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President's Column March 2019
11 Mar 2019
With the 2019 Spring Statement due on 13 March, and the UK currently scheduled to exit the EU at the end of March, all eyes are on the UK economy this month. But what does this actually mean for the structural steelwork sector?Every year, Construction Markets undertakes what is believed to be the largest survey of its kind, surveying specifiers and analysing the responses against government data in order to calculate the current and future consumption of structural steelwork in the UK, and the...
SCCS gains SSIP accreditation
06 Mar 2019
The Steel Construction Certification Scheme (SCCS) has become one of the first certification bodies to achieve SSIP Accreditation (Safety Schemes In Procurement) following a recent UKAS assessment. SSIP aims to streamline prequalification by driving unnecessary cost and confusion out of supplier health and safety assessment. Its core philosophy is to enable effective cross-recognition between existing schemes.
President's Column February 2019
11 Feb 2019
Main contractors often push the limits when drafting construction contracts for subcontract work, even though we have perfectly good standard form contracts in the form of NEC and JCT. I have seen pages and pages of 'z clauses' inserted into NEC contracts, and so many changes to JCT contracts that they should really be renamed. Standard clauses designed to protect subcontractors, though, simply vanish into thin air.On the other side of the table, for some subcontractors, navigating the...
President's Column January 2019
02 Jan 2019
I've written before about the benefits that accrue to clients, main contractors and specifiers from using a BCSA member for their structural steelwork. This is due to BCSA's membership assessments which cover competence, capability and recommended contract size, but also because BCSA members are always up to date with the latest regulatory requirements and best practise, and have member-only access to a wide range of education and training.Structural engineers and architects have their own...
Structural Steelwork Trade and Supply
17 Dec 2018
Recent trade actions have had no effect on the availability or supply of structural steelwork to the UK construction sector, nor on UK raw steel prices.International trade has shot into the headlines recently with Brexit negotiations at a critical stage and the US/China in a 'trade war'. The problem is that many of the articles on what this might mean for the steel sector conflate the issues and some have come to erroneous conclusions. This article sets out the facts clearly for structural...
President's Column November 2018
09 Nov 2018
Although we had all hoped that October would bring some much-needed clarity to the Brexit process, this has not been the case. Because of this, the structural steelwork sector has asked itself what the risks of a no-deal Brexit are to the UK's structural steelwork supply. The answer to this question is that the risk of a no-deal Brexit to the supply of structural steelwork in the UK is low. So how do we know? BCSA and its member companies undertook a risk analysis that looked at the supply of materials and products, the structure of the workforce, stocking trends and tariffs under WTO rules.
Brexit Readiness - UK Structural Steelwork Sector
09 Nov 2018
Analysis has been carried out by BCSA and its steelwork contractor member companies, in partnership with BCSA industry member companies that manufacture steel, provide distribution and stockholding services, supply structural fasteners, and plant and machinery.
President's Column October 2018
23 Oct 2018
I sometimes wonder whether main contractors and clients really understand how the structural steelwork sector works or the structures and processes we have in place to ensure sufficient quantities of high quality structural steelwork fabricated in the UK make their way onto the market.The construction industry's response to issues in the UK steelmaking sector a few years ago, the possibility of a no deal Brexit, and the US trade wars make me think not. Or maybe the media just likes to spread...
2018 Structural Steel Design Award Winners
05 Oct 2018
The winners of the 2018 Structural Steel Design Awards were announced at an evening reception held at Banqueting House, London on Wednesday 3 October.
President's Column September 2018
24 Sep 2018
While BCSA steelwork contractors are required to have a fabrication facility in the UK or Ireland that meets stringent quality standards and undergo a competence assessment relating to the company's work facilities, track record and technical and management experience, there are still some companies out there without the skills, experience and financial standing to be taking on structural steelwork projects.Who are these companies? On paper, they might look like legitimate steelwork...