“Through the Looking Glass”, by Lewis Carroll:
“‘I mean, what is an un-birthday present?’
‘A present given when it isn’t your birthday, of course.’
Alice considered a little. ‘I like birthday presents best,’ she said at last.”
PLC Construction is celebrating its first birthday, and what a year it has been. For construction practitioners, the past 12 months have been the most challenging in recent memory, with surprises coming, like un-birthday presents, almost daily. PLC Construction has covered the key developments, with an eye on the practical implications for the industry.
This year has seen it all:
- Global crises, such as the worldwide recession and the swine flu pandemic.
- Controversial proposals to change the law, with Parliament debating amendments to the Construction Act.
- Changes to several standard forms of contract, including major revisions to the JCT forms of contract.
- Industry scandal, with blacklisting and bid-rigging leading the way.
We covered all of these, while also producing our range of regular materials, including:
- Legal updates on significant court judgments for construction practitioners.
- Four opinion blog columns, by Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP, MCMS Ltd, Pinsent Masons LLP and ourselves, each with its own distinct character.
- Our Ask the Team feature, which shares lessons arising from subscriber feedback.
We have also taken huge strides in widening the scope of PLC Construction’s coverage beyond the core specialities of a construction practitioner. We have added new material on several topics, such as:
- Engineering contracts, we now offer material on the FIDIC, ICE, IChemE, IMech/IET and NEC suites of contract.
- Public procurement, including PPP/PFI projects.
- Dispute resolution, with new guidance on using the TCC, more material on construction ADR (including dispute boards) and even more information on adjudication, including standard documents for use during an adjudication.
- Insolvency, including best practice checklists on avoiding the pitfalls of insolvency during a project.
- Health and safety, including a practice note on how health and safety law is enforced.
- Construction Insurance, with an overview of construction insurance and detailed guidance on negotiating insurance issues in the most common JCT forms of contract.
All of our material is produced by people who have worked in the industry for some time. In addition to editors with years of industry experience, we now boast an enviable stable of over 50 thoroughbred external contributors. This includes leading solicitors and professionals from across the industry, as well as barristers from Keating Chambers and 4 Pump Court.
In our second year we predict just as much excitement for the industry and un-birthday presents galore. We intend to cover it all – just as soon as we’ve blown out the candle on our birthday cake!
