27 May 2016: We are delighted to announce that our new Federation website will go live this week!

27 May 2016: This week saw the appointment of the new Northern Ireland Executive under its restructured nine departmental model.

27 May 2016: Invest NI’s Trade Division is running a seminar on 15 June aimed at local companies interested in exporting to The Czech Republic, Slovakia or Hungary.

The Construction Excellence Awards 2016 (link to website) registration of entries deadline has now passed, with a record number of entries across all categories.

With a week to go until the period for registration closes, construction companies are reminded to enter the Construction Excellence Awards 2016.

20 May 2016: All employers have received a letter from the Pensions Regulator advising the date they are required to comply with auto-enrolment (the staging date).

20 May 2016: Over the past 18 months, the industry has been engaging with the Strategic Investment Board and the CPD in respect of the new social clause model for public sector construction contracts in Northern Ireland – BuySocialNI.

9 May 2016: Transport NI has asked us to share with members an Update on Term Contracts.

9 May 2016: The reform of Northern Ireland Government Departments took place on Monday 9 May, with changes now in place taking the old 12 departmental model to 9 new departments.

6 May 2016: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has today decided to promulgate changes to pension contributions effective from 5 December 2016.

13 May 2016: The industry has been engaging with the Strategic Investment Board and the Central Procurement Directorate in respect of the new social clause model for public sector construction contracts in Northern Ireland – BuySocialNI.

4 May 2016: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

27 April 2016: The CEF Health and Safety Committee welcomed three new members when it met this week.

29 April 2016: With Corporation Tax devolution powers set to be devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and a Northern Ireland rate of 12.5% coming in to play on 1 April 2018

29 April 2016: The Federation was this week delighted to be joined by Dr Malcolm McKibbin, Head of the Civil Service, for an informal dinner with members.

Friday 15th April saw the Federation hold a very successful Annual Dinner and Dance at the Culloden Hotel in Holywood.

22 April 2016: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met this week to discuss construction programmes and procurement.

22 April 2016: The latest State of Trade Survey, which we are running in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is now live.

22 April 2016: Buildhealth is running a half day workshop next Friday 29 April 2016 to raise awareness of key health issues in construction.

22 April 2016: Under the BIM Northern Ireland Steering Group, a specialist sub-group for contractors has now been established – and now is your opportunity to get involved!

22 April 2016: The DETI bulletin, covering Q4 of 2015, has recently been published

With one week to go, now is your final opportunity to book to attend the Federation’s new look Annual Dinner and Dance!

8 April 2016: The Construction Employers Federation [CEF] has announced that Belfast law firm Carson McDowell has become the official legal patron of the construction industry in Northern Ireland.

8 April 2016: As our new HR advice and consultancy partner, Forde May Consulting offers a wide range of exclusive CEF membership benefits.

8 April 2016: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

8 April 2016: The Federation has been informed that as part of the Code’s triennial review and as a result of its application to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute’s (CTSI) Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS).

8 April 2016: The Construction Employers Federation has now received the CITB Levy consultation letter for 2016/17.

24 March 2016: The Construction Excellence Awards 2016 is due to kick off after Easter but in advance of that all companies are encouraged to get thinking about what projects or initiatives you might enter this year.

24 March 2016: The Government’s National Living Wage (NLW) is being introduced from 1 April 2016 for all working people aged 25 and over, and will be set at £7.20 per hour.

24 March 2016: The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 will come into operation on 1 August 2016.

Wednesday saw the Chancellor, George Osborne, unveil his 2016 Budget. Although the direct impact of this on the construction industry in Northern Ireland is relatively limited, some key details are outlined below.

24 March 2016: The final Spring Local Association meeting – Down and Armagh – is due to take place on Tuesday 5 April.

18 March 2016: Its policy that Government construction contracts require contractors to sign up to the Code of Practice for Government Construction Clients and their Supply Chains.

