Opinion

The government closed its consultation on payment times and retentions reform in October, as the latest attempt to solve a problem that has been the subject of debate in the construction sector for many years. But any attempt to overhaul it is not risk-free. Recent history is littered with examples…

Stuart Kings is technical director at contract management and software company Sypro The Joint Contracts Tribunal’s (JCT) Target Cost Contract (TCC) 2024 has added to the contract landscape. The target cost model has existed for years, but until now, those preferring the JCT suite did not have this option under…

Emma Scott is regulator Ofqual’s director of vocational and technical qualifications delivery Qualification fraud can lead to serious problems: safety risks, damaged reputations, and millions lost to rework and compensation claims. In a recent survey carried out by Ofqual in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Construction…

The House of Lords has delivered its verdict on the early performance of the Building Safety Regulator, and it has not pulled its punches. In a report titled The Building Safety Regulator: Building a better regulator, peers describe a system beset by “unacceptable” delays, with applications routinely taking far longer…

Stephen Workman is UK head of residential building design at AtkinsRéalis  Three years into the implementation of the Building Safety Act (BSA), the mechanisms designed to ensure safer buildings have been seen to undermine the government’s ambition to get Britain building. The BSA was introduced with the right intentions, but…

Anna Scothern is chief executive of the National Home Improvement Council and chair of both the Construction Leadership Council repairs, maintenance and improvement (RMI) working group, and Construction Skills Mission Board RMI skills group The national conversation about improving our homes often begins with technology and targets. But behind every…

Paul Morrell asks if licensing contractors will make buildings safer or just add complexity to duties already covered by the Building Safety Act

Alex Ford is the chief executive at CT Skills When most people think of an apprentice, they tend to think of a young person shadowing somebody in the trade, learning the skills and knowledge you need to work in the construction industry. So why did only 33,000 people begin a…

Clive Docwra is managing director of McBains The construction sector wants stability. You only have to look back at various statistics published since the last Budget to see how output has fluctuated and confidence dipped over the past 12 months. The sector was already feeling the impact of last year’s…

Asif Patel is a partner at law firm Devonshires  There is undoubtedly an unassailable moral principle behind the gateway two planning checkpoint, introduced following the 2022 Building Safety Act for buildings classed as ‘higher risk’. But to quote Andy Roe, chair of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) that oversees these…