50: Should Builders Need a Licence?
Bishop & Taylor spend most of this episode discussing proposals for a mandatory builders’ licensing scheme with the project’s architect, Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Chief Executive Brian Berry.
1hr 8m Feb 17, 2021
1hr 8m
49: What's Up with the BBA
Bishop & Taylor are joined by Hardy Giesler, Chief Executive of the British Board of Agrément (BBA), who tells them about the changes he is planning within the much-criticised organisation.
33m Feb 10, 2021
33m
48: Enforcing Beauty, Project Leadership and Migrant Workers
Bishop & Taylor chew over the government’s latest planning proposals, the leadership of major projects and the UK’s continuing dependency on migrant labour.
52m Feb 03, 2021
52m
47: Marketing, BBA and the Big Push
Bishop & Taylor discuss a new code for construction product marketing, (lack of) transparency at the British Board of Agrément, and the hydraulic jacking of an 11,000-tonne box tunnel.
46m Jan 27, 2021
46m
46: Prompt Payment, Product Regulation and Builders’ Merchants
This week Bishop & Taylor reflect on changes to the Prompt Payment Code, the new building products regulator and consolidation in the builders’ merchant sector.
32m Jan 20, 2021
32m
45: Disputes, Databases and Delivering AI
The UK construction industry is warned that it may be about to become ‘embroiled in costly and long-running disputes’. This, along with HS2’s new personnel database and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) on site, are on Bishop & Taylor’s agenda this week.
42m Jan 13, 2021
42m
44: Dodged Tariffs, Rail Heritage and Boardroom Clergy
As the UK enters its third national lockdown, Bishop & Taylor take solace in the Brexit deal that has averted even greater chaos; they discuss the threat facing hundreds of old railway bridges; and wonder whether Berkeley Group’s recruitment this week of the Archdeacon of Hackney might start a trend for clergy in the boardroom.
33m Jan 06, 2021
33m
43: 2020 Review of the Year
With the end of 2020 upon us, Bishop & Taylor reflect on some of the big talking points of the year.
56m Dec 23, 2020
56m
42: Flexible Working Special
Bishop & Taylor discuss flexible working with Emma Stewart, Chief Executive of Timewise, and how it might help to improve the construction industry.
30m Dec 16, 2020
30m
41: The Playbook, Warm Homes and a Message to You Rudi
Bishop & Taylor mull on the public procurement policies set out in the new Construction Playbook. They also consider the home improvements that the Climate Change Committee expects them to make. And mark the contribution of Rudi Klein, retiring after more than 30 years as chief of the SEC Group.
38m Dec 09, 2020
38m
40: Support for the Self-Employed, Site Safety and the Slowness of the HSE
Bishop & Taylor mull latest Covid developments, including the unforeseen consequences of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. They also discuss shortcomings of the under-funded Health & Safety Executive. And Taylor has been to some more virtual press conferences.
37m Dec 02, 2020
37m
39: Diggers: Electric, Drunk and In The Garden
Bishop & Taylor discuss JCB’s ‘virtual’ press launch of new battery-powered machines, mull over what to do with machinery operators who work while intoxicated, and find statistical evidence regarding how Britain spent the constrained summer of 2020.
46m Nov 25, 2020
46m
38: Stonehenge, Tunnels and Road Safety
Bishop & Taylor discuss the plans for a tunnel under the Stonehenge world heritage site, one of two major road tunnels in the works, and (as it’s Road Safety Week) the perils faced by road workers.
35m Nov 18, 2020
35m
37: Licences, Leadership Council and Modular Buildings
Bishop & Taylor discuss the collapse of the campaign for a builders’ licence, the expansion of the Construction Leadership Council and one contractor’s left-field move into offsite construction.
41m Nov 11, 2020
41m
36: Lockdown, Knockdown and Demolition Innovation
As the UK embarks on a second national lockdown, Bishop & Taylor mark the 415th anniversary of the country’s most famous failed explosive demolition job by meeting a man who knows a thing or two about to knocking things down, AR Demolition’s Richard Dolman. They discuss explosives, steam engines and debris protection.
37m Nov 04, 2020
37m
35: Family, Later Living and PSCPs
The Boot family has clocked up 600 years working for JCB, there’s a planning row in Walton-on-Thames over later living, and must we learn to call construction contractors ‘PSCPs’? Here’s Bishop & Taylor again.
23m Oct 26, 2020
23m
34: Up the workers! Pay Freeze, Living Wage and Employee Ownership
Bishop & Taylor discuss the news that half a million UK construction workers have had a planned pay rise frozen and that Morgan Sindall Construction has committed to the Living Wage. They are also joined by Paul Clarkson, managing director of Yorkshire’s Triton Construction, who explains what it means to be employee-owned.
45m Oct 21, 2020
45m
33: From HS2 to Jaffa Cakes
How do you get from HS2 to Jaffa Cakes? Well, Bishop & Taylor get there via planning reform, Palestine and Britain’s biggest contractor that builds absolutely nothing.