18 March 2016: The Department for Regional Development has this week announced the start of a tender process to appoint a contractor that will assist in the development of the £130million York Street Interchange scheme

18 March 2016: The latest version of the Northern Ireland Procurement Pipeline is now available for members to download.

18 March 2016: On Tuesday, the Northern Ireland Assembly’s final day before dissolution, the Education Minister announced 10 primary school capital projects that would now proceed to planning.

In partnership with Turley Associates, our planning consultancy partners, we this week held the first in a series of events focusing on the transfer of planning powers to local councils – one year on.

11 March 2016: Last week’s bi-annual liaison meeting with officials from the Department of Education saw the presentation of their capital plan for the coming 2016/17 financial year.

4 March 2016: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

Only about a quarter of Northern Ireland’s construction companies are operating at full capacity,while a fifth are operating at half capacity or less,according to the latest State of Trade survey from the Construction Employers’ Federation (CEF) and PwC.

4 March 2016: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has this week produced the latest version of its eTenders supplier update.

4 March 2016: As you will be aware, over the last two years Government has piloted the use of Project Bank Accounts (PBAs) in its construction contracts.

The Department for Social Development (DSD) has published further economic research which highlights that developer contributions are not viable in Northern Ireland at the present time.

26 February 2016: The dates and venues for all the Spring Local Association meetings have now been set.

19 February 2016: In response to the industry raising a significant number of concerns and issues with the new eTendersNI system, it has been agreed with the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) to set up an eTendersNI Users Group.

19 February 2016: As the Northern Ireland Assembly election on May 5th approaches, this week saw the Federation continue its high level political engagement and influencing.

19 February 2016: The Construction Employers Federation [CEF] has announced JP Corry as its latest patron of the construction industry in Northern Ireland.

As noted a few weeks ago, this year’s Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Annual Dinner and Dance will take place at the Culloden Hotel on Friday 15 April 2016.

12 February 2016: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) and representatives of the private housing committee met with officials from the Water Policy Unit of the Department for Regional Development.

12 February 2016: The dates and venues for all the Spring Local Association meetings have now been set.

John Armstrong, Managing Director of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has met with Andrew Hamilton, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Social Development, to raise the industry’s concerns about the misuse of Z clauses.

12 February 2016: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

This year’s Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Annual Dinner and Dance will take place at the Culloden Hotel on Friday 15 April 2016.

5 February 2016: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), NHBC and a number of contractors today met with John Irvine, Director of Network Services and the principals from the four regional divisions of TransportNI to discuss road bonds.

5 February 2016: With almost a year having passed since the majority of planning powers were transferred to Northern Ireland’s 11 new super councils, now is an appropriate time to take stock of progress to date.

28 January 2016: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended the launch of the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Local Development Plan timetable.

29 January 2016: We are currently seeking members to host our next series of Local Association meetings.

29 January 2016: One of the key benefits of membership of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is the breadth of our membership services offering.

29 January 2016: As part of their Patronage of the Construction Employers Federation, we were delighted to welcome Danske Bank this week to give their Economic Outlook for 2016.

Social Development Minister, Maurice Morrow MLA, has published an independent report by a Forum established to identify ways of increasing housing supply, particularly in the private sector.

22 January 2016: The latest State of Trade Survey, which we are running in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is now live.

22 January 2016: Prior to Christmas, the Northern Ireland Executive agreed a one year budget for the 2016/17 financial year.

22 January 2016: With our manifesto for May’s Northern Ireland Assembly election having been published in December, we have now begun an extensive programme of political engagement with representatives of Northern Ireland’s main political parties.

21 January 2016: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment today published the Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin for Q3 2015.

22 January 2016: TransportNI has made us aware of a new Notification to Term Contractors in respect of restrictions on multiple contract awards.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) launched a new partnership agreement with leading insurance broker Towergate Dawson Whyte in the autumn of 2014.

15 January 2016: The construction industry’s Sectoral Skills Partnership, led by the CITB and on which the CEF is represented, is currently seeking to assess in detail the industry’s current training needs, skills gaps and future qualifications needs.

15 January 2016: As you will be aware, the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) launched a new partnership agreement with leading insurance broker Towergate Dawson Whyte in the autumn of 2014.

