 3133 414.


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BUILDING MAINTENANCE – KEY TO A GREEN AND PROPEROUS FUTURE!

28/01/2011 14:15:11

Building maintenance is vital to protect the investment of carbon, as well as financial investment made into the UK’s building stock. Sustainability should be about making buildings last as long as possible which can only happen with well informed and properly executed building maintenance. Retrofit components also need maintaining if they are to perform as expected and make our buildings greener.

Retrofit and sustainable refurbishment fit nicely into the carbon reduction, climate change and green agendas, whereas building maintenance is looked upon as a poor relation. This may explain why we are not very good at it and is seldom mentioned when it comes to climate change. Unless we start taking building maintenance seriously, we will not sustain our buildings, regardless as to whether or not they have been retro fitted or refurbished ‘sustainably’.

If we aren’t very good at maintenance, which includes understanding the performance of buildings, then we may not be very good at retrofit and sustainable refurbishment! Education of our professionals and crafts people concentrates on new construction, even though new construction is only 39% of the construction industries output.

With the oldest building stock in the western world - more than 20% being traditionally built with solid walls, you may expect the UK to have developed the necessary expertise to maintain them properly. A survey by the National Heritage Training Group suggests otherwise. It identified that a quarter of professionals find it difficult to specify the right work to traditional buildings and almost two thirds felt that their education was inadequate.

Building maintenance needs to be respected as essential for both economic and climate change reasons. It also needs to be more professional and that’s where training and education comes in.

John Edwards,
Chartered Surveyor, Chartered Builder and Chartered Environmentalist
28th January 2011

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Disputes - tips on what to assemble to get the most out of your advice

27/01/2011 09:47:08

LEGAL CHECKLIST
When a dispute has arisen and a legal opinion required, it is sometimes difficult to unravel the paper trail – here are some tips on what to assemble to get the most out of your advice:
•The Contract/Order form and terms together with any documents included in the Contract, whether attached, or identified in the Contract as being incorporated.
•Are any contracts further up the contractual chain relevant? Is there an obligation to observe/perform contract terms in a head contract? If so, supply a copy.
•If there is no formal contract, all correspondence between the Parties concerned and, if applicable, short statements from key personnel.
•Any other agreements relating to the dispute, such as supplemental agreements, bonds/guarantees/insurance policies.
•All relevant correspondence (including emails) and meeting notes between the Parties and, if applicable, their Representatives.
•Copies of all Certificates issued in relation to the works (such as practical completion/making good/maintenance/final) and payment (interim/final).
•Applications for payment, invoices, valuations and Certificates.
•Any contractual notices (such as notices of payment/withholding).
•Requests for information/instructions.
•Any previous opinions/advice obtained.
•Expert reports.
•A short narrative of the dispute ‘telling the story’.
•Where there are a large number of items in dispute (e.g. variations/defects) a schedule itemising those items with details as to liability (responsibility) and quantum (cost/value); this could form the basis for the preparation of a Scott Schedule for use in future proceedings.
The above list is not intended to be definitive, because each dispute is different, but it is hoped provides a starting point.
For more information please contact Nikola Evans on 01992 576440 or nikola.evans@alway-associates.co.uk or attend our 'Successfully managing construction disputes - dispute and adjudication' course.

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Michael Rowlinson’s forthcoming book

24/01/2011 09:19:22

A practical guide to the NEC Engineering and Construction Contract

Congratulations to our speaker Michael Rowlinson, who's forthcoming book 'A practical guide to the NEC Engineering and Construction Contracts' is being published. The book will be available in April 2011.

Written as a practical guide to the application of the procedures contained in NEC 3, this book will aid users in the transition from their use and understanding of the other standard construction contracts to the collaborative project management based approach of the ECC.

Further details and the ability to pre-order a copy can be found at http://www.wiley.com/remtitle.cgi?isbn=9781444336887

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Do you understand your contracts?

