Opinion

Debbie MacKenzie, general manager at Proactis based in Aberdeen, provides some top tips for construction businesses looking to successfully bid for and win work. Businesses in the construction sector can find it a daunting prospect to build a fresh new pipeline of work for the New Year.

Gary Danson, operations director at specialist repair firm Plastic Surgeon, discusses what he thinks 2019 has in store for the construction industry. With Britain set to make big political decisions in 2019, the construction industry should be ready to adapt to the changing landscape. So, what can w

Scape Group chief executive, Mark Robinson, on the Scottish Government’s fresh investment into affordable housing and the barriers needed to overcome for delivery. Scotland is facing a huge shortage of homes for social rent. There are currently over 130,100 households on council waiting lists

Scope of services, standard of care and correct contracting parties. Three standard appointment issues for professional consultants advising on construction projects, but issues which reach the courts on a regular basis as a recent court judgment demonstrates. A site in Cheshire was being developed

Planning partner Sarah Baillie contrasts the lack of ambition within Scotland’s Planning Bill to the bold, inspirational, collaborative and game-changing Connecting Glasgow Report issued recently by Glasgow City Council. Since 2014, conversations in the development and property sector have cen

Marking a decade since the introduction of Home Reports, Eric Curran highlights issues such as length, categories, valuation price and the importance of being on a lender panel. It is quite remarkable that it is now 10 years since Home Reports, the initiative which radically altered the Scottish hou

Lucy Black from the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre on the importance of collaboration in construction. Collaborative working seems like a no-brainer – it helps organisations improve efficiency, productivity and by extension, profitability. It also encourages the transfer of knowledge

Alan Gordon at DM Hall Chartered Surveyors considers the opportunities that challenger banks provide to the commercial property sector. Challenger banks have been nibbling at the ankles of major UK lending institutions with increasing enthusiasm for some years now with the result that a whole new re

Craig McLaren outlines how RTPI Scotland is influencing the Planning Bill. In July I blogged on the ambitions that RTPI Scotland had on the Planning (Scotland) Bill. At that time the Bill was about to be considered in the Scottish Parliament with its Local Government and Communities Committee scruti

Berratt Wong, a graduate quantity surveyor at Kier, explains how the company’s graduate programme has helped his career in construction flourish. I was born in Malaysia and growing up, there was a brilliant TV programme about life working on airlines, so I instantly decided that I wanted to be

Are you involved in a construction project?  If so, are you fully aware of the changes to SEPA’s Controlled Activities Regulations which came into effect in September? Burness Paull’s Kate Primrose outlines what is required. The updated Controlled Activities Regulations (“CAR&

Hew Edgar calls for dedicated legislation to help tackle the growing obstacles which hinder the sustainable growth of Scotland’s construction sector.

Offsite construction specialist Innovaré outlines why the construction industry needs to evolve in order to progress.

By Eric Curran at DM Hall Chartered Surveyors While it remains prudent to be careful what you wish for, it is sometimes quietly satisfying to see a situation which has been long and devoutly anticipated actually come to pass.

Highbridge Properties director Guy Marsden on the rise of flexible offices. By now, almost everyone will be familiar with the benefits of flexible working, where the traditional 9-5 is shunned in favour of work patterns that better suit an employee’s life circumstances. But the rise of flexibl