Aaron Morby

1 week ago | constructionenquirer.com | Aaron Morby

The latest stats from Timber Development UK show the market bounced back after a sluggish start to the year. January saw volumes dip 1%, followed by a 9% slide in February, but a 13% surge in March turned the quarter positive. Softwood was the star performer, with imports climbing nearly 2% and value up 12% on the back of stronger prices. Sawn pine led the charge with volumes up 32%, largely thanks to Swedish mills, while planed softwood prices rose 9% and sawn softwood values jumped 16%.

1 week ago | constructionenquirer.com | Aaron Morby

The eight-year deal, worth up to £500m, will cover building, civils, and MEP works with frameworks awarded by lot and capped at £5m per job. Bidders have until 18 July to register interest for the two-stage competition run under the new Procurement Act regime. The framework allows for design and build options in both airside and landside environments. MAG is targeting a wide contractor pool with no limit on suppliers per lot.

1 week ago | constructionenquirer.com | Aaron Morby

In a blunt letter to transport secretary Heidi Alexander, Wild said a “comprehensive reset” was now essential to deliver the railway on a credible timescale and within a realistic budget. The letter sent at the end of March but published for the first time yesterday, reveals that just one-third of the civils work is complete, compared with the 75% planned by now. Wild’s big reset hinges on simplifying the railway opening plan.

1 week ago | constructionenquirer.com | Aaron Morby

She slammed a litany of failures for wasting billions on the project, blaming bad management, constant changes and ineffective contracts with the supply chain. She said: “Phase one could end up becoming one of the most expensive railway projects in the world. “We have started the year long task of fundamentally resetting the project.”As part of that reset we have reduced financial delegations to HS2 Ltd placing a lid on spiralling costs until the rest is complete and we regain confidence.

1 week ago | constructionenquirer.com | Aaron Morby

The deal includes a £10m overdraft and a £20m revolving credit facility locked in for three years, giving the engineering and construction group extra headroom to support profitable growth. Executive chairman Brendan Kerr said Metro Bank had taken the time to understand the business and was backing its plans to grow into more resilient markets. He said: “We are looking forward to a good working relationship with the team at Metro Bank.