Materials & Jobs Demand Soars
Construction activity is predicted to rise 13.7% in 2021 & 6.3% in 2022 according to Construction Product Association due to house building & infrastructure projects.
Skilled workers and materials will be in high demand during this period especially raw materials such as copper and steel due to the pandemic rise in shipping costs & lack of capacity with the cost having risen to 13 times what it was compared to last May to ship some containers. In the UK, bagged cement is running low. Large infrastructure projects for example HS2 have added to the shortage.
In addition, brexodus of workers and the pingdemic which causes workers to self-isolate has caused mass worker shortages on some sites. UK has lost as much as 63% of workers in some areas and a sharp decrease in immigrants due to £10,000 visas & admin heavy processes.
Award-winning wearable technology
Luckily, technology exists so Construction sites can stay open and take care of their workers with beable® Wearable which has been deployed at a large north London site to keep workers safe and productive; it facilitates physical distancing as well as interaction tracking. Co-developed by Electronic Media Services and COMIT Projects and funded by Innovate UK, the new technology has been well received and plans to rollout to further sites in Q2 this year are underway.
Construction Manager of the Year Awards
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has shortlisted 77 construction managers in 10 categories, including
- Accommodation over 4-storeys
- Accommodation up to 4-storeys
- Healthcare
- Higher education
- Office
- Public and leisure
- Refurbishment and restoration over £10m
- Refurbishment and restoration under £10m
- Schools over £20m
- Schools under £20m
Winners will be announced at the ceremony at JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 29 September 2021.
56 Story Manchester Twin Towers
The £356m project will create 1,000 homes over the next 18 months in Great Jackson Street which is currently warehouses. The towers will be 172m tall and along with 1,000 homes provide commercial space and car & cycle parking spaces as well as rooftop gardens.
£1.56Bn Demolition Projects Up for Grabs
The Demolition and Land Preparation Framework will run over 4 years through local authorities for demolition & earthworks procurement. Worth £1.56bn in 10 lots, it will award 6 regional / national suppliers and 3 reserve. Lots are:
- Demolition – 5 stories and below
- Demolition – 6 stories and above
- Bulk earthworks and waste management
- Contaminated land remediation
- Mine work remediation
- Ground improvement
- Decommissioning and decontamination
- Asbestos management and removal
- Industrial dismantling and deplanting
- Non-traditional high-rise structures
An info webinar at 11am on 10 August will outline how suppliers can bid. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EXbRwtUPTgylN3jKC8wNiw
Internet Connectivity for New, Temporary and Challenging locations…
For new, temporary and challenging locations why not consider the EMS i-MO OptiBond solution? Delivers fast / resilient aggregated 4G and / or fixed line services to site in days. Delivers fast no-fail internet instantly. The system is widely used on difficult to serve and new commercial and infrastructure projects. See www.ems-imo.com