Posts by Yassir Mahmood

  • Christmas quiz 2017

    He wears red and white for important occasions and expects us all to behave. Yes, this year’s Christmas quiz is a tribute to Coulson J, soon to leave the TCC for the Court of Appeal. Not only did Coulson J deliver some of this year’s most important judgments, he did so with his customary style. … Continue reading Christmas quiz 2017

  • The value of obiter in the TCC

    Melissa Moriarty’s recent blog post covered the complex subject of delay. It also touched on something seemingly simple: the difference between the ratio and obiter elements of a judgment. So how is it that lawyers manage to disagree about this elementary distinction and why does it matter? 

  • What to expect from NEC4

    The NEC4 suite of contracts is being published in June 2017 and is already available to pre-order. That doesn’t leave much time for practitioners to prepare, so what do we know about this new raft of contracts? 

  • Christmas quiz 2016

    Our festive quiz is back again, so take some time off from that ambush adjudication and have some fun. 

  • CBI joins debate on government spending

    The government spending review is only a month away and everyone is fighting to avoid cuts in their sector. This week, the CBI published its submissions to the government, but will they help the construction and engineering industries?

  • Collateral warranties, a standstill agreement and a concurrent tort claim

    One multi-party (and multi-action) Technology and Construction Court (TCC) claim involving Linklaters, Sir Robert McAlpine and others is under scrutiny by commentators at the moment. While it is important to remember that the latest installment, like the previous one, is still at the pre-trial (interlocutory) stage, what can we learn from How Engineering v Southern Insulation?

  • Low carbon domestic refurbishment

    We all know that we need to improve energy use in new houses and buildings, so why should we care about existing housing stock? On 10 June, the Construction Products Association (CPA) published An Introduction to Low Carbon Domestic Refurbishment, a guide that answers that question and might even provide some inspiration for the wider construction industry.

  • Construction industry reaction to coalition government

    The construction industry has been hit hard by the current recession. Beyond headlines like “Heathrow third runway scrapped”, the construction industry faces further uncertainty as it waits to see what the new coalition government’s public sector spending cuts really mean for key areas, such as housebuilding, and for major projects, such as Crossrail.

  • Bid rigging investigation moves “down under”

    In 2009, the construction press was full of stories about cover pricing and bid-rigging in the construction industry. This was because of the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) investigation (which had started in 2004), and which resulted in fines of £129.5 million being imposed on 103 construction companies in September 2009.

  • CIOB plans guidance on time management

    Of the three key factors that drive a project (cost, quality and time), time management is by far the least developed and understood. This was highlighted by the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) report, Managing the risk of delayed completion in the 21st century. Having identified the problem, the CIOB is trying to solve it.

  • UCATT publishes blacklisting report

    The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) has published its report on blacklisting in the construction industry, Ruined lives – blacklisting in the construction industry. Unsurprisingly, the report criticises the Government and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for their handling of the scandal. It also raises several concerns about the Government’s proposed blacklisting … Continue reading UCATT publishes blacklisting report

  • UK Climate Projections 2009

    On 14 July 2009, PLC Construction attended a conference entitled “What does climate change mean for construction?”, organised by the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) and sponsored by Defra. At the conference a representative from UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) introduced UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09), its latest climate predictions for the UK during the 21st … Continue reading UK Climate Projections 2009

  • Who, or why, or which, or what, is ProCure21+?

    ProCure21 is the procurement method for publicly funded NHS schemes (as opposed to schemes that use private funding, such as PFI and LIFT). As we highlighted in an update last week, ProCure21 will soon be replaced by ProCure21+. So what is Procure21+ and how will it differ from the existing regime?

  • Do night shifts cause cancer?

    In March 2009 the Danish government started paying compensation to women who had developed breast cancer after long spells working nights. This followed a decision by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the UN’s World Health Organisation, to classify night working as an activity that probably causes cancer. Should the construction and … Continue reading Do night shifts cause cancer?

  • Government proposes tower crane register

    The Government has announced that it is planning a tower crane register. This follows the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) similar announcement earlier this year (see Building).

  • Construction blacklists – implications for the construction industry

    The construction industry has been making the headlines again in the past week, but for the wrong reasons. An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has uncovered a database containing details on 3,213 construction workers, which was used by over 40 construction companies to vet individuals for employment.