19/01/2011 11:03:11

The Technology and Construction Court has ruled that an NEC contract did not contain an arbitration clause because part one of the subcontract data where the parties need to specify the tribunal had not been completed. There is no standard definition of “tribunal”, and the subcontract did not “make provision for” arbitration. The parties make their own definition of “tribunal” when they complete Part One, which they had not done in the present case. The rest of the relevant part of the Data was predicated on a condition. The “tribunal” in the condition is only an arbitral tribunal if the parties have selected it as such. Consequently, the defendant subcontractor was not granted a stay of the proceedings brought against it.

Walter Llewellyn & Sons Ltd., Rok Building Ltd. v Excel Brickwork Ltd, [2010]
EWHC 3415 (TCC)

To avoid costly errors when completing contracts, ensure you and your team are up to date with their contract training. We offer various training courses, both public and in-house, on a number of contracts including JCT and NEC contracts.


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Changes to the Planning System Heralded

07/01/2011 10:31:16

The Localism Bill has been a long time coming, but it is finally here. All told, minus the Schedules, it stretches to 171 pages or thereabouts. However no space is wasted in setting out how the Coalition Government intends to change the planning system from the bottom up. Accompanied by various explanatory press releases, the Bill was presented to Parliament and had its first reading on 13th December 2010.

It seeks to introduce far-reaching changes to the planning system. The DCLG has published a 15 page 'Decentralisation and Localism Bill' essential guide to accompany the Bill.

The key planning headlines are as follows:

• Removal of restrictions on predetermination
• Community rights to challenge running of services
• Duty to prepare lists of assets of community value and strict criteria for subsequent disposal
• Abolition of regional strategies
• Local Plan reform - removing the ability of the Planning Inspectorate to re-write Local Plans
• Changes to the Community Infrastructure Levy
• Neighbourhood planning - a new way of planning
• Community right to build
• Changes to pre-application consultation process
• Changes to enforcement provisions
• Abolition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission
• Social housing: tenure reform, mobility, regulation, finance
• Abolition of Home Information Packs
• Housing / Regeneration / Development Corporations / Governance in London

The Bill is going through the early stages of the Parliamentary process, with several more stages to complete in the House of Commons before it moves on to the House of Lords and, eventually, onwards to Royal Assent.

Book your place on the Practical Aspects of Negotiating the Planning Jungle course to find out more.”


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Construction Act 2009 becomes effective from April 2011

01/11/2010 15:55:28

The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 received royal assent in November 2009. Since then the construction industry has been waiting for the commencement order for the changes contained in this Act to the provisions of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 to be issued. This is now expected to be issued early in 2011 meaning that the LDEDC Act 2009 will become effective for all new construction contracts entered into from 1 April 2011. These changes will impact on the payment and adjudication provisions in all existing standard forms of construction contracts.

All Construction Contract courses organised by Construction Study Centre from the start of 2011 onwards will cover the impact of the forthcoming changes within the contracts concerned.

Should any of our clients require further detailed information on these changes or assistance with amending their own contract conditions they can contact Michael Rowlinson of Alway Associates, who is one of our speakers, on 01295 275975 or michael.rowlinson@alway-associates.co.uk for advice.

Keeping up with the latest Building Regulations – changes in force

29/10/2010 14:49:05

This year there have been a number of changes to the Building Regulations. The regulations apply to most new buildings, and many alterations of existing buildings, in England and Wales, whether domestic, commercial or industrial. These amendments to the regulations are now in force, making it extremely important that your team are made aware of those changes, and how to work with them.
Part G (Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency) came into force on 6 April 2010 and revisions to Part F (ventilation), Part J (heat producing appliances) and Part L (conservation of fuel and power) came into effect on Friday 1 October 2010.

Amendments to the Approved Documents will be detailed and discussed on our Building Regs courses, where we aim to provide an overall update of the changes to the Building Regulations and Fire Regulations that have taken place over recent years, impacting on the building industry. Our courses are available at venues around the UK or in-house at your own premises, where we can tailor the course to feature the specific parts of the regulations that your teams work with.

