UK Construction Projects Overview 4Q2015

Posted by Adam Cadwaladr on Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The UK construction market is continuing to recover with 2015 likely to see a healthy mix of housing building construction, refurbishment and civil engineering and infrastructure projects all competing for high calibre staff.  

The construction industry is increasingly attractive in terms of both salary and career prospects and Maxim Recruitment is always interested to receive an up to date CV from construction professionals looking at progressing their career on new projects either anywhere in the UK or overseas. 

We note below a few ‘hot spots’ in UK construction that have been reported in the trade press recently.  We have job vacancies on these or similar projects as well as jobs across the UK for a range of engineering, project management, quantity surveying and other skilled construction professionals.

The Education Sector in Croyden
Croydon is home approximately 28,000 children aged between 0-4, so the ongoing investment in education in the region is vital. Education projects here are vital  for children to have the essential access they need to schools.   Well known main Contractors are constructing a number of projects in the region and engineering, quantity surveying and project 

HS3 (High Speed 3)
The current British Prime Minister has backed the idea of a HS3 project between Leeds and Manchester. It has also been decided that Manchester will get a “London-style Mayor”, helping the support for business growth.

The £4bn Thames Tunnel
The super sewer project continues to be in the news and offers fantastic construction career opportunities in the London and South East region for surveyors, planners & engineers. 

£350m London Centre Point Re-vamp
The Main Contractor has been named for the Major Re-Vamp of the iconic Centre point Tower in London. The original Pre-construction Contractor parted with the Client in Summer 2014, leaving a new Principal Contractor to take over these works who are also expected to become the Main Contractor to see the project through. A great project to have on a CV!

£400m Prison contract awarded
The Ministry of Justice has decided on the preferred bidders on £400m worth of Prison works over the next 5 years. Works will include Maintenance, Build, Waste and Disposal collection, and more. Work is expected to start June 2015, covering much of the UK but some pre-contract roles are already available with QS consultancies.

House Building  – London and South East
It is predicted that even more homes (2.5 million instead of 1.5 milllion originally planned for) will be required in London and the South East to support growing population.  House builders and developers in London are always looking for high calibre quantity surveyors, engineers and construction managers for fast track challenging projects.

£300m Flood Defence Programme
The Environment Agency have chosen the preferred bidder to work on River Thames’ flood defences under the Thames Estuary AMP, valued at £300m.

Evidence of UK Construction Companies Feeling Positive
Generic good news from a lot of UK construction companies recently. Many house builders have reported growth and one top tier main contractor has stated that revenue is up 30% in their UK business, for the first 3 quarters of this year. 

UK Construction in general has grown for the 6th quarter running; however profit margins could suffer in the future it has been said, due to rising costs related to projects awarded on low margins,

Summary
With construction activity and construction recruitment increasing across the UK but with a focus in London and the South East, Maxim Recruitment has more high quality job vacancies than at any time since 2007. 

Please get in touch with your updated CV  if you would like a consultation on the marketability of your CV and skill set and on your market value in the current economic climate!

Adam Cadwaladr
Maxim Recruitment
UK Office