8 January 2016: The Health and Safety Executive have recently issued a press release to highlight the dangers of buried services.

8 January 2016: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

8 January 2016: HSENI have confirmed that the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations Northern Ireland 2007 will be replaced.

Yesterday saw the Northern Ireland Executive agree a one year budget for 2016-17.

8 January 2016: This week saw the start of a more regular programme of engagement between the Construction Employers Federation and the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA).

8 January 2016: The Quarry Products Association (QPA) would like to draw members’ attention to two seminars they are running on the 27th and 28th of January on Concrete and Masonry Best Practice.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) the certified representative body for the construction industry in Northern Ireland, launched its 2016 Manifesto.

18 December 2015: Over the last two years Government has piloted the use of Project Bank Accounts (PBAs) in its construction contracts.

18 December 2015: The CPD has today issued a reminder notification that from 1 April 2016 all contractors tendering for construction works procured by a Government Construction Client will have to operate an approved environmental management system (EMS).

11 December 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) previously announced that the William J Clinton Leadership Institute is pleased to offer CEF members a 10% preferential discount on all of their open programmes.

11 December 2015: After the successful launch of our manifesto at the start of this week, we received a substantial amount of media coverage across a range of platforms.

11 December 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been represented on the Construction Industry Forum for Northern Ireland (CIFNI) Sustainability Working Group.

A delegation from the Federation, led by President Rhona Quinn, met with senior Sinn Fein representatives earlier this week at Stormont.

11 December 2015: At this week’s quarterly meeting of the Construction Industry Forum Northern Ireland (CIFNI), the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) asked for information to be provided by the industry on the subject of the use of Retentions.

11 December 2015: In June 2014, the Minister for Employment and Learning, Dr Stephen Farry, launched “Securing Our Success”, the Strategy which aims to reform the system of Apprenticeships in Northern Ireland.

11 December 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

4 December 2015: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met this week to discuss construction programmes and procurement.

4 December 2015: The Central Procurement Directorate has this week issued a Reminder Notification in respect of the Northern Ireland BIM Policy Requirement that comes into play from 1 April 2016.

4 December 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met with officials from the Regional Planning Branch of the Department for Regional Development (DRD) to discuss the ongoing review of the Housing Growth Indicators (HGIs).

2 December 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended the Buildhealth Steering Group meeting.

The CEF has given its initial response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and Comprehensive Spending Review for 2016-20.

CEF today launched its Bricks and Mortar Politics campaign to encourage all local political parties to spell out clearly how they intend to maximise the benefits of construction activity for the good of all the people of Northern Ireland.

27 November 2015: Two of the autumn’s four Local Association meetings – Belfast and Antrim/Londonderry - have now been held.

27 November 2015: NI Water have provided an updated list of Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTWs) that have reached full capacity but have not been allocated funding to increase their capacity during the current price control period PC15.

27 November 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) previously announced that the William J Clinton Leadership Institute is pleased to offer CEF members a 10% preferential discount on all of their open programmes.

A new political agreement was reached between the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK and Irish Government’s this week.

25 November 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

20 November 2015: HSENI have confirmed that the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations Northern Ireland 2007 will be replaced.

After September’s meeting of the Construction Industry Forum (CIFNI) it was agreed that, as of 1 January 2016, Project Bank Accounts (PBAs) will be rolled out to all construction works contracts.

18 November 2015: A delegation of Federation members met this week with David Sterling, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Finance and Personnel.

The dates and venues for the first three Autumn Local Association meetings have now been set.

6 November 2015: The dates and venues for all Local Association meetings have now been set:

6 November 2015: From April 2016, the Government will introduce a new mandatory National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 25 and above.

6 November 2015: The Consumer Code for Home Builders was introduced in April 2010. It is an industry led code of conduct for builders, developed to make the home buying process fairer and more transparent for purchasers.

6 November 2015: The current Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) framework for maintenance to NIHE Housing Stock expires in April 2016 and the associated contracts expire in August 2016.