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Mauritius – Paradise Island

24/09/2010 16:21:02

Our Managing Director Lorne Alway has recently returned from presenting a series of seminars covering Construction Contracts and Law, Dispute Resolution and Adjudication on Mauritius, known as Paradise Island, in the Southern Indian Ocean.

The Island, which has approximately 1.2m inhabitants, has a buoyant construction industry relating to tourism, commercial and infrastructure and apart from resources drawn from the Island it also draws in all sorts of expertise from around the world including UK, France, India, South Africa and China.

About his experiences Lorne said “The Island and its people are fascinating, they are very friendly but at the same time ambitious to improve themselves and their Island. The official language is English but people speak a form of French as their first language and English second. The Seminars went extremely well and I have been asked to go back with at least 2 trips planned. This time I intend to go to the beach whilst I am there”.

Part L 2010 of the Building Regulations coming into force from the 1st of October 2010

23/09/2010 12:05:16

Are you ready? Part L 2010 of the Building Regulations coming into force from the 1st of October of this year – changes are covered in our two Building Regulations courses, more generally in our Keeping up to Speed with the latest Building and Fire Regulations and in more depth, looking at the important calculations to be made in our Building Regulations Parts L & F in action !


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Do you know your CDM Regulations?

03/09/2010 10:48:31

The British Property Federation and the Construction Clients' Group issued a report in July 2010 revealing that two thirds of companies commissioning construction services have no knowledge whatsoever of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations. These regulations - commonly referred to as the CDM Regs and updated in 2007 - apply to almost all construction projects undertaken in the UK.

They were introduced in an effort to improve the management and co-ordination of health and safety and welfare issues in construction projects, and to reduce accidents and cases of ill health in the construction industry.

The recent figures are cause for significant concern. A person or company commissioning works are responsible for them even though they may not handle the works themselves. They cannot delegate this responsibility as was once the case. This means that a person or company with no experience in construction can be held responsible for accidents during building works, and hit with jail terms or unlimited fines, in both civil and criminal actions.

If you are aware that your team are falling short in their knowledge of the CDM regulations, please take a look at our courses designed specifically to increase awareness in the CDM Regulations for construction professionals. ‘Working with CDM 2007’ is a one day general update course designed for those new to construction or CDM, or for those who want to update and refresh their knowledge on the CDM Regs. ‘CDM for Designers’ is our brand new one day course intended to clarify the important role of ‘designers’ and ‘specifiers’ under the CDM regulations. ‘Becoming a CDM Co-ordinator under CDM 2007’ is a three day course specifically for those with professional and managerial experience to aid their understanding of the CDM Co-ordinator Role. For more details please see the course programmes listed on our site or call 0845 3133 414 for more information.

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New courses for our Autumn 2010 term

26/08/2010 09:29:43

We understand that a trained and qualified workforce contributing to your profit, is the key to a successful business in this competitive environment. With this in mind we have put together a new schedule of courses for our Autumn 2010 term which starts on the 6th of September with one of our CDM courses.

Amongst the many new courses for this term... as requested by those who have attended our existing NEC courses, we have developed the NEC ECC Advanced Users’ Guide to provide delegates with a working knowledge of the NEC forms with a review of the contract in use, at an advanced user’s level. Also new to this term ‘The effective management of target cost contracts in the Infrastructure sector’ which will be invaluable to those working for Employers, Main Contractors and Sub-Contractors in sectors such as rail, utilities, nuclear, power and process engineering. Back due to popular demand we also offer ‘The essential guide to property & development law ...’, aimed at an intermediate level for construction and property professionals to highlight the risks and salient issues involved in the stages of land acquisition and disposal, for both investment properties and major development sites.

