All Letters articles – Page 29

  • Comment

    Linnett vs the OFT

    2009-10-23T00:00:00Z

    Tony Bingham was right “on the money”, so to speak, in his article exposing the obvious weakness of the OFT’s stance on cover pricing

  • Comment

    Learn through laughter

    2009-10-23T00:00:00Z

    I was thoroughly enjoying your 9 October publication until I wandered across David Westwood’s email regarding your health and safety blunders (page 27), which sent me into fits of laughter and disbelief

  • Comment

    Sport: The real enemy

    2009-10-23T00:00:00Z

    Don’t get the idea that I’m speaking from any sort of moral high ground, or even from a moral hillock, but Chris Wise’s comments about steel were interesting and I thought perhaps ought to be brought to their logical conclusion (9 October, page 28)

  • Comment

    The OFT vs Tony Bingham

    2009-10-23T00:00:00Z

    Tony Bingham’s article, “The cost of a phone call” (9 October, page 30), is based on a misunderstanding of the Office of Fair Trading’s position. The OFT has never claimed that unilaterally submitting a high price is illegal. Rather, as Mr Bingham says, the illegality arises where the price is ...

  • Comment

    Bad experience

    2009-10-23T00:00:00Z

    New apprenticeships are very important to the future progress of the industry (“Gove: Conservatives to triple apprenticeships”, www.building.co.uk)

  • Comment

    A word to the Wise

    2009-10-16T00:00:00Z

    I followed Chris Wise’s logic in questioning, for environmental reasons, whether RIBA should have recognised the 100,000-tonne Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing (9 October, page 28), but I struggled to follow why he then used what was clearly a unique structure to criticise the efficiency of steel overall

  • Comment

    Move with the times

    2009-10-16T00:00:00Z

    The appointment of a chief construction adviser is welcome, but in the 10 years since the Egan Report the game has moved on a long way

  • Comment

    Jobs: Wanted

    2009-10-16T00:00:00Z

    I can’t quite believe the lack of support that the unemployed graduates are receiving (11 September, page 34)

  • Comment

    Expose the OFT

    2009-10-16T00:00:00Z

    It is not surprising, what with the draconian powers of the Office of Fair Trading and the possibility of future appeals, that few bosses are prepared to put their heads above the parapet and comment on the spate of fines imposed upon our industry

  • Comment

    Set the standard

    2009-10-09T00:00:00Z

    I read with interest the comment from John McDonough of Carillion calling for sample schemes to be scrapped to cut the cost of bidding for ڶ Schools for the Future (BSF) projects (18 September, page 11)

  • Comment

    An obligation to train

    2009-10-09T00:00:00Z

    I was pleased to hear the announcement from John Healey, the housing minister, that housing associations will be required to employ apprentices (25 September, www.building.co.uk)

  • Olympics: go team!
    Comment

    Good show

    2009-10-09T00:00:00Z

    A recent story in ڶ (18 September, page 9) reports that the bulk of the venues for the 2012 Olympics will be completed one year in advance of the Games

  • Comment

    I have every sympathy

    2009-10-09T00:00:00Z

    In Patrick Murdock’s letter (25 September, page 32) he suggested that, because of the recession, the major consultancies are turning their backs on graduates. As a trainer involved in graduate development I believe this is not the case

  • Comment

    Nostra culpa

    2009-10-09T00:00:00Z

    I’m fed up with seeing emails and articles showing images of idiotic and dangerous situations, like the health and safety blunder on page 33 of the 25 September issue

  • Comment

    I don't have any sympathy

    2009-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Regarding the article on graduate unemployment (11 September, page 34), there are lots of jobs out there: they are obviously being too fussy or not trying hard enough

  • Comment

    Use the information

    2009-10-02T00:00:00Z

    I am surprised at some of the respected names that appear on the list

  • Comment

    Put your house in order

    2009-10-02T00:00:00Z

    In a world of short tender periods and poor contract information, clients are expecting contractors to be gamblers

  • Comment

    Punish the guilty

    2009-10-02T00:00:00Z

    Cover pricing saves the contractors the cost of tendering and they can agree between themselves who will get the next tender

  • Comment

    Suspend the fines

    2009-10-02T00:00:00Z

    Although the process of investigation and the resultant findings were necessary to halt bid-rigging, I among many others will be disappointed by the level of fines imposed by the OFT, which may cripple or close some companies

  • Comment

    Doubt its illegality

    2009-10-02T00:00:00Z

    The 13 roofing contractors that the OFT found guilty of price fixing in 2006 were not engaged in “simple cover pricing”, but bid-rigging