30 October 2015: After receiving substantial member feedback on the operation of the new eTendersNI portal, we have now collated this and shared with the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD)

30 October 2015: As you may be aware, BBC Newsnight last week reported on issues relating to training and test centre fraud in respect of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) in England.

30 October 2015: There is still time left to provide your company's input to our latest State of Trade Survey, which we are running in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

The latest State of Trade Survey, which we are running in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is now live.

16 October 2015: With the new eTendersNI portal now in full operation, we are keen to hear members’ feedback on its operation.

12 October 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been advised by Northern Ireland Electricity Networks of a reduction in the connection charge which has been approved by the Utility Regulator.

16 October 2015: Since it was established in 2011, the William J Clinton Leadership Institute at Queen’s University has become a focal point for leadership development and executive education.

O’Hare & McGovern was announced as the ‘Overall Winner’ of the Construction Excellence Awards 2015 last night at the Culloden Estate & Spa.

16 October 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

12 October 2015: Members are invited to attend a joint HSENI, IOSH NI and Buildhealth one day conference taking place on 20 October 2015 at the Dunsilly Hotel in Antrim.

7 October 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today gave evidence to the Regional Development Committee on the Water and Sewerage Bill.

6 October 2015: We are currently seeking members to host our next series of Local Association meetings.

7 October 2015: We were delighted to host an informal members’ dinner with the Department for Regional Development Permanent Secretary, Peter May, at the Federation’s office this week.

Just over a third (34%) of Northern Ireland’s largest construction companies are struggling to stabilise their business activities, while 16% are operating in survival mode, according to the latest quarterly survey.

2 October 2015: As part of our push to secure more media coverage for the industry and the career opportunities it provides we, this week, secured coverage in both the Belfast Telegraph and Irish News.

28 September 2015: Annual Benefit Statements for the Enhance scheme, as at 5 April 2015, were posted to members at their home address this week.

A delegation of members met with Philip Irwin and Stephen Creagh from the Department of Education recently to discuss their procurement pipeline and budgetary plans.

25 September 2015: The Analytical Services Unit in the Department for Social Development (DSD) is seeking views on proposed changes to the housing stock data included in the annual Northern Ireland Statistics Report.

21 September 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met with Trevor Clarke MLA to brief him on issues affecting the private house building industry.

25 September 2015: The Consumer Code for Home Builders was introduced in April 2010. It is an industry led code of conduct for builders, developed to make the home buying process fairer and more transparent for purchasers.

15 September 2015: A number of key items were discussed and agreed at the quarterly meeting of the Construction Industry Forum (CIFNI) this morning.

Representatives from across the construction industry in Northern Ireland gathered recently at a special celebration event to showcase the work of shortlisted finalists for this year’s Construction Excellence Awards.

18 September 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

18 September 2015: The National Minimum Wage rates are increasing with effect from Thursday 1 October 2015. The new rates are as follows:

2 September 2015: The Construction Employers Federation today attended the first meeting of the Construction Industry Forum Northern Ireland (CIFNI) Procurement Pipeline Subgroup.

The CEF has today issued its response to the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) regarding the most recent proposed changes to the requirements for contractors to provide opportunities for the unemployed in public sector contracts.

7 September 2015: Members received an invitation last week to participate in a short survey about how our website could be improved to better meet your needs.

3 September 2015: The new eTendersNI portal was officially launched at the Construction Employers Federation today.

Inspectors for the Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) will begin a two week programme of unannounced site visits from Monday 24 August. The visits are to tackle the number of risks facing construction workers.

28 August 2015: Following a seminar in Belfast in June, the Competition and Markets Authority have now made available a number of potential helpful resources for the industry.

28 August 2015: The Department for Regional Development has advised us of the upcoming open forum, organised by TransportNI, to enable pre-procurement market engagement for the York Street Interchange Project.

A delegation from the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the recently appointed Northern Ireland Executive Finance Minister, Arlene Foster MLA, last week to discuss matters of mutual interest.

21 August 2015: Members are reminded that as a result of changes to legislation form 6 April 2015 that from age 55, individuals are no longer required to buy an annual pension (an annuity).