Subjects also new to this term include...
. CDM for Designers
. The new Building Regulations part L & F in action
. The do's and don'ts of sucessful plan and specification building projects
. Sucessful design and build using NEC3 and JCT contracts

To see our new programme, please take a look through our website which details all of our courses, or call us on 0845 3133 414 to discuss what we can offer you.

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NEC3 Compensation Events and JCT Relevant events

16/08/2010 08:16:00

On 14th October Robert Shawyer, Director of Alway Associates Wales, is presenting a talk on NEC3 Compensation Events and JCT Relevant events. It is the first combined RICS and CIOB event and it is sponsored by our sister company Alway Associates. It is also open for Alway Associates' and Construction Study Centre clients to attend and we welcome your attendance.

This is the first combined event and Alway Associates have been asked to present it.

Location: The Liberty Stadium, Landore, Swansea, SA1 2FA
Time: 08:15 - 9:30
Date: 14th October 2010
Cost: Free of charge

To book a place at this “must see“ event, please contact Alexandra Thomas at Alexandra.thomas@alway-associates.co.uk or call Alexandra on 02920 464612.

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Alway Silver Group Celebrates 20 Years of Business

12/07/2010 12:05:23

On the 26th June we celebrated our 20th anniversary with a dinner and party at Wokefield Park near Reading. Just over 100 members of staff and guests came along to help us celebrate this significant milestone and a great night was had by all. Back in June 1990, Lorne Alway founded Alway Associates to provide contract and commercial advice to our Clients in the construction and allied industries. The business has grown over the years to where we now have ten offices supporting our Clients around the UK, the Republic of Ireland and beyond. In fact in 2009 the Alway Group was recognised in the Building survey of the top 250 consultants as the 18th fastest growing consultancy. We now consist of 3 main operating companies Alway Associates, BrunswickIS and Construction Study Centre, with 2 more businesses Alway IT (IT consultancy) and Construct Safe Ltd (Health & Safety consultancy) being developed at the moment.

However we never forget that our success can only be thanks to our Clients’ satisfaction with the services we offer. Central to our work ethos is the belief that our consultants and speakers are able to combine extensive practical experience of their sectors with a range of professional qualifications. This gives us an authoritative knowledge of our subject areas enabling us to offer a unique and beneficial blend of services to our Clients based on the following principles:
• We always seek to resolve Clients’ problems as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.
• We deal with Clients on a personal and individual basis so that they know that we will provide them with excellent pro-active advice and at a very early stage.
• When our Clients contact us they will know who will be dealing with their instructions and that they can rely upon us as a part of their team.
• We ensure that deadlines are met, problems dealt with expeditiously and calls are returned promptly.

Management of Target Cost Contracts

12/07/2010 11:59:39

Our sister company Brunswick recently held a very successful breakfast seminar on the Principles and Effective Management of Target Cost Contracts at the offices of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

This taster session attracted over 75 senior representatives from construction and infrastructure companies. Target cost contracts are a particular strength of the business which has wide experience of NEC3/ECC; ICE and IChemE target cost arrangements.

With this in mind we are now running a full day version of this course on our own programme for Autumn 2010, with Mr McKee as speaker.

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CDM training specifically for Designers

30/06/2010 15:15:15

The latest Construction (Design and Management) 2007 regulations have been in place since 2007 so it may seem surprising that many of those involved in construction projects still do not fully appreciate their responsibilities under this act. For many years CSC has been providing training on the CDM regulations with a 1 day “Awareness“ course and a 3 day course to allow people to become the CDM Co-ordinator under the new regulations.

While this delivered much of what the sector needed we have recently developed a new 1 day course specifically for “Designers“ under the act. If you design or specify building work then under the act you are a “Designer“ and will be recognised as having a responsibility to design for the safety and health for those that build, use, maintain and demolish.

