Daily briefing
National Construction News briefing: Friday 30 October 2026
15 stories from the last 24 hours, one event or deadline today, three dates for the week ahead and five closing dates from our recent stories.
Stories from the last 24 hours
Procure Partnerships opens £12bn developer framework tender with go-live moved to March 2027
Wirral Council is contracting authority for the 63-lot National Developer Framework, which carries a 15% social value requirement and now has a go-live date of 25 March 2027 rather than October 2026.
Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen appoint Willmott Dixon Developments and Cityheart as regeneration partner
The two South East Wales councils have named the Willmott Dixon development arm and Cityheart as their Strategic Development and Investment Partner, with a 12-month review of strategic sites to start the arrangement.
City Thameslink to close for seven months in 2027 while all 10 escalators are replaced
Network Rail will shut the underground central London station from 17 May to late December 2027, saying fire-safety evacuation rules mean a partial closure would not have been acceptable while every escalator is renewed.
HDR uses digital twin to map EPC B route for 230m Salesforce Tower in the City
Heron International appointed HDR to plot an EPC B pathway for 110 Bishopsgate after energy use stayed high during the pandemic, leading to a three-phase BMS upgrade, chiller resequencing and LED lighting.
HBF backs Your First Home loan but says permissions have fallen to lowest level since 2012
The Home Builders Federation has welcomed the Government's new equity loan for first-time buyers while pressing for faster delivery, as its own data shows quarterly planning approvals in England at their lowest since 2012.
Beale & Co named CRASH corporate patron of the month after contributing £22,076 in a year
Construction charity CRASH has recognised the law firm for contributing £22,076 over a year through its patronage, a quiz night and a Surrey Hills walk, alongside staff volunteering at its events.
Stace-managed £640m Slough North West Quadrant scheme wins resolution to grant planning
Slough Borough Council's Planning Committee has resolved to grant permission for Muse and Homes England's 1,539-home redevelopment of the former Thames Valley University site, where Stace is project manager and employer's agent.
RIBA signs memorandum of understanding with Oman Society of Architects
The agreement, signed during RIBA's Urban October programme in Muscat, covers knowledge exchange, research, training, CPD and work with architecture schools, and follows earlier RIBA pacts in the UAE and China.
Network Rail to vacuum out ballast and relay 50-year-old track at Lowestoft station
Engineers will use a vacuum machine to strip saturated, oil-contaminated ballast from platforms 2 and 3 during a four-day closure from 13 to 16 November, closing all lines into the Suffolk station.
London Passivhaus pipeline reaches 4,516 homes as 20 boroughs now have schemes
The Passivhaus Trust's latest London round-up counts 3,809 multi-residential homes in development and 707 certified, with Barratt London schemes making up about 30% of the development pipeline.
HTA Design consultant Serra Ardor named CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year 2026
Serra Ardor of HTA Design took first place at the 2026 CIBSE Young Engineers Awards with a presentation on keeping human-centred design and social equity central as AI transforms the built environment.
96% of SME housebuilders hesitant to invest as 61% plan fewer starts, HBF survey finds
The Home Builders Federation's latest quarterly sentiment survey with Quantum Development Finance shows SME builders cutting starts and land buying, days before the Budget confirmed Your First Home terms and extra affordable housing funding.
Bathroom Association conference raises more than £5,600 for construction charity CRASH
Guests at the Bathroom Association's Connect Conference gala dinner in Birmingham gave more than £5,600 to CRASH through prize donations, a raffle and an auction, the construction industry charity said.
Morgan Sindall named preferred partner for £67.86m Salford Business School
The University of Salford has chosen Morgan Sindall Construction for its fourth campus project, a 7,385m² replacement for Crescent House on The Crescent, with a start on site targeted for April 2027.
Rap Interiors wins Ancestry London office fit-out after five-way tender
Kent-registered contractor Rap Interiors beat four rivals to deliver the construction and fit-out of Ancestry's relocated London office, working to an initial design by interior design practice Corgan.
Today
Digital Construction Awards
Entries close today.
This week
Building Awards
Takes place on Tuesday 3 November.
RIA Annual Conference
Starts on Wednesday 4 November.
Constructing Excellence National Awards
Takes place on Friday 6 November.
Closing soon
It is an open procedure with a tender deadline of 30 October 2026 at 12:00.
Nominations for Trainer of the Year close on Friday 30 October 2026.
The consultation closes on 2 November 2026.
NOCN Group has opened a new round of its Foundation's Skills Innovation Grant programme, offering grants of £500 to £15,000 for pilot training projects, with applications closing on 15 December and a webinar for applicants on 3 November.
Public-sector buyers have 139 construction works tenders closing on Find a Tender between 23 October and 5 November 2026, with the buyers' own estimates for single contracts adding up to £676.1 million.
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.