Industry News

This week’s Construction, Infrastructure, and Rail news:

Transport for London (TfL) is looking for contractors for a £500m framework as part of a road modernisation programme. They are expected to select three companies to undertake pre-construction and main construction activities as well as diversions and temporary works. The framework duration is four years with the option for TfL to extend for an additional two years.

Newcastle City Council and Newcastle University are teaming up with Legal & General for the £350m Newcastle regeneration project – Newcastle Science Central. It is set to be one of the UK’s biggest urban regeneration projects, creating more than 4,000 jobs, 450 new homes and 500,000 sq ft of office space. Legal & General have invested an initial £65m which will provide more than 200,000 sq ft of the office space. This deal will be the fourth project to be delivered since Legal & General partnered with the Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO) in January 2015, having invested more than £7bn already.

FirstGroup will be partnering with MTR to complete their bid for the South Western franchise. MTR will be taking a 30% stake and together the partners have promised an ‘innovative and value for money proposal that will deliver better connectivity and significant improvements’. They go up against the present franchisee, Stagecoach with the contract set to begin in June 2017.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.

This week’s Construction and Infrastructure Update:

Queensberry Real Estate has been selected by Sheffield City Council as a strategic development partner for the £480m Sheffield Retail Quarter project. The Council hopes that the project will revitalise shopping in the city. Queensberry Real Estate has previously delivered award-winning schemes in cities such as Bath, Belfast, and Manchester.

Higgins Construction has been awarded the contract for phase 2 of the Colville Estate redevelopment in Hoxton. The contract will see Higgins build 70 new council homes, 40 for private sale and 6 for shared ownership. In addition to new housing, it will provide new street lighting and landscaping to the estate and 129m² of new retail space.

Brighton & Hove City Council is advertising for a contractor to complete the first phase of the Royal Pavilion Estate refurbishment. The estate includes the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Pavilion Garden, Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Corn Exchange, and Studio Theatre. Following requests to participate received by 22nd July, they will be selecting 5 contractors to submit full bids. Phase 1 will include improvements of the Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre and essential conservation work.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.

This weeks Construction, Infrastructure and Rail update:

Balfour Beatty has been brought on by Highways England on an early contractor involvement (ECI) basis to build a new lorry park off of the M20 in Kent. The £130m contract will relieve the roads in Kent, particularly in the event of disruptions at the Port of Calais / ferry crossings / Channel Tunnel. The government is yet to sign off on the project, however, it is expected soon as plans were contained in the chancellor’s 2015 autumn statement.

Bam Construction has been awarded a £41m contract by Birmingham City University for a new build at their City South Campus in Edgbaston. The new building will house courses in sports and life sciences as well as specialist facilities for research and physiotherapy. Enabling works have begun and the project is due for completion at the end of 2017.

Following successful contracts in Leeds and Great Yarmouth, the Bam Nuttall and Mott MacDonald JV (BMM) have been awarded a further 2 flood defence work contracts for the Environment Agency. One contract for the construction of flood defences on both banks of the River Exe from Cowley Bridge to Countess Weir in Exeter. The other being the North Asset Recovery Programme in York & North East and Lower Aire & Upper Aire catchments for the restoration of flood defences damaged by storms and floods in December 2015.

Alstom is hoping to be awarded the £7.5bn contract to build rolling stock for the planned HS2 rail route connecting London, Birmingham, and Leeds and this week announced they will be proposing double-decker trains. Final specifications are yet to be put together but the firm feels it’s a unique offering that would create a much better passenger experience. Alstom has been operating double-decker trains for 20 years with current services in France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland. The contract is expected to be awarded in 2019 and although no guarantees have been made, Alstom has said it would attempt to carry out as much of the building work in the UK creating an estimated 600 UK jobs.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.

Many of us will have experienced the pressure of dealing with Continuing Professional Development (CPD), whether as a result of an initiative in the company we work in or as part of our own personal drive. Being able to prove a level of certification (such as Prince 2) gives us more status with our peers, gives our arguments more weight and aids career progression. However, not everyone is aware that there is an independently regulated certification scheme for bid and proposal professionals and we want to ensure you are not missing out.

CPD Benefits

CPD is an investment that we make in ourselves and if tackled with enthusiasm, it can also help us keep our skills up to date and prepare us for advancement. It can boost our confidence, strengthen our professional credibility and help us become more creative in tackling new challenges. It can make our working lives more interesting and can increase our job satisfaction.

