Timber products and joinery equipment to the value of ￡2.4 million will go under the hammer next month in what is believed to be the largest ever distressed sale of its type in the UK.

The shortlisted bidders will now be formally invited to participate in the competitive dialogue stage of the project.  During this next period, each of the shortlisted bidders will engage with the College and prepare detailed designs and commercial terms in response to the College’s comprehensive statement of requirements.

The investment will see state-of-the-art buildings constructed on existing college land in Glasgow’s city centre at Cathedral Street and at Thistle Street on the banks of the River Clyde within the next 4 years. The new campus will provide a high quality and sustainable learning environment for around 40,000 students and 1,200 members of staff and deliver significant community benefits.

Roofing and insulation materials supplier SIG has returned to profit but warned its UK business is beginning to feel the bite of Government austerity cuts.

The Sheffield-based group reported pre-tax profits of £7.5 million in the year to December 31, compared with losses of £80.8 million the previous year, as it outperformed its markets and benefited from a restructuring.

In the UK and Ireland, sales increased by 3.6% despite it reducing branch numbers by 34 to 330, as trade was boosted by a slight increase in its residential markets and by strong commercial demand in the South East.

JOB hunters look this way – a huge event aimed at getting hundreds of people back into work could provide the answer. Severn Vale School, in Quedgeley, will play host to more than 40 employers and training providers all looking for talent.

The likes of EDF Energy, Carter Construction, the Royal Navy, Glevum Security and Dyson are all on board for the event, which takes place on Monday from 2pm to 5pm. It has been pulled together by Gloucester MP Richard Graham. Talks with employers about coming on board for the event started towards the end of last year. He said: "This will be the fourth one we have done and at the last jobs fair in Barnwood, 500 people turned up over the course of the day.

OLCI Construction Training, the UK’s No.1 Construction Training Provider, has announced that it will be exhibiting at the Create Your Legacy event, an exhibition where elite sportspeople can explore new career and training opportunities outside of their sport.

VAUGHAN, ON, March 9, 2012 /CNW/ - NorthGrid Solar Inc. ("NorthGrid"), an Ontario-based Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) company, is pleased to announce the construction of a 701kW rooftop solar project, part of the Ontario Power Authority's Feed In Tariff (FIT) Program and located at The Metropolitan Tea Company Ltd. ("Metro Tea") in Etobicoke, ON.

National planning and design consultancy Terence O’Rourke Ltd and architects Foster & Partners have won a MIPIM award in Cannes for their exceptional work with the McLaren Production Centre.

The MIPIM awards are the oscars of the property world and annually recognise the most innovative industry projects, with only the most outstanding technical and architectural work making the final selection process.

Tim Hancock, Terence O’Rourke managing director, comments: “It’s a great honour for us to receive this international award, especially as we were the only UK project nominated in this category. The award is a testament to the hard work and dedication our team show on behalf of clients.”

The McLaren Production Centre project won the new category of Best Industrial and Logistics Development, which was added this year. The new category reflects changes in the real estate industry and places more emphasis on the specialist technical requirements of specific projects.

With the Budget due on 21 March, there seems to be no agreement among the commentators on which direction the construction industry is headed.

A report on the economy for February by financial information services company Markit, in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply, was cautious but optimistic for the 12 months ahead, seeing higher levels of optimism than at any time in the past year, citing an “upturn in the construction sector”. In the construction news section of this website it is reported as saying: “All three categories of the construction industry saw growth in February, with commercial increasing at its fastest level since September 2010, while civil and housebuilders returned to growth.”

Other sources are less optimistic. The Construction Products Association looked at the fourth quarter of last year and found it “very poor” for the vast majority of firms in the sector. What was most concerning was that the report found life particularly bad for SMEs. It followed that up with a letter to the Chancellor calling on him to “introduce a range of practical policies that, whilst helping drive growth, will not endanger the government’s desire to achieve its medium term deficit target, but speed the country’s economic recovery”.

WATERPROOF roofing specialist AAC has invested £65,000 in a second vulcanising machine to meet growing demand for its Prelasti EPDM system.

The company has commissioned and installed the 10-metre unit, adding to its existing 25-metre machine, to increase capacity and eliminate maintenance downtime.

AAC is the UK’s sole supplier of Prelasti, a prefabricated EPDM roofing system that uses vulcanising bonding technology rather than adhering strips.

Kirklees College, Kirklees Council and GMI Construction have celebrated the completion of the highest point of construction at the college’s new Engineering Centre.

Visitors from the college, council and contractors working on the building all attended the Topping Out ceremony to tour the building and unveil a special plaque.