Welcome to the January edition of theNBS.com eNewsletter

In this issue we give you information about the new Online update 2008-0.1, January, discuss the construction forecast for 2008, and highlight some of the most popular stories we featured in 2007.

Update 2008-0.1, January - Online update

With every update, the NBS grows and develops. Online update 2008-0.1, January, is made up of alterations to guidance and reference document links. Customers are advised that the last consolidated update, 2007-3, November, must be installed prior to installing this update.

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Construction forecast for 2008

Construction forecast for 2008 The Association for Consultancy and Engineering’s (ACE) third State of business report has recently been published. Developed using data collected from 105 firms who responded to a survey issued in June 2007, the survey aims to forecast the expected growth in key areas of the construction industry during 2008. The
firms participating in the survey represent over 10% of
the UK’s total consultancy and engineering turnover
and employ in excess of 30,000 staff. In this article we
look at the 2008 forecast.

In general, UK economic growth is expected to slow in 2008; growth in the next year is now seen in the range
of 2.0-2.5%, down by 0.5% on previous estimates.
These revisions follow turbulence in financial markets precipitated by the sharp rise in mortgage defaults in the US sub-prime market in July 2007. As well as direct effects from lower bonuses within the City, lenders have restricted funds and charged higher interest rates to some consumers and businesses.

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Reminder - Contract Preliminaries for removal

NBS subscribers will be aware that following the introduction of newer versions by their publishers, together with recent legislation, a number of the Contract Forms for which we create NBS Preliminaries have become superceded.

The most recent examples of this are the changes resulting from the 2007 Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and HM Revenue and Customs’ revised CIS scheme.

Amendments and Revisions have been published for some Contracts, but not others.

This has presented us at NBS with a problem, because while several forms are no longer up to date – which means the associated A20 sections are no longer current – we still endeavour to keep the other sections, from A10 through to A56, as contemporary as possible.

We do not, however wish to give the false impression that we are updating the Contracts themselves.

In order to resolve this, we announced last year that from update 2008 – 1 we would be discontinuing support for Preliminaries sets for the JCT "1998" Forms, the NEC 2nd Edition and the GC/Works contracts, because they are no longer maintained by their respective publisher.

Full details of the changes will accompany the update. Meanwhile if you have any queries, please call our customer centre on 0845 456 9594 or e-mail info@thenbs.com.

Furniture miles

Furniture Miles Calculating food miles is a sure method of buying
from sustainable and ethical sources. This form of analysis is now being applied to workplace furniture, and this article looks at the concept of ‘product miles’ in relation to office furniture.

The concept of product miles aims to illustrate how much energy goes into getting a product to the customer, a notion first aired as 'food miles'. Product miles are not a complete answer however, but many think that it is the best yardstick we currently have.

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Contract administration forms and guidance

Contract Administrator Building Contracts usually require the extensive use of notifications, certificates and instructions, but there is little or no standard practice
or guidance when it comes to their format or detailed content. In response, RIBA Enterprises produced a comprehensive range of “standard” contract administration forms, approved by the RIBA.
These forms are specially designed to contain all the information necessary to allow efficient and cost effective administration of building
projects.

NBS Contract Administrator is a software product that contains these forms for use with the JCT Standard, Intermediate and Minor Works Building Contracts, as well as some generic forms for use with other contracts. It simplifies the contract administration process further with these additional features:

Forms can be completed electronically on screen
Much of the form completion is automated including cost calculations and tracking
Extensive guidance is provided
Forms can be issued electronically to contacts within your address book
An audit trail of issued forms is maintained
Detailed reports on the status of each job are available at any time
It is intuitive and simple to use

NBS Contract Administrator is available from £305 + VAT.

For more information or to subscribe to NBS Contract Administrator please contact NBS Sales on 0845 456 9594.

RIBA Product Selector 2008 – now published

Register for your free annual copy of RIBA Product Selector 2008.

For over 25 years RIBA Product Selector has been the most comprehensive and valued building product and information directory in the industry.

The 2008 edition contains 7,800 manufacturer contact details, 24,000 trade names, 1,000 structured technical pages and 1,000 advisory organisations.

New books from RIBA Publishing

Keep up to date with the latest design and construction reading with these new releases from RIBA Publishing. All books featured are available to order from RIBA Bookshops.

Home Extension Design – If you are thinking of improving your home but want the real story of how to be successful, this richly illustrated and completely up-to-date book is for you. It distils all the practical information needed to run a project from dream to reality, highlighting the pitfalls along the way and suggesting ways to avoid them.

Alvar Aalto
Objects and Furniture Design – Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is the most prestigious Finnish architect of the last century, and the father of Nordic Modernism. This monograph on Aalto's highly collectible furniture designs expands our understanding of the diverse abilities of this influential architect/designer.

Structural Aspects of Building Conservation – This practical guide to the assessment and repair of historic buildings is invaluable for structural engineers, architects, surveyors and builders working in all aspects of building conservation. Taking a practical step-by-step approach, the authors discuss the appraisal of buildings and the differences in structural behaviour between new and existing structures.

Metric Handbook
Planning and Design Data – The Metric Handbook is a unique authoritative reference for solving everyday planning problems. This new edition has been updated to include the most recent changes to regulation and practice – in particular the increasing emphasis on environmental legislation - to meet the needs of the modern building design professional.

Most popular NBS articles - 2007

Find out what NBS website visitors are reading. This month, we round up the most popular technical articles from last year on www.theNBS.com.

Yes! We have no specifications
A recent court case revolving around the lack of a specification on a project has left a significant legal legacy. We look at what this legacy can tell us.
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The benefits of master specifications
Specification is an essential part of the design process. Unfortunately, for most engineers, it is the least enjoyed task. This often results in specifications of inferior quality. If a specification is written badly it can cause major problems for every member of the construction team, and can cost the client a great deal of money. If the specification is well written it can enhance project delivery for the whole construction team while saving everyone money.
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Part M: Access Statements
The consideration of disabled persons' needs required under Part M of the Building Regulations has been assimilated by the construction industry since 2000. In May 2004 the focus of Part M changed to cover the needs of all people, including the permanently disabled, those with limited mobility, and others who might experience difficulties accessing facilities and services. Access statements can form part of a submission under Part M, to explain the approach taken when looking at access. There are, however, interrelated issues which might be overlooked, but which may have an impact on both the construction phase and subsequent operations and service delivery.
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The structure of a schedule of work
The schedule of work is rarely, if ever, used in isolation. It is commonly bound together with contract preliminaries (describing general project requirements and contract terms) and with a specification document describing minimum acceptable product and workmanship standards. This group of documents may then be supported by drawings and itemized lists (also, confusingly, known as schedules), bundled separately or bound in as appendices.
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