Re:Construction

After two hundred episodes and six (and a bit) years, Bishop and Taylor gracefully bow out from their responsibilities on the Re:Construction podcast.  Don’t worry - they still manage to fit in some last bits of construction industry news relating to a change in the top at Vistry and the latest goings on at Strabag.  

Bishop and Taylor discuss proposals to finally ban the use of retentions. Plus they ask why is the government  consulting on proposals to cut consultations? And who is Fatty Acid Methyl Ester?

Bishop & Taylor discuss the extent to which a much anticipated imminent recovery in UK construction is likely to have been hit but the latest turn of world events. They also chat about the impending departure of Vistry CEO Greg Fitzgerald and the election of a plumber to the House of Commons.

Bishop & Taylor are joined again by barrister Rudi Klein, who for more than 30 years was chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group, to discuss progress – or lack of – in construction industry payment reform.

In this episode Bishop & Taylor discuss the latest in the ongoing saga of the physical deterioration of the Palace of Westminster.  They also talk power tools, with the relaunch of a redesigned range of JCB-branded tools. And they talk soil recycling, with specific reference to house-builder Persimmon’s latest money-saving initiative.

This episode sees Bishop & Taylor discuss the state of labour relations in the UK construction industry, the rationality of sentences for health & safety breaches and the precise definition of ‘a Tier One contractor’.

With the demise of Versarien, the company behind Cementene, Bishop & Taylor discuss whether graphene admixtures will ever take root in the construction industry. They also talk about the landmark Supreme Court ruling in the case of Providence v Hexagon and a young plant hire company in the northeast making a tidy 40% pre-tax profit margin.

The Single Construction Regulator Prospectus dropped shortly before Christmas – with some astonishing content. And the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has published the interim report of its civil engineering market study. Much food for thought here for Bishop & Taylor to discuss. And, prompted by a new appointment at Kier, they ponder: what does a chief of staff actually do?

Were you paying attention in 2025 or closing your eyes at the back of the classroom? Bishop & Taylor are here to remind you of some of the UK construction industry news highlights of the year, or maybe tell you what you missed.

After a brief look at Birmingham City’s bonkers stadium plan, Bishop & Tayor discuss this week’s budget news, RSK’s latest acquisition and major developments in plant and tool hire, including the sale of Marubeni-Komatsu and the repositioning of Brandon Hire Group

With the latest UN Conference of the Parties (COP) taking place in Brazil, Bishop & Taylor ruminate on aspects of sustainability, including a warning from RICS of “clear signs of fatigue and uncertainty”. They also discuss the trend for construction trades to seek professional status, and whether they are prepared for the lifetime commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) that it...

Topics discussed this week include a new film from Gilbert Ash, the Louvre jewellery heist, a poorly attended parliamentary debate on cement, and the binning of plant-theft legislation.

In this episode Bishop & Taylor discuss the break up of tool hire group HSS, the external wall insulation scandal and the cost of gold (or should that be green?) plating the Lower Thames Crossing project

Bishop & Taylor discuss the government’s latest plans for new towns, Gatwick Airport expansion and what might very well be Britain’s best supported building – is 17,000 piles a record?

Taylor struggles manfluey ( sic )  through this episode’s discussion with Bishop on topics including the challenges facing the new housing secretary, which statistics to believe and when contracts come to an end.

With that 1.5 million new homes target looking increasingly unachievable, Bishop & Taylor consider some of the blockages in the system. They also discuss how National Highways spends its ‘designated funds’. And they review some recent industry acquisitions, giving them the opportunity to talk cranes.

Bishop & Taylor trawl through The Construction Index 2025 rankings of the Top 100 construction contractors. And they hit upon the solution to the industry’s recruitment problems.

From Roskill to Arora, Bishop & Taylor discuss Heathrow expansion and alternatives of the past. They also wonder why Mace sold its most protitable operations. And they review some of the latest goings-on overseas, including the Strait of Messina Bridge.

After their regular review of recent headlines, Bishop & Taylor are joined by Suzannah Nichol, Chief Executive of Build UK, to look back on the first 10 years of the industry’s biggest representative body.

Bishop & Taylor discuss EDF’s decision to rein in its exposure to the Sizewell C nuclear plant, reorganisation of the Building Safety Regulator and the imminent soaring hike in landfill tax.

It’s all big infrastructure in this episode, with Bishop & Taylor discussing a new 10-Year Plan, revelations of how badly awry HS2 has gone, and cartel busters from the Competition & Markets Authority being given a stab at management consultancy to tell us how to do civil engineering better.

Bishop & Taylor discuss the UK government’s big push on nuclear power, the forthcoming requirement for new homes to have solar panels and Extract, the new AI tool for local planning departments

Bishop & Taylor approve of a significant Supreme Court victory for Barratt Developments and take opposing views on the government’s plan to prevent land banking. They also discuss a report from a group of MPs calling for a licensing scheme for individuals and companies engaged in domestic energy efficiency retrofits.

Bishop & Taylor discuss the difference between cheating and gaming the system, how to tackle bribery and corruption in the construction industry, and (completely unrelated) the Reform Party’s construction connections

Bishop & Taylor have been learning that concrete is far from the carbon-bad-guy that it is popularly portrayed as. They also discuss the Nature Levy, known by some as Licence to Kill. And they wonder whether aerogels are set for take-off in insulation.