In reality, all these benefits though important are somewhat intangible. However, in the formal bidding and tendering environment, we have some added incentives to certification.

Survey Results

We are beginning to see irrefutable evidence that such self-investment, coupled with external assessment, can lead directly to much better pay.  The Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), through our partner Bid Solutions, has been running salary surveys for several years. Now we can see clear trends emerging.

The APMP accredits its members at three levels of increasing competence; Foundation, Practitioner and Professional. The exciting thing is we now know that once certified, these members earn an average of 15% more than their peers*.

The survey results are very compelling. For specific levels of accreditation, progressing from Foundation to Practitioner level typically attracts a further 14% pay rise, whilst advancing to Professional level leads to an additional 30% increase.

If you are a bid professional and you want a pay rise, keep up the CPD and get your skills recognised by external assessment. After all, a 15% or 30% pay rise would be pretty handy, wouldn’t it?

Author: Peter Lobl APMP Director, Sixfold International

Learn More with Bid Writing Courses

We are pleased to announce that Sixfold has just been appointed as an ATO (Authorised Training Organisation) for the APMP. For more information please contact us on 020 8158 3952 / enquiry@bidsolutions.co.uk

*SOURCE: APMP Salary Survey, Spring 2012; Bid Solutions Salary Survey, 2015

To learn more about bid writing courses, click here.

This weeks Construction, Rail and Infrastructure news:

The government has announced plans for infrastructure reform through strengthening the new National Infrastructure Commission. Adding transparency to local government and speeding up the planning process by minimising delays caused by pre-commencement planning conditions. The compulsory purchase order process will also be made clearer, fairer and faster.

Kier has been awarded a £14m project to refurbish Edinburgh College of Art. Refurbishment of the 3 storey 12,000 m2 sandstone building will take place in 2 phases starting in June with completion due in December 2018.

Alstom has been awarded planning permission for a new training facility in the North West. Construction of North West Transport Training Academy is due to start later this year and will allow the existing workforce to benefit from learning new skills as well as supporting graduates and apprentices. The academy will provide training in engineering, manufacturing, project management, and other vital skills and act a centre for research and development within the transport sector.

Miller Homes has been fined £100k following their involvement in a water pollution incident in Huddersfield in 2013. Flannery Civil Engineering Ltd who were contracted by Miller Homes was fined £9k in March for their involvement in the incident which saw silt and sediment from their construction site pollute a nearby watercourse.

A review carried out by KPMG has revealed a jump in the value of the UK Government construction pipeline. The report shows a £62.2bn spike of spending on government-funded projects from August 2015 taking the total spend to £181bn. 15 sectors were covered in the report including transport which had a £32bn increase attributable to HS2 phases 1 and 2; Education which sees an additional £15bn and the energy sector which increased by £10bn due to additional spending on nuclear decommissioning.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.

This weeks Construction, Infrastructure, and Rail news:

The government has given the go-ahead for the £1.5bn upgrade to the A14 in Cambridgeshire. The delayed work is now set to start in 2016 and includes a new bypass for Huntingdon, improvements to 5 junctions and widening a section of the A1. The joint venture contractors selected include Costain and Skanska; Balfour Beatty and Carillion; Atkins and CH2M.

Mears has signed a £109m deal with County Durham housing association Livin Homes to deliver housing maintenance and repairs. The 10-year contract is due to start in July and will service stock of around 8,500 homes.

Graham Construction has been awarded the contract to build the new Kenilworth Rail Station by Warwickshire County Council. The new station will be built on Priory Road, Kenilworth and construction is set to start this summer. The new station is part of a major rail enhancement scheme and will be included in a new local service between Leamington Spa and Coventry. The station is due for completion in early 2017.

A2Dominion Housing Group is inviting bids for a 4 year London housing framework. They are looking to appoint between 15 – 30 contractors with experience in design and construction. The estimated value of the project is £500m and the initial deadline is 7^th June.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.

This week’s Construction, Infrastructure, and Rail news:

Network Rail completed a £14.5m programme of work over the May Day bank holiday. 1,800 people worked around the clock on various projects including remodelling, electrification and signalling of tracks and the beginnings of a ramp for the proposed flyover to Heathrow, allowing double the movement of passengers.

Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive (NEXUS) have selected WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff to provide consultancy and design services on a modernisation project for Tyne and Wear Metro. The £350m Metro modernisation programme will see refurbished trains and stations as well as new tracks and power lines. Other successful tenders are AECOM, Arcadis Consulting, Capita Property & Infrastructure, and Ove Arup & Partners International; the firms will compete on a mini-competition basis for work.