This new 1 day course covers the requirements of the CDM Regulations from the designer's perspective giving you the tools and understanding required. Comments from a recently delivered course to a Wales based Architects practice included:

. “I always thought this was an area I needed training in and now feel more confident in the subject. The course has highlighted areas I need to focus on.“
. “It gives a very clear brief of the subject and is very informative.“
. “Exceeded expectations - a lot of ground covered“
. “Met expectations and also was an enjoyable and interesting session - lots to think about“
. “ A good overview, as well as being specifically for designers“

CSC will be running public courses for designers in the autumn and can also provide these courses delivered “in-house“ at your offices to your teams. For more information contact Sarah Timms on 0845 3133 414 or email sarah@constructionstudycentre.co.uk


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The HSE Plan of Work for Construction 2010/2011

30/06/2010 15:13:32

The Construction Division of the HSE has produced a Plan of Work for 2010/2011 to reaffirm their commitment to improve health and safety in construction.

The plan makes it clear that it is designed to improve health and safety performance of the construction industry, build on work carried out previously and continue the mission to deliver sustainable improvement in the industry’s health and safety performance.

The main operational activities will target asbestos removal licence holders, small sites, refurbishment, homebuild and major projects.

During any site visits generic issues will be considered associated with provision of welfare facilities, site transport, work at height, asbestos risks and good order.

As well as considering the generic issues the Plan of Work indicates that areas associated with leadership, CDM Clients and CDM Co-ordinators including Local Authorities, contractor compliance, temporary works, fire, roofwork, lifting, respiratory risks, manual handling and worker involvement will also be tackled.

For more information please contact Paul Gray on 0845 313 3414 or by email on enquiries@constructionstudycentre.co.uk

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New speaker Peter Ormston joins the Construction Study Centre team

21/06/2010 11:14:21

As part of our business objectives the Construction Study Centre as part of the Alway Group is pleased to announce the opening of their North West office at Winwick near Warrington which will service Clients throughout the North West.

The new office’s Director is local man Peter Ormston, who is a legally qualified Commercial Manager and Quantity Surveyor who has wide ranging experience in dealing with disputes and project recovery and regularly speaks on a range of construction law and commercial managment issues for Costruction Study Centre both at our public events and in-house. More information on Peter is included in our speakers section or on the Alway Associtaes website as per the attached link.

As part of its launch the Warrington office will be holding a range of free Breakfast Briefings addressing topical commercial, contractual and industry topics; to register an interest in attending the Briefings please contact the office on 01925 642198 or by e-mail at warrington@alwayassociates.co.uk

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Disputes and Arbitration cases increase in the UAE

21/06/2010 11:11:55

No doubt as a direct result of the 2009 financial crisis, there has been a marked downturn in the United Arab Emirates and an increase in the number of disputes, many of which have been referred to arbitration. In such circumstances it is not surprising that there is a growing interest in alternative dispute resolution in addition to the review of the terms of the contracts being used, forensic planning and training. Arbitration remains an expensive and lengthy process and therefore, provisions for contractual dispute adjudication or resolution boards is becoming more commonplace. In June 2009 the Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes was established pursuant to Law No 16, which is attached to the Dubai courts and is competent to hear disputes with the objective of promoting amicable settlement before referral to the Dubai Court of First Instance (CFI).

Construction Study Centre offer training on matters of ‘Successfully managing construction disputes – adjudication and dispute resolution’ or alternatively should you require any contractual advice in relation to this region contact Richard Silver who is based in our Epping Office but who is overseeing the on-going development of Alway International.

Tel.: +44 1992 576440 or Email: richard.silver@alway-associates.co.uk


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PROVISION OF WELFARE FACILITIES DURING CONSTRUCTION WORK

25/05/2010 08:53:40

Schedule 2 of the CDM Regulations sets out requirements, associated with welfare facilities, which apply in relation to persons at work who are carrying out construction work. In addition, the regulations place duties associated with welfare facilities on Clients, Contractors, Principal Contractors & CDM Co-ordinators.