40m Oct 14, 2020
40m
32: Wind Power, Diesel, Concrete and Cargo Bikes
Wind power is in the news this week, prompting Bishop & Taylor to focus on green matters. In this episode they also discuss a better way to end the red diesel rebate, cleaning up concrete and one contractor’s use of electric bicycles.
42m Oct 07, 2020
42m
31: Track & Trace, Carbon Offsetting and Rewilding
After a brief discussion about the NHS track & trace app that the construction industry has been encouraged to embrace, Bishop & Taylor talk to ecologist Dr Stephanie Wray of RSK Wilding about environmental mitigation, from carbon reduction to the nascent rewilding movement.
42m Sep 30, 2020
42m
30: Ratings, Ratings, Ratings
It’s all about the stars! Huge scepticism is required when reading online reviews, but they can still matter. Bishop & Taylor (4.5 stars) discuss the latest Glassdoor ratings for top contractors and a new app for rating asbestos removal operatives.
42m Sep 23, 2020
42m
29: Top 100, Tumbling Shares and Saving the Solent
Bishop & Taylor discuss highlights of the latest Construction Index UK Top 100 construction companies, as well as share price trends, and a new scheme to get Hampshire building again.
42m Sep 16, 2020
42m
28: Dogs, Chalk Streams and Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Taylor credits Bishop with raising demand for dogs, while Bishop credits Taylor with raising consciousness of the threat to chalk streams. Of greater relevance, however, is the use of a hydrogen fuel cell system to provide power for a pioneering construction project in Lincolnshire.
30m Sep 09, 2020
30m
27: Back in the Jug, Lessons from COVID and Truckless Truss
With the new school year starting, it’s a time of fresh beginnings; should you still work from home or return to the office?  A Loughborough University study finds how well construction has adapted to the constraints of Covid-19.  Meanwhile trade secretary Liz Truss appears to have no truck with the construction industry, shutting it out of her 11 trade advisory groups. It’s Bishop & Taylor t...
39m Sep 01, 2020
39m
26: Tideway, Acceleration and Square Holes
Bishop & Taylor discuss delays to the £4bn Thames Tideway project as well as the transport secretary’s new acceleration unit and a drill attachment that cuts square holes.
35m Aug 26, 2020
35m
25: Fit-out, Putin and the Versatile Brickie
Bishop & Taylor turn their attention to the contents of the August issue of The Construction Index magazine, and cover remarkably wide ground…
48m Aug 19, 2020
48m
24: Prefabs, Planning Reform and Carbon Offsetting
Bishop & Taylor are joined by structural engineer Kevin Lyons to discuss offsite construction. Our two regulars then also mull the government’s planning white paper and wonder whether contractors will be eager to pay plant hire firms a premium for carbon offsetting.
41m Aug 12, 2020
41m
23: Green Home Grants, Trustmark and Genoa’s New Bridge
This was the week that we learned more details of the £2bn Green Home Grants scheme, with the condition that only Trustmark accredited installers could be used; and the Genoa San Giorgio Bridge opened, less than two years after the old Morandi Brige collapsed. Bishop & Taylor reflect on it all.
37m Aug 05, 2020
37m
22: Brexit, Standards and HS2
With a no-deal Brexit on the cards, Bishop & Taylor discuss unresolved issues for the construction industry, including the future of product standardisation; and – with protests camps fighting a rear-guard action – they agree to disagree about HS2.
48m Jul 29, 2020
48m
21: Face Masks, Plan for Jobs & Tower Cranes
Bishop & Taylor discuss the need for face masks (both in life and on site), Rishi Sunak’s Plan for Jobs, and (after the fatal 8th July collapse in East London) tower crane safety.
42m Jul 15, 2020
42m
20: New Deal, CITB and Interserve FM
Bishop & Taylor discuss the Prime Minister’s Rooseveltian ambitions, the suspension of democratic accountability at the Construction Industry Training Board, and the sale of Interserve Facilities Management to Mitie. Read more on all these topics, and more, at http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news
44m Jul 01, 2020
44m
19: Job Losses, Export Finance, Plastic Problems and Magic Paint
In this episode Bishop & Taylor discuss industry job losses, how overseas contractors exploit UK state aid, construction’s plastic packaging problem and the remarkable claims of air-purifying paint.
46m Jun 17, 2020
46m
18: Post-Covid Recovery, Roads Ahead and Shrewsbury Pickets (Conspiracy, My Arse!)
Bishop & Taylor discuss the Roadmap to Recovery, the sudden flow of transport projects and the building workers (including TV’s Ricky Tomlinson) jailed nearly 50 years ago, whose convictions the Court of Appeal is now, finally, revisiting. Podcast, my arse!