Morgan Sindall has secured a £300m deal with Basildon Council to maintain and repair Basildon Council’s housing and corporate buildings. The 15-year contract which is set to start in July is bespoke offering to Basildon Council and supports their aspiration to create opportunities within the local community.

Laing O’Rourke has been awarded a £76.2m contract by Imperial College London to build a 34-storey residential tower at their White City Campus. This is the third project they have been awarded on the campus and at 215,000 square feet, the tower will provide 192 homes; 59 of which will be reserved for Imperial Key workers at a below-market rental cost. The work is due to start this month for completion in 2019.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.

This week’s Rail, Construction and Infrastructure News:

Alstom and Amey are to share the £90m signaling contract awarded by Network Rail. The upgrades are crucial to the future operation of Crossrail (Elizabeth line) services as well as the modernisation of the Great Western Main Line. Alstom is contracted for the final stage of the re-signalling of the Great Western Main Line between Reading and Paddington and Amey for signaling power works between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington.

The JV between Interserve Construction and Doosan Enpure has won a £37m contract to upgrade Horsley water treatment works in Northumberland. The new treatment facilities will be built alongside the current 1970’s plant which will continue to operate until the new works are complete.

The new £15m Royal Navy survival centre has been awarded to Galliford Try. The survival centre will include a new Aircraft / Amphibious Vehicle Underwater Escape and Survival Training facility, which will train personnel in escaping from a submerged aircraft or amphibious vehicle. The new centre is planned to be opened in December 2017.

Also this week a number of Civil Engineering contractors have warned that the lack of investment in the road network is halting growth, not just in the Construction industry but for the whole UK economy. Many have seen their workload reduced compared to the same period in 2015.

Do you agree? Has your workload reduced in comparison to last year? Join the discussion on the Bid Solutions LinkedIn group.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.

This week’s Construction and Infrastructure News:

Welsh Water has opened bidding for £330m programme of emergency and planned pressurised pipeline work over a seven-year period. The present plan is for each region to be broken down into three lots based on the complexity of the project with three firms being selected for each lot.

Plans have been submitted for Manchester’s tallest tower. It will comprise of four towers with a range from 37-storeys to 64-storeys high, overshadowing Manchester’s present tallest building the Beetham Tower at 47-storeys. Subject to planning, construction work could begin this autumn with a completion date of 2020.

The JV between Interserve Construction and Doosan Enpure has won a £37m contract to increase treatment capacity at Horsley, Northumberland. Construction will start this summer and estimated to take approximately two and a half years to complete.

Also, this week, to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s 90^th Birthday, more than 240 British businesses have been awarded a Queen’s Award. Among the winners is JCB and Wates who have won three awards both for Innovation and International Trade, making a total of 30 awards they have won since 1969. The full list of winners can be viewed here.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.

This week’s Rail, Construction and Infrastructure news:

Hochtief (UK) Construction has won the Network Rail £23m contract to deliver platform extensions in the Thames Valley from Paddington to Newbury, Oxford, and associated branch lines. The project will be completed in phases to provide infrastructure capability enhancements to enable the operation of new longer electric trains. Expected completion date is the end of June 2017.

The government opened the bidding process this week for its reformed Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme. The aim of the government is to increase the supply of new shared ownership and other affordable homes in England by March 2021. Closing date for submissions is noon on 2 September, with initial funding allocations expected to be announced by mid-December.

Costain has been chosen by the National Grid for its £100m project to replace its gas pipeline across the Humber estuary. The 5.4km long replacement pipeline designed by Capita will be constructed in a tunnel beneath the River Humber.

London Borough of Ealing has approved plans for Berkeley Group to regenerate the former Southall Gasworks on the 88-acre brownfield site. This will include 46,000m2 of commercial space, a primary school, a health centre, and green space. The project is expected to start this year and delivered in a number of phases over a 25 year period.

Also this week HS2 announced dates for their supply chain roadshow starting in May. The roadshow is to tell companies of all sizes how to win a slice of the action, explain the work packages available and to explain to companies how to bid. You can find the dates here.

Will you be attending the roadshow and if so how do you think your organisation will benefit? Join the discussion on the Bid Solutions LinkedIn group.

To view our latest vacancies for bid and proposal professionals, follow this link. To help us connect you with a winner to add to your team, follow this link.