The HSE’s guidance on welfare facilities to be contained in Construction Information Sheets
• CIS No. 18 (rev1) Provision of welfare facilities at fixed construction sites
• CIS No. 46 Provision of welfare facilities at transient construction sites
which have now been replaced by
• CIS No. 59 Provision of welfare facilities during construction work.

This new construction information sheet guides on the minimum welfare facilities that must be provided or made available to workers on construction sites & deals with the associated general duties under the CDM Regs on Clients, CDM Co-ordinators, Principal Contractors & Contractors.

It provides information on key planning issues associated with installing & removing from site, positioning on site, toilets, washing facilities, drinking water, changing rooms & lockers, rest facilities, smoking & heating.

It also provides advice on the use of alternative facilities for transient construction sites & defines a transient construction site, associated with the provision of welfare facilities, as either one
• where short duration work (up to a week) is carried out at one or many locations
• or is of a longer duration carried out while moving over a continuous geographical area eg. major roadworks, cable laying contracts etc.

The advice for transient construction sites provides an indication of options available, in order of preference.

It is made clear that the information sheet contains notes on good practice which are not compulsory but which you may find helpful in considering what you need to do.

For more information please contact Paul Gray on 0845 313 3414 or by emai

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The Department for Communities and Local Government has now finally published the latest amendments to the Building Regulations and Approved Documents

12/05/2010 08:39:54

Part G - Sanitation, hot water safety & water efficiency came into force on 6 April 2010 imposing requirements for water efficiency calculations for all new dwellings together with further advice regarding the use of harvested rainwater & greywater.
Part L - Conservation of fuel & power comes into force on 1 October 2010 & imposes new requirements for buildings to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by a further 25% on the existing CO2 reductions resulting in a greater reliance on good fabric design/construction & low or zero carbon technologies for overall compliance.
Part F - Means of Ventilation comes into force on 1 October 2010 & imposes new requirements for designed ventilation strategies for more air tight buildings & installation & commissioning of the systems.
Part J - Combustion appliances & fuel storage systems comes into force on 1 October 2010 detailing new requirements for flues, new generation appliances & carbon monoxide alarms.


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POTENTIAL HSE REVIEW OF THE CDM REGULATIONS 2007

04/05/2010 11:24:49

During the Parliamentary Debate on 10/05/07 Ministers agreed that the HSE should carry out a review within 3 years on the CDM Regulations 2007.

CONIAC CDM Working Group met for the first time on 26/10/09 and met again on 29/01/2010 during which it signed off its terms of reference. Their main tasks are to:

• review existing CDM material;
• consult within stakeholder groups and seek to agree a consensus;
• comment on the findings of research to pilot evaluation methodologies;
• provide stakeholders views (focusing on high level messages) on the degree to which the aims of CDM2007 have been met, the adequacy of industry guidance/ACOP and the need for amendments;
• provide interim reports to CONIAC.

For more information please see the full article on our sister site www.alway-associates.co.uk/legal-update/articles.asp or contact our CDM expert Mr Paul Gray on 0845 313 3414 or by email on enquiries@constructionstudycentre.co.uk


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The latest amendments to the Building Regulations

24/03/2010 08:36:00

The Department for Communities and Local Government has now finally published the latest amendments to the Building Regulations and Approved Documents.
Part G - Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency came into force on 6 April 2010 imposing requirements for water efficiency calculations for all new dwellings together with further advice regarding the use of harvested rainwater and greywater.
Part L - Conservation of fuel and power comes into force on 1 October 2010 and imposes new requirements for dwellings and commercial buildings to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by a further 25% on the existing CO2 reductions resulting in a greater reliance on good fabric design/construction and low or zero carbon technologies for overall compliance.
Part F - Means of Ventilation comes into force on 1 October 2010 and imposes new requirements for designed ventilation strategies for more air tight buildings and installation and commissioning of the systems.
Part J - Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems comes into force on 1 October 2010 detailing new requirements for flues, new generation appliances and carbon monoxide alarms.

