A self-employed builder has been fined £20,000 after a contractor working for him had to have his leg amputated after a single-story roof he was demolishing by hand collapsed at a site in Cobham, Surrey.

Brighton Magistrates’ Court heard that, on the 15 April 2019, the contractor was standing on the roof of a partially demolished single-story extension of a domestic building undergoing refurbishment.

While he was on the roof, it collapsed and the worker suffered significant injuries to his right leg including a fractured tibia and fibular. Due to the damage sustained, his leg was later amputated above the knee.

An HSE investigation found there was no safe system of work in place and the demolition work had not been adequately planned. The stability of the structure during the demolition work had not been assessed, and there were no measures in place to prevent falls from the roof.

Patrick Sheehan of Walton-on-the-hill, Surrey, trading as Mastercraft Building Services, pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,383.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Leah Sullivan said: “The contractor’s injuries were life-changing and he could have easily been killed. This serious incident and the devastating effects on his life, could have been avoided if basic safe systems of work been put in place.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

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An independent Cabinet Office review into the proliferation and use of frameworks in construction has called for a complete overhaul of the system to end wasted time and costs for bidders.

The review conducted by a top construction legal expert reveals contractors on average are spending nearly £250,000, and some as much as £1m, on individual framework bids.

It concluded that significant cost and time is being wasted bidding for multiple, speculative construction frameworks, often not connected to specific pipelines of work.

Professor David Mosey Centre of Construction Law, King’s College London also sets out terms for a new ‘Gold Standard’ for frameworks and framework contracts.

His report published by the Government said this would drive the strategic actions needed to improve value and safety, manage risks, meet Net Zero Carbon targets and support a profitable construction industry.

Mosey scrutinised public sector construction frameworks with a combined value of £180bn and considered more than 120 written submissions and 50 interviews.

His analysis found evidence of waste, confusion and duplication in processes ­as well as too strong a focus on achieving the lowest price, rather than best value.

He said: “Review participants report average bid costs for each major framework of over £247,000 for contractors and over £130,000 for consultants, with a maximum of up to £1m in each case.”

On average one in four bids by contractors were successful in securing work, meaning that up to £4m would have be recovered before a supplier delivered any value at all.

“These costs, and the procurement costs incurred by clients, will be substantially reduced if government and industry clarify the scope of each framework and if they adopt a new Gold Standard for selection questionnaires, evaluation criteria, framework contracts, outcome-based performance measures and incentives,” he said.

The new ‘Gold Standard’ for frameworks and framework contracts drives the strategic actions that will improve value and safety, manage risks, meet Net Zero Carbon targets and support a profitable construction industry.

He said that employing the Gold Standard principals offered a dynamic and strategic medium for implementing Construction Playbook policies in ways that break the cycle of lost learning and deliver faster, better, greener construction.

To tackle these issues, the Gold Standard puts in place 24 recommendations, which must be met by both developers and the public sector.

Cabinet Office Minister, Lord Agnew, said: “The new Gold Standard will make sure that vital public sector developments have rigorous measures in place to make sure public money is spent well and that projects are delivered successfully.

“This will be welcomed across the public sector, the construction industry and by the public, who have a right to expect the best possible public sector projects.”

Director of Operations for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association Marie-Claude Hemming said: “We are delighted that Professor Mosey has taken on many of our members’ recommendations in his review, which will enable future frameworks to be established that will deliver improved value for money, efficiency, safety, and social value.

“Moreover, he recommends that future frameworks must focus on net zero carbon and whole life value, delivering both better environmental outcomes and value for money for our members’ clients.

The review is a result of the Construction Playbook, which was launched by the Cabinet Office in 2020 with the aim of making sure the public sector and construction industry work together better to deliver key infrastructure projects.

Click here for the ‘Constructing the Gold Standard report’.

 

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Procurement body Scape is preparing to open bidding in February for spots on its third generation civil engineering framework.

The new enlarged format puts net zero carbon construction and work for local SMEs at the heart of delivery of an estimated £4bn pipeline over four years.

The re-procurement includes a £3.25bn framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a separate £750m framework for Scotland, managed and operated by SCAPE Scotland.

Scape’s existing frameworks were both secured by Balfour Beatty. More than 250 projects have been commissioned to date for public sector clients, are due to expire in January 2023.

It new frameworks will allow public bodies access to net-zero ready specialist contractors to help them achieve their aims around climate change.

Local businesses will sit at the heart of the new frameworks, with the successful principal contractor expected to engage with an extensive supply chain of SMEs.

This allows better access for small businesses to major public sector contracts they might otherwise not have been able to bid for, while also allowing clients to procure locally-sourced specialist services.

They will also benefit from being able to agree termed service options following any major works, allowing contractors to form long term relationships with clients and local supply chains.

Contractors will also be able to agree cost reimbursable contracts through the addition of NEC Option E.

Scape plans to hold virtual market awareness days for prospective bidders on 17 January 2022 for Scotland and 19 January 2022 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A contract notice will be published in February 2022 with preferred bidders announced in November 2022.

Mark Robinson, group chief executive at Scape, added: “Through the addition of a termed service agreement option, the four-year frameworks will allow contractors to build long-term relationships with clients and supply chain partners, helping them to grow their business and employ new staff from the local communities they serve.”

 

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Mechanical engineering specialist Strucktor has won a major package from Ardmore on its £111m redevelopment of the former Whiteleys shopping centre in London’s Bayswater.

Ardmore is currently delivering residential fit-out works at The Whiteley which will be home to 139 luxury residences across 300,000 sq ft of exceptional space.

Strucktor has secured the high end spec fit-out mechanical package and will start on site in Q2 2022 with a workforce of 40 employees,

The deal is a continuation of a five-year relationship between Strucktor and Ardmore and follows their collaboration at the iconic Old War Office project in Whitehall where Strucktor have undertaken the infrastructure works and fit-out mechanical works.

At The Whiteley Ardmore will also deliver up to 20 new shops, cafes and restaurants, a central public courtyard, a cinema, a gym and London’s flagship Six Senses hotel and spa with 110 rooms, as well as a social wellness club, all set behind a retained and restored Grade II-listed façade.

Construction has already commenced on the main works, with fit-out works scheduled to complete for 2023.

 

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Developer Sellar Property is in talks with Network Rail for a landmark redevelopment at London’s Liverpool Street Station.

The proposed major project is at an early stage of development although an indicative construction cost has been put at £1.5bn, according to initial estimates seen by the Enquirer.

The project would be Sellar’s third major station scheme in the Capital following the Shard at London Bridge Station and the Paddington Square project at the Great Western terminus.

Liverpool Street is the third busiest station in the UK and has significant overcrowding problems which Network Rail Infrastructure is keen to tackle.

It wants to improve access and passenger flow at the station to allow for future passenger growth, while freeing Sellar to bring forward office, retail and hotel plans around the southern and south east entrances.

Seller holds exclusive development rights over the Andaz hotel, which would form part of the major redevelopment scheme, while Network Rail owns the Victorian 50 Liverpool Street Building, which would be demolished to improve station access.

The proposed redevelopment plan would also involve construction of a new two-level station concourse with greatly increased circulation space, construction of a new hotel and a major office building and associated ancillary facilities.

Network Rail and Sellar are now in formal talks with view to entering into a development agreement by 2023.