Construction news

• Wates calls for £100m bundles in NHS health centres build plan

  13-10-2026 16:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  Wates has called for the Government’s planned building programme of NHS neighbourhood health centres to be bundled into £100m-plus regional packages to pull in private cash and get builders on site faster.
  The contractor warns a patchwork of standalone jobs risks bogging down delivery with repeated tender exercises, higher costs and lengthy approvals.
  Its prescription is a new public-private partnership model giving contractors and investors a clear pipeline of work.The government pl
  
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• Briggs & Forrester names Benedetti as next chief executive

  13-10-2026 15:52 via constructionenquirer.com
  M&E specialist Briggs & Forrester has named Duncan Benedetti as its next group chief executive, with Paul Burton stepping down from the role at the start of next year.
  Burton will remain group chairman as the Northampton-based building services contractor enters its 80th year.
  Benedetti steps up on 1 January 2027 after two decades with the £240m turnover group. He currently heads its Living business and sits on the group board.His promotion also triggers a change at Living, where o
  
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• Contractors called up for £60m Hampshire housing job

  13-10-2026 15:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  Eastleigh Borough Council has gone out to tender for a design and build contractor to deliver 192 mixed-tenure homes at Kings Copse Avenue in Botley.
  Full planning permission is already in place and the council is pushing ahead with infrastructure and enabling work before the main contractor comes on board.
  The scheme will be delivered in one phase and includes the homes, roads, utilities, landscaping and public open space.Eastleigh will use an initial qualification round to cut the field to fou
  
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• Call for three-year freeze on new housing red tape

  13-10-2026 09:03 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  House builders are being hit with more than £38,000 of extra regulation, tax and policy costs on every new home compared with 2020.
  According to a new housing commission led by former housing minister Gavin Barwell extra rules and taxes are pushing viable schemes into the red.
  The Prosper UK Housing Commission said the total cost of delivering a typical home has risen by around £76,000 in six years, with roughly half of the increase coming from government requirements rather than lab
  
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• Bellway stands firm on subcontractor rates

  13-10-2026 08:48 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Bellway is standing-firm on agreed rates with subcontractors despite rising costs.
  In its latest results Chief Executive Jason Honeyman said: “Build cost inflation was at low single-digit levels during the first half of the financial year but increased in the second half, principally reflecting greater pressure on material and energy costs amid heightened geopolitical and supply chain uncertainty.“The Group has received price increase requests from suppliers and subcontractors but ha
  
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• Balfour Beatty sells Hong Kong Gammon stake for £250m

  13-10-2026 08:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Balfour Beatty has sold its half share in Hong Kong contractor Gammon for £250m as chief executive Philip Hoare sharpens the group’s focus on the UK and US.
  Long-standing joint venture partner Jardine Matheson has taken full ownership of the civil engineering and building business, ending a partnership dating back to 2004.
  The deal completed today but Balfour will receive the cash in three equal instalments, with the final payment due by the end of 2028.Hoare said: “Balfour Bea
  
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• Winners named for £240m Network Rail steel supply deal

  13-10-2026 08:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The winning firms have been confirmed for a £240m Network Rail framework to supply steel products and structures for overhead line equipment (OLE) across the UK.
  The largest packages are £99m for steel structures and £70m for steel piles.The winning firms are:
  Steel Piles (£70m):Adey Steel
  European Active Projects
  Severfield Structural SolutionsSteel Structures (£99m):Adey Steel
  Fullmen
  Pro Steel Engineering
  Taziker IndustrialOther winners for the smaller lots inclu
  
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