Knowledge

A wide range of interesting articles that help you make informed decisions and deliver the best projects for your clients authored by our team of NBS subject specialists and construction industry contributors.

Sustainability

A specifier’s guide to BREEAM New Construction V7

Discover how specification can support BREEAM New Construction V7, with practical guidance from NBS and BRE on assessment requirements, evidence and more sustainable project outcomes.

Must Reads

  • tendering

    The hidden cost of compliance: why architects are demanding a new era of product transparency

    Few pieces of legislation have reshaped the UK construction industry as significantly as the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA). Introduced to improve accountability, traceability and safety standards ...

  • Design and Specification

    Brick slip cladding systems – the need for robust specification

    This article from the NBS technical team outlines specification for brick slip technology, including history, technology, design, safety and testing.

  • tendering

    When product data creates risk, AluK delivers the clarity and support architects need

    The need to build more homes, more quickly, has not changed. If anything, the pressure has intensified. However, the conversation around Modern Methods of Construction has evolved.

How not to fall foul of the private sector tender process

What is a tender? A tender is a submission made by a prospective supplier of goods or services made in response to an invitation to tender.

Contracts and LawTendering
NBS-LCA

Reduce embodied carbon from the start

Measure, compare and reduce upfront embodied carbon using trusted UK data and pre-built assemblies.

Human trafficking, Operation Magnify, and the skills shortage

On 14 October 2015, the Home Office announced a new campaign designed to tackle construction companies hiring illegal workers. Called “Operation Magnify”, the campaign targets businesses believed to ...

Government policyContracts and Law

EU procurement: does the new directive mean a new direction

Public procurement is one of the major items of expenditure for purchasing authorities in Europe and an important element of the European Single Market. We take a look at what’s new...

Contracts and LawProcurement

Oral contracts and adjudication

The one mantra that aptly describes the intention behind the introduction of statutory adjudication is 'pay first and argue later'. It captures the intention of parliament to ensure that cash flow in ...

Contracts and LawTendering

Why would I need a building contract?

We are regularly asked at NBS: "Do I need a contract for my project"?

Contracts and LawProcurement

Tendering for construction projects

Tendering is the process by which bids are invited from interested contractors to carry out specific packages of construction work. It should adopt and observe the key values of fairness, clarity, ...

Contracts and LawTendering

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Why is there so much paperwork?

One of the criticisms regularly aimed at contract administration is that there are so many forms to fill in and so much paperwork generated. Indeed, in one former job I had we used to joke that it ...

Contracts and LawTendering

Cover pricing

In September 2009, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) handed out fines totalling almost £130 million to a number of construction companies in the UK. The OFT found that these firms had engaged in ...

Contracts and LawTendering

Dispute resolution

With over 10 years experience in the dispute resolution section of an international consultancy, dealing with projects ranging from runways to power stations to highrise buildings, John Boanson’s ...

Contracts and LawProcurement