Insights
UK construction market intelligence, cost trends, and industry analysis.
June 2026 · Contract Update
JCT 2024: What Practitioners Need to Know
The JCT 2024 suite brings building safety provisions, digital signing, a new target cost option, and updated insolvency rules. Practical guidance for transitioning from the 2016 edition.
Read more →May 2026 · Market Intelligence
The Shrinking Workforce: Construction's Labour Challenge
Construction workforce contracted 4% year-on-year. Skills shortages, rate inflation, and what developers and contractors should build into their appraisals.
Read more →May 2026 · Cost Trends
Construction Cost Inflation: What's Next for 2026?
Building costs forecast to rise 15% over five years, tender prices 17%. BCIS data, sector divergence, and practical steps for cost planning.
Read more →June 2026 · Contracts
NEC4 vs JCT 2024: Choosing the Right Contract
Risk allocation, payment mechanisms, and when to choose NEC or JCT for your project.
Read more →June 2026 · Cost Management
Value Engineering: Real Savings, Not False Economies
Structured VE methodology, the cost influence curve, and where genuine savings live versus false economies.
Read more →June 2026 · Development
Pre-Acquisition Due Diligence: What Developers Should Check
The five pillars of site acquisition due diligence — planning, ground, cost, market, and programme.
Read more →May 2026 · Construction Methods
Modern Methods of Construction: The Cost Equation
MMC categories, where off-site saves and where it costs more, and when modular makes commercial sense.
Read more →May 2026 · Planning
Section 106 and CIL: Managing Planning Obligations
Affordable housing negotiations, CIL rates, viability assessments, and modelling obligations in development appraisals.
Read more →May 2026 · Contract Administration
Extension of Time: Managing Delay Claims Effectively
Notice requirements, relevant events vs matters, concurrent delay, and delay analysis methodologies.
Read more →April 2026 · Dispute Resolution
Adjudication: Enforcing Your Rights Under the Construction Act
Smash and grab vs true value adjudications, the 28-day timetable, and practical steps for protecting payment rights.
Read more →April 2026 · Development
Brownfield Development: Risk, Cost and Reward
Contamination, demolition, ground risk, and how to assess whether a brownfield site stacks up financially.
Read more →April 2026 · Development
Refurbishment vs New Build: The Commercial Decision
Cost, value, programme, planning, and sustainability compared — with a structured evaluation framework.
Read more →March 2026 · Market Intelligence
UK Infrastructure Pipeline: What It Means for Construction Costs
How £164bn of infrastructure investment drives private-sector labour and material costs.
Read more →March 2026 · Contracts
Project Bank Accounts: Improving Cash Flow in UK Construction
Ring-fenced project funds, direct supply chain payment, and insolvency protection through PBAs.
Read more →April 2026 · Planning & Development
Planning Reform 2026: What It Means for Development
NPPF changes, Grey Belt development, and new six-year housing land supply rules from July 2026. What developers should factor into viability appraisals.
Read more →June 2026 · Procurement
Two-Stage Tendering: When Collaborative Procurement Wins
Single-stage vs two-stage tendering, PCSAs, and when early contractor involvement delivers better cost and programme outcomes.
Read more →June 2026 · Sustainability
Embodied Carbon: Costing the Future Buildings Standard
The Future Homes Standard, whole-life carbon thresholds, and what low-carbon design means for construction budgets.
Read more →May 2026 · Contracts
Construction Retentions: Reform on the Horizon
The Construction Act review, proposed deposit scheme, retention bonds, and what reform means for contractors and employers.
Read more →May 2026 · Risk Management
Contractor Insolvency: Protecting Your Project
Warning signs, contractual protections, and immediate steps when a main contractor fails mid-project.
Read more →May 2026 · Development
Development Viability: Stress-Testing Appraisals
Scenario analysis vs sensitivity, the inflation trap, and how to stress-test development appraisals in a shifting market.
Read more →Sep 2025 · Contracts
Liquidated Damages: Calculating a Genuine Pre-Estimate of Loss
How to set enforceable LD rates, daily vs weekly, caps, and what happens when LDs are unenforceable.
Read more →Oct 2025 · Contract Administration
Final Accounts: Getting Closure Under JCT and NEC
The final account process, time bars, documentation requirements, and practical steps for closure.
