Daily briefing
National Construction News briefing: Friday 16 October 2026
15 stories from the last 24 hours, one date for the week ahead, new figures from our data trackers and five closing dates from our recent stories.
Stories from the last 24 hours
Hire body HAE EHA to attend CECE Congress in London as CEA hosts European event
Hire Association Europe will send its chief executive and public affairs director to the two-day European construction equipment congress at IET London: Savoy Place from 27 to 29 October, months after agreeing reciprocal membership with the CEA.
United Welsh to end Mears contract and run Celtic Horizons as in-house DLO from 2027
The South Wales housing association will take over IT, tools, vehicles and business services for its repairs subsidiary when its 13-year arrangement with Mears Group ends on 1 October 2027.
Kier to lead design of Heaton Park Metrolink stop accessibility upgrade
Transport for Greater Manchester has appointed Kier to design step-free access, new shelters and a pedestrian track crossing at the Bury line stop in Prestwich under its Metrolink Stop Improvements Programme.
Willmott Dixon lifts half-year underlying profit 13% as it converts £746.7m of new work
The privately owned contractor reported underlying profit of £12.5m for the six months to 30 June 2026, flat turnover of £544.8m, no debt and a secured order book of £1.37bn.
Clarion completions fall to 1,466 as energy efficiency spend passes £26m
Clarion Housing Group's Making a Difference report for 2025/26 shows new-home completions down from 1,727 a year earlier, while spending on energy efficiency rose and 80.3% of its homes now reach EPC C.
TRU buys 26 biodiversity units from Leeds City Council for Barnbow woodland work
Network Rail's Transpennine Route Upgrade has completed its first purchase of biodiversity units, backing a 30-year enhancement of 8.32 hectares of woodland at Barnbow, east of Cross Gates station.
Willmott Dixon half-year profit up 13% as turnover holds flat at £544.8m
The privately owned contractor reported £12.5m underlying profit for the six months to 30 June 2026, £746.7m of new work and a £5bn pipeline, with growth expected from 2027.
Pick Everard completes cost and project role on Thames Valley Police forensic centre
The consultancy provided cost management, project management and contract administration on the Bicester building, which reached practical completion in July 2026 against an original winter 2024/25 target.
Sellafield and supply chain raise £162,500 for Cumberland care-experienced young people's fund
Sellafield Ltd, its Programme and Project Partners and 12 supply chain firms have given £162,500 to Cumberland Council's Enrichment Fund, enough to support care-experienced young people for more than three years.
G15 backs draft London Plan but calls for grant and earlier Section 106 role
The group of London's largest housing associations has welcomed the Mayor's draft London Plan while pressing the GLA on grant funding, viability, Section 106 delivery and infrastructure commitments.
DfT formally amends national policy statement for ports after Commons scrutiny period ends
The Department for Transport has designated a revised national policy statement for ports, replacing the 2012 version, after no resolution against it was passed within the 21 sitting days set by the Planning Act 2008.
CLC publishes behavioural guidance for fire risk assessors and external wall appraisers
The Construction Leadership Council advisory note sets out how authors, reviewers and auditors should behave when producing fire risk assessments and external wall appraisals, following the revised PAS 9980:2026.
BSI publishes pre-service test standard for evacuation lifts to BS EN 81-76
BS 8486-10:2026 gives lift installers and test engineers a structured set of examination and test questions to check new evacuation lifts against BS EN 81-76:2025 before they enter service, LEIA said.
Waterman takes MEP award at Tall Buildings Awards for Edenica office in City of London
The consultancy picked up the MEP Engineering Excellence Award for 100 Fetter Lane, a City of London office that piloted a standardised Materials Passports approach and reported embodied carbon of 594kg/sqm.
Takeuchi UK launches TB3150 offset-boom 15-tonne excavator with first units bound for HS2
The offset-boom TB3150 joins the fixed-boom TB3150R to give Takeuchi two 15-tonne machines, with a new 85 kW Yanmar engine and a 14% rise in hydraulic power.
This week
RICS UK Awards
Takes place on Thursday 22 October.
New figures
Construction output in numbers: August 2026
- Construction output index, August 2026
- 99.2
- Output growth on the previous month, August 2026
- -0.2%
- Job vacancies in construction, June to August 2026
- 29,000
Closing soon
The consultation closes on Friday 16 October 2026.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Limited's ITT for the Provision of Repairs Services Tender, valued at £32,197,500 including VAT, also closes on 16 October at 12:00.
Two sizeable tenders close on 16 October 2026 at 12:00.
Largest construction works tenders closing 5 to 18 October 2026
That consultation runs until 21 October.
About this briefing
Published on weekday mornings. Every item comes from a story National Construction News has already published and checked against its sources, from dates organisers have published, or from our data trackers. See the events and awards calendar, or get the week's stories by email with the weekly newsletter.