These latest amendments to the Approved Documents will be discussed at the forthcoming Building Regulations courses.

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ProAct – funding to up-skill staff affected by short-term working in Wales

11/03/2010 13:50:14

Now is the time to take action. ProAct, is a Welsh Assembly Government backed financial support package designed to help viable businesses in Wales cope with the downturn. It helps fund training during this quiet time to up-skill staff in readiness for the upturn.
ProAct provides training for employees who are on short time working, and helps companies retain skilled staff who may otherwise be made redundant.
It is only available to businesses which have introduced short time working and face the threat of redundancies.
It is flexible, but broadly offers up to £2,000 per individual towards training costs. Some of our clients have benefited from substantial grants towards our training courses, perhaps now is the time to see if your company could benefit too?
For more information, please contact ProAct on 0845 6066160 or email ProActTeamMailbox@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Asbestos Surveying requirements change with revised edition of MDHS 100 due out soon

28/01/2010 10:33:09

The surveying requirements for asbestos are expected to change shortly with the publication of a new version of MDHS 100. It is expected that Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 asbestos surveys will be replaced with two types of asbestos survey namely MANAGEMENT SURVEYS and DEMOLITION/REFURBISHMENT surveys.
These changes will be covered in our 'On-going Developments in Surveying & Managing Asbestos – including latest HSE Guidance' courses delivered by Bill Sanderson in Birmingham, London and Manchester in March 2010.


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Project Management Courses

19/01/2010 12:18:49

In this economic climate it has never been more important to deliver successful projects. To help kick start the economy, the Government are bringing forward a large number of Capital Projects, including the Crossrail Project and the Building Schools for the Future Programme.

We at the Construction Study Centre know how important it is that those undertaking project management tasks are up to date with their knowledge of the industry, so we have developed our courses to help you get ahead.

Newly developed for this term, our Project & Commercial Management... course takes an in-depth approach to the areas of contract planning, programming, delay analysis and extensions of time for construction projects, and is ideal for those who have already undertaken our Project Management Training Camp (50 things...) course which is an essential toolkit on the do's and don'ts of being a successful Project Manager.

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Public Finance Magazine published a feature article written by speaker Matthew Dillon

02/10/2009 15:40:39

On the 2 October 2009 Public Finance Magazine published a feature article written by Silver Shemmings Consultant Matthew Dillon on the risks that the public sector is exposed to once their PFI contracts go operational. With many years experience of both negotiating PFI contracts and of acting for clients when operational contracts go wrong, Matthew’s article looks at some of the common problems and what needs to be done to address these. In spring 2010 Matthew will be speaking at a number of public lectures on the issues facing the public sector in their PFI Operational Contracts. To view Matthew’s article online visit http://www.publicfinance.co.uk.

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Bliss Books offers discount to CSC delegates

22/09/2009 15:12:05

BLISS Books is pleased to announce that it has joined up with the Construction Study Centre to form a unique knowledge resource.

This means that our course delegates now benefit from a 10% discount on their course books and contracts purchased from BLISS Books - Document Order Line 01565 777234

Revision to JCT Contracts

19/08/2009 14:28:15

From May 2009, the JCT began publishing new revisions to the standard forms. This will continue into August 2009 and the documents will become known as JCT 2005 edition, Revision 2, 2009 or Revision 2009 where revisions are made for the first time.

The documents revised are as follows: -
• JCT Standard Building Contract
• JCT Intermediate Building Contract
• JCT Design & Build Contract
• JCT Minor Works Building Contract
• JCT Major Projects Form
• JCT Measured Term Contract
• JCT Prime Cost Building Contract
• JCT Repair & Maintenance Contract
• JCT Subcontracts in respect of the above
• JCT Collateral Warranties
• Guidance Notes

The principal purpose of this revision as stated by the JCT is to i) incorporate provisions in regard to the OGC's Achieving Excellence in Construction Initiative, ii) introduce new sustainability provisions and iii) modify Section 4 (Payment).

