Totalmobile acquires Geopal

Totalmobile acquires Geopal

The GeoPal system has 15,000 users across more than 200 organisations, including Kier, Babcock and Sisk. The GeoPal technology will be rebranded and relaunched by Totalmobile as its ‘Utilise’ product. Utilise provides software as a service (SaaS) that can be configured to specific customer requirements within the infrastructure and utility sectors. Totalmobile chief executive Jim…

Interserve prioritises digital and offsite strategy

Interserve prioritises digital and offsite strategy

Mark Buckle Mark Buckle, previously southeast divisional director, has been made Interserve Construction’s technical director, with a brief to focus on a digital transformation strategy and ‘modern’ methods of construction. The new position will concentrate on the development, use and implementation of prefabricated, precast and factory-made system components for building and infrastructure projects. As technical…

Private equity takes over Premier Modular

Private equity takes over Premier Modular

Premier Modular’s management team Premier Modular, a manufacturer of temporary and permanent modular buildings for hire or sale, plans to use the money that Cabot Square is putting in to grow the business 50% within three years. The purchase price has not been disclosed. Premier Modular, formerly Waco UK, was previously subsidiary of South African…

Green Homes Grant moving ‘at snail’s pace’

Green Homes Grant moving ‘at snail’s pace’

Installing solar panels The House of Commons environmental audit committee (EAC) has solicited some detail from business minister Lord Callanan on the operation of the Green Homes Grant. And it’s not looking great. Lord Callanan admitted that, as of 5th February, only 20,000 vouchers towards the cost of installing energy efficient improvements have been issued…

Go-ahead for new station at Reston

Go-ahead for new station at Reston

Scottish Borders Council’s planning committee has approved proposals for the construction of a two-platform station on the East Coast mainline, with 70 car parking spaces and a new access road to the station. The station itself will be fully accessible with lifts and a footbridge connecting both platforms. The planning application was submitted in December…

Scottish framework seeks additional Tier 1 contractor

Scottish framework seeks additional Tier 1 contractor

The development partner to public sector bodies in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Scottish Borders, has been operating for 10 years and has handed over 80 new or refurbished facilities. Hub South East chief executive Paul McGirk said: “As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is likely that social infrastructure will become an engine for…

Civils start the year with high expectations

Civils start the year with high expectations

The latest quarterly survey of civils contractors indicates that their workload increased in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the sector is now recruiting for recovery. The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) quarterly workload trends survey shows that after two successive quarters of year-on-year decline, more firms across Great Britain reported workloads rising in 2020…

Construction urged to embrace direct employment

Construction urged to embrace direct employment

The front cover of the JIB report According to a new report on industry employment structures, the increasing prevalence of self-employment, casual labour and off-payroll working has damaged construction productivity and skills. The report, Direct Employment – a study of economic, business and social outcomes based on the electrical contracting sector, is written by Howard…