Read more →Oct 2025 · Risk Management
Construction Professional Indemnity Insurance: What Employers Need
PI insurance adequacy, policy triggers, limits, common gaps, and what employers should require.
Read more →Oct 2025 · Project Management
The Employer's Agent: Roles, Responsibilities and Risks
The EA role under JCT, delegated authority, conflict avoidance, and what employers should expect.
Read more →Oct 2025 · Health & Safety
CDM 2015: Practical Compliance for Developers and Clients
Client duties, principal designer vs principal contractor, F10 notifications, and pre-construction information.
Read more →Nov 2025 · Sustainability
Biodiversity Net Gain: Costing the 10% Mandate
Mandatory 10% BNG, on-site vs off-site delivery, statutory credits at £42,000/unit, and cost planning.
Read more →Nov 2025 · Sustainability
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS): Cost and Planning Impact
SuDS under Schedule 3, cost vs traditional drainage, planning approval, and maintenance.
Read more →Nov 2025 · Market Intelligence
The Construction Skills Shortage: Beyond the Headlines
CITB data on skills gaps, trade-specific shortages, training pipeline, and immigration policy impact.
Read more →Nov 2025 · Cost Trends
Steel Price Volatility: Hedging Construction Cost Risk
Global steel dynamics, carbon pricing, tariffs, fixed-price exposure, and procurement strategies.
Read more →Nov 2025 · Market Intelligence
Brexit and Construction Materials: Where Costs Have Settled
Post-Brexit supply chains, CE to UKCA, import duties, and which costs are structural vs transitional.
Read more →Dec 2025 · Development
Development Finance in 2026: What Lenders Are Asking For
Debt pricing, loan-to-cost ratios, lender due diligence, and what borrowers need prepared.
Read more →Dec 2025 · Cost Management
Residential Specification: Cost Drivers in High-End Fit-Out
Prime residential cost benchmarks, specification tiers, and where money goes in high-end fit-out.
Read more →Dec 2025 · Cost Management
Commercial Fit-Out: Cat A vs Cat B Cost Benchmarks
Cat A and B definitions, cost per sq ft, cost drivers, and tenant vs landlord scope boundaries.
Read more →Jan 2026 · Construction
Heritage and Listed Buildings: The Cost Premium Explained
Listed building consent, specialist materials, skilled labour premiums, and budgeting for heritage.
Read more →Jan 2026 · Construction
Basement Construction in London: Risk, Cost and Logistics
London clay geology, underpinning, party wall impacts, waterproofing, and basement cost benchmarks.
Read more →Jan 2026 · Professional Development
The RICS APC: A Candidate's Survival Guide
APC structure, pathway selection, diary keeping, final assessment prep, and common referral reasons.
Read more →Jan 2026 · Legal
Party Wall etc Act 1996: A Developer's Practical Guide
When the Act applies, notice requirements, surveyor appointments, disputes, costs, and programme impacts.
Read more →Feb 2026 · Regulatory
Building Control and Approved Inspectors: Choosing Your Route
Local authority vs approved inspectors, the Building Safety Regulator, and how to choose.
Read more →Feb 2026 · Project Management
Winter Construction: Programme and Cost Risks
Weather delays, temperature-sensitive works, daylight hours, heating costs, and winter planning.
Read more →Feb 2026 · Construction
Smart Buildings and MEP: Cost Implications of Intelligent Design
BMS, IoT sensors, smart HVAC, structured cabling, cybersecurity, and the cost premium for intelligent buildings.
Read more →Q1 2026 · Winter 2025
UK Construction Market Trends
Construction output grew 1.8% in 2025 with 2.8% forecast for 2026. Building costs projected to rise 15% over five years. Labour shortages persist as the primary cost driver.
Read more →June 2026 · Regulatory Update
Building Safety Levy: A Practical Guide for Developers
From 1 October 2026, major residential developments face a new levy of up to £100/m² GIA. Scope, rates, exemptions, and what to do now.
Read more →June 2026 · CPD & Standards
From Sustainability Buzzword to Cost Line: RICS' New Surveyor Guide
RICS has launched its first global Sustainability Practice for Surveyors guide. Here's what quantity surveyors and cost managers need to take from it — carbon is now a cost line, not a buzzword.
Read more →