44m Jun 03, 2020
44m
17: Restoration of Parliament, When Tiredness Kills & The Joy of Steam
Bishop & Taylor recap recent events in the UK construction industry, including this week: planned building works in parliament are under review, a company that allowed its workers to drive home tired has been in the dock and an old steam engine has been deployed to great effect on a decommissioning project.
33m May 20, 2020
33m
16: Opportunism, Drones & Batteries
This week Bishop & Taylor discuss the opportunities that some are finding in the health crisis, the use of drones in construction surveys and battery-powered machinery.
42m May 06, 2020
42m
15: Scaffolders, Consulting Engineers and Employee Ownership
In this edition, Bishop and Taylor discuss latest safety stats from the National Access & Scaffolding Confederation, Highways England’s smart motorways alliance and whatever happened to Britain’s consulting engineers? The one’s that aren’t safely in employee ownership, that is...
41m Apr 29, 2020
41m
14: Furlough, Supplies, Gypsum and Cladding
Bishop & Taylor discuss furloughed construction workers, moves to revive the supply chain, recycling gypsum and the stalled cladding replacement programme.
42m Apr 22, 2020
42m
13: HS2 and Firm Foundations
Bishop & Taylor briefly discuss the latest news on HS2 before welcoming Steve Hadley to their virtual studio – he’s the Managing Director of Central Piling and the new chair of the Federation of Piling Specialists.
38m Apr 15, 2020
38m
12: Confusing Signals, Field Hospitals and Augmented Reality
This week Bishop & Taylor discuss the latest mixed messages from Government on safe site operations, admire the heroic efforts of those getting field hospitals up and running, and have their interest piqued by the use of augmented reality to provide professional supervision to household DIY.
32m Apr 08, 2020
32m
11: #ShutTheSites, Urgent Works and Memorable Junkets
This week Bishop & Taylor discuss the continuing controversy about what sites should stay open, and the difficulties facing those that do. They also muse on the days when travel was easier, and press junkets enjoyed.
35m Apr 01, 2020
35m
10: The Lockdown and Working From Home
The lockdown has started and Bishop & Taylor chat about how the UK construction industry is responding to the Prime Minister’s order for all but essential workers to stay home. They also discuss working from home with expert input from our very own ‘Good Lady Professor Her Indoors’, Jacqui Bishop.
29m Mar 25, 2020
29m
9: That Virus, Tech Toys and the Latest Issue
As the world goes into lockdown, Bishop & Taylor keep their distance to mull on Covid-19, Bimcams and bionic rakes, and the contents of the March issue of The Construction Index magazine.
42m Mar 18, 2020
42m
8: Retentions Postscript, Red Diesel and Rebrands
Bishop & Taylor add a note about their last episode’s retentions discussion before turning attention to the Budget, bringing the end of cheap diesel for construction. They round off mulling why companies choose to change their name.
37m Mar 12, 2020
37m
7: Heathrow, Retentions & Flexitime
Bishop & Taylor discuss the potential ramifications of the Court of Appeal ruling against Heathrow expansion, developments (or lack of them) in the reform of cash retentions usage, and experiments in flexible working.
39m Mar 04, 2020
39m
6: Coronavirus, New Homes Ombudsman and Industry Archives
On 26th Feb 2020 Bishop & Taylor discuss the industrial impact of coronavirus, the creation of an ombudsman for buyers of new homes and the fate of construction industry archives.
39m Feb 26, 2020
39m
5: Cannabis, Immigration and Smart Cities
It's Wednesday 19th February 2020 and in this week’s Re:Construction podcast, Bishop & Taylor discuss the benefits of cannabis, the UK’s new immigration rules and Sheffield’s smart bins.
39m Feb 19, 2020
39m
4: HS2, Leadership & Clocks
This week Bishop & Taylor discuss the latest green light for HS2, a shocking display of bad leadership and the possible end of spring back / fall forward.
34m Feb 12, 2020
34m
3: On Beauty, Signs of a Boris Bounce & Cowboy Builders
In this week’s Re:Construction podcast, recorded Wednesday 5th February 2020, Bishop & Taylor discuss beauty, signs of a Boris Bounce and cowboy builders.   See also: https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/government-considers-fast-track-for-beauty https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/data-news  & https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/who-needs-a-builders-licence
40m Feb 05, 2020
40m
2: Climate Emergency, Smart Motorways and Chinese Hospitals
This week Bishop & Taylor discuss construction’s attempts to help save the planet, the idiocy of smart motorways and how quickly Wuhan is building emergency hospitals.
39m Jan 29, 2020
39m
1: Tall Building Regulations, Late Payment Legislation and Digitally Savvy Contractors
Re:Construction is a new podcast, launched this week by The Construction Index, featuring construction journalists David Taylor and Phil Bishop.  In this launch episode they discuss developments in the government’s Building Safety Programme, the latest attempt to legislate against late payments and the digital marketing prowess of the top contractors.  Each week Bishop and Taylor chew the fat f...
37m Jan 23, 2020
37m