In light of this all of our JCT courses have been updated to discuss and detail the changes.

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Changes to the Building Regulations

13/07/2009 08:33:40

Proposed changes to Part L (Conservation of fuel and power) and Part F (Ventilation).
The Government has published a consultation document containing proposals on the changes to Parts L and F of the Building Regulations.
The forthcoming Building Regulation courses will review the proposed changes that are planned to come into force in 2010.

A new Part G (Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency) comes into force on 1st October 2009 introducing new minimum water efficiency requirements for new dwellings, safety requirements for hot water delivery in baths and requirements for 'wholesome water' supplies.
The forthcoming Building Regulation course will review these new requirements.


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NEC Open Book Accounting

02/07/2009 08:13:48

Brand new subject for Construction Study Centre. This topical course written and delivered by Mr Chad Murrin is currently available in-house and is tailored towards Housing Associations and ALMO's; this course is essential for construction professionals working to 'Open Book Accounting' principals.

Recent construction projects have been found to be delivered much quicker than traditionally priced contracts, including private-finance-initiative schemes, by using collaborative working methods and partnerships supported by the accurate targets of open-book accounting systems. By benefitting from the managed risk and cost transparency methods magnified with open book accounting partnerships working together under such systems seem to be weathering the current economic downturn better than most.

This workshop aims to show you how by using open book accounting techniques your team can deliver better value for money on construction projects or services th

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Construction Study Centre launch their new 3 term year

12/06/2009 10:47:19

Construction Study Centre have moved to providing 3 programmes of courses a year rather than their traditional 2 programmes/year. This move reflects the demands of client for more frequent provision of our most popluar courses including CDM, Building Regs and NEC3 training. The course details for the Autumn programme are now available on this site with our brochures being circulated out to our regular clients in early July. For full details of our courses please go to the courses section of this website or contact our team directly on 0845 3133 414.

NEC - Getting to grips with NEC3 (NEC 3 Conditions of Contract)

11/06/2009 11:17:01

This course will explain the philosophy behind the full range of the NEC family of contracts and will focus on the provisions of the Engineering and Construction Contract. The differences between the 2nd and 3rd Edition will be explained.
Recent Dates:
16/06/2009 - Bristol
18/06/2009 - London
23/06/2009 - Manchester

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Surviving the construction recession! – “The nice decade is over”

10/06/2009 11:02:05

This BRAND NEW, UP-TO-THE-MINUTE AND HIGHLY TOPICAL 1 DAY COURSE brings together the financial expertise of BDO Stoy Hayward, the award-winning UK member firm of BDO International, the world’s fifth largest accountancy network with more than 600 offices in 100 countries, with the construction industry know how of Alway Associates, Commercial and Contracts Consultants.

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Profiting from Waste! - The new Site Waste Management Regulations

09/06/2009 10:12:45

Course Dates : 30/10/2008 Birmingham, 13/11/2008 Manchester, 20/11/2008 / Bristol - Waste costs and environmental pressures continue to increase for the construction sector,In addition, the new ‘Site Waste Management Plans’ Regulations came into force on 6 April 2008. These make SWMP’s compulsory for all construction projects, whether private or public sector in England, over £300K

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Building Regs - Dealing with the latest Building Regs including getting to grips with the new Part L

09/06/2009 10:01:26

Course Date: 12/12/2006 - This recently revised 1 day course will provide an overall update of the Building Regulations and their enforcement.

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What we offer...

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We offer high quality training on a number of subjects. These subjects are broadly divided in to 4 main specialisms. Regulations, Contracts and Legal, Property and Development and Management and Communication.

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There are 2 main ways to receive CPD training from Construction Study Centre. Public Training Courses: Typically, Construction Study Centre holds over 300 public training courses a year across the UK.

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