General – Page 5 – Duane Morris Construction Law

June 30, 2020 by Duane Morris

Boris Johnson Announces Plans to Rebuild Britain

As the government eases the lockdown provisions around the country, the Prime Minister today made a speech in Dudley, the historical heart of the industrial revolution, setting out his £5 billion economic recovery plan for the country. This is the government’s plan to build our way out of the recession caused by the pandemic, and has been compared to the New Deal proposed during the Great Depression by US President Franklin D Roosevelt.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Vijay Bange, please visit the Duane Morris London Blog.

June 30, 2020June 30, 2020 by Duane Morris

Climate Change – A Wind of Change for Construction?

On Friday 28th February there was an incredibly well supported and organised Youth Strike for climate change protest in Bristol, at which Greta Thunberg addressed the masses. Thousands were there in support. There were safety concerns given the number of children attending this protest. There were clearly some mixed views given the disruption caused to locals, with anger at the damage to the college green in front of the Anglican Cathedral grounds.

What resonated with me was a local man’s comments during an interview for national news. He said that “it won’t change anything”. However, we then had the decision of the Court of Appeal in favour of climate campaigners that has sent a real wakeup call. The Court ruled that the transport secretary at the relevant time, who made the decision for the new third runway at Heathrow Airport, should have taken into account the latest government commitments on climate change before granting permission for the proposed expansion at Heathrow.

To read the full text of this article by Duane Morris partner Vijay Bange, please visit the firm website.

May 15, 2020June 11, 2020 by Duane Morris

New York’s Construction Master Guidance Requires COVID-19 Precautions for All Projects

Governor Andrew Cuomo has released interim guidance regarding construction in New York state. These guidelines apply to both nonessential construction businesses in regions that are permitted to reopen and essential construction businesses throughout the state that were previously permitted to remain open.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

May 12, 2020June 11, 2020 by Duane Morris

New York Forward Plan Reopens Construction in Phase One

On May 15, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Orders 202.6 and 202.8, which stopped all nonessential work in New York, will expire. New York will then shift to “New York Forward,” the state’s plan to reopen nonessential businesses and return people to work, without triggering renewed spread of COVID-19 or overwhelming the healthcare system.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

May 12, 2020 by Duane Morris

Considerations of UK Construction Remobilisation, Part 2

Last week we discussed, in light of the encouragement from Robert Jenrick MP (Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government) for the construction industry to remobilise, the government’s apparent reluctance to provide confidence and clarity for the construction industry in respect of the safe operation of sites.

In the Prime Minister’s address to the nation on 10 May 2020, he re-stated that encouragement for the construction industry, where possible, to return to work.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris attorneys Steve Nichol and Matthew Friedlander, please visit the Duane Morris London Blog.

May 7, 2020 by Duane Morris

Considerations of UK Construction Remobilisation

The construction industry in the UK has been afforded the freedom to continue work where it is safe to do so since the lockdown was implemented. It is a freedom that the sector has done its best to exploit where it can, with significant works continuing on a variety of essential and less essential projects. A number of leading construction companies and housebuilders have continued or recommenced work where they are able to do so, and a number of high profile projects are apparently progressing well. Build UK has reported that its members, who comprise some of the largest contractors operating in the UK, are now working on 73% of sites (up from 69% last week). However, the issues for the industry facing the prospect of full remobilisation to all sites have not changed.

To read the full text of this post by Steve Nichol and Matthew Friedlander, please visit the Duane Morris London Blog.

April 28, 2020 by Duane Morris

Construction Industry at Core of Post-COVID-19 Debates

By Owen Newman and Chris Chasin

Who is in the best position to sustain the loss? And what outcome is in the overall best interests of industry, economy and the public at-large? Governments will grapple with these issues in the context of COVID-19 in the months and years to come. And the construction industry, willing or not, will find itself at the core of these debates as it deals with COVID-19 related cost and schedule impacts caused by work stoppages, disruption of labor resources and productivity, disturbed supply chains and varied safety requirements. Continue reading “Construction Industry at Core of Post-COVID-19 Debates”

April 25, 2020June 11, 2020 by Duane Morris

Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act: Supplementary Rules for Electronic Adjudication Lodgment

On 15 April 2020, the Singapore Mediation Centre (“SMC”) enacted Supplementary Rules for Electronic Adjudication Lodgment.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

March 30, 2020June 11, 2020 by Duane Morris

Construction During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Essential, Nonessential or What?

As more and more states and localities shut down entire industries and order workers and citizens to stay home and shelter in place, many companies are asking “How does this affect my operations?” In this Alert, we focus on the construction industry and how “essential” is being defined across the federal, state and municipal level.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

March 30, 2020June 11, 2020 by Duane Morris

New York State Halts Nonessential Construction

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, many states are implementing increasingly strict measures to prevent further spread of the virus. These measures include travel restrictions, extended school closures and requirements that individuals stay at home except as necessary to provide certain essential business and government services. Until recently, New York state considered construction to be an essential business, as outlined in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.6.

In the wake of pressure from various labor organizations and community groups, however, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.13, dated March 29, 2020. The new Executive Order states, in pertinent part, as follows:

Executive Order 202.6 is hereby modified to clarify that construction which was an essential service not subject to the in-person work restrictions is modified to provide only certain construction is considered exempt from the in-person restrictions as of March 28, 2020.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.