21 August 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

7 August 2015: After significant industry feedback and comment, CPD has now published updated draft interim clauses on proposed changes to the requirements for contractors to provide opportunities for the unemployed in public sector contracts.

7 August 2015: There is still time left to provide your company’s input to our latest State of Trade Survey, which we are running in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

30 July 2015: Constructionline has this week confirmed that they will accept NVIR-O-CERT as proof of an environmental management system (EMS).

29 July 2015: After significant industry feedback and comment, the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has now published updated draft interim clauses on proposed changes to the requirements for contractors

29 July 2015: A draft response has now been prepared to the Department for Employment and Learning’s consultation on employment tribunals’ reform.

29 July 2015: The latest State of Trade Survey, which we are running in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is now live.

29 July 2015: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) is currently seeking comments on the draft Procurement Guidance Note it has developed – Building Information Modelling.

16 July 2015: John Armstrong, Managing Director of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) said,

The Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate on 1 July 2015 the Industry Holidays for 2016/17.

8 July 2015: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) is currently seeking comments on the draft Procurement Guidance Note it has developed

8 July 2015: The Chancellor’s Budget Statement today contained a raft of measures that will have an impact, to at least some degree, on the industry.

8 July 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), in partnership with Carson McDowell, has published its Environmental Law Register Update – Edition 1 2015.

The shortlisted finalists for the CEF/Specify Construction Excellence Awards 2015 have been announced, following the first round of judging in which over 100 entries were rigorously assessed.

8 July 2015: As previously promulgated by the Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) on 9 May 2014.

8 July 2015: The Department for Employment and Learning has recently published a consultation on employment tribunal reform.

6 July 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) welcomes David Fry who has joined the team as Federation Manager.

8 July 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

24 June 2015: The Department for Social Development (DSD) and Department of the Environment (DOE) announced in November 2014 that the proposal to introduce developer contributions

The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has today promulgated changes to Working Rule 5 Holiday Pay.

19 June 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has written to the Minister for Finance and Personnel requesting a further extension of the developer’s exclusion from the rating of empty homes.

26 June 2015: The current Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) framework for maintenance to NIHE Housing Stock expires in April 2016 and the associated contracts expire in August 2016

19 June 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) issued a media statement on 1 June 2015 highlighting concerns around the budgetary implications of a lack of agreement on Welfare Reform.

19 June 2015: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met yesterday to discuss construction programmes and procurement.

The Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (NI) met on 23 April 2015 to discuss the impact on the Working Rules Agreement of changes to the way holiday pay is calculated.

5 June 2015: It was agreed at the last meeting of the Construction Industry Forum (CIFNI) that a review should be undertaken of the existing sustainability requirements.

5 June 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

5 June 2015: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has issued a notification on the status of Constructionline.

The CEF has issued a response to the Analytical Services Unit of the Department for Social Development (DSD) regarding the proposed changes to the New Dwelling Start and Completions data included in the Housing Bulletin and Housing Statistics reports.

29 May 2015: The Construction Excellence Awards 2015 registration of entries deadline has now passed, with a record number of entries across all categories.

29 May 2015: The Department for Social Development (DSD) and the Department of the Environment (DOE) announced in November 2014 that a proposal to introduce developer contributions for affordable housing had been put on hold.

Companies are reminded that the closing date for Registration of Entries into this year’s Construction Excellence Awards is looming.

15 May 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has received its monthly tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

15 May 2015: Government Construction Clients will now provide references for contractors in respect of work carried out on Government funded projects.

15 May 2015: A Meet the Buyer Event is taking place on Wednesday 20 May 2015 for the Lisanelly Shared Education Campus in Omagh.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is delighted to announce the launch of our updated State of Trade Survey which we will now be running in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

The ICE Expert Health & Safety Panel, HSENI and QPANI invite you to a seminar which will provide essential information for Designers, CDM - C and Contractors on design and construction incorporating Precast Concrete Elements.

8 May 2015: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has published a Procurement Guidance Note (PGN) on the Procurement Pipeline.

8 May 2015: The Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) has confirmed that it has agreed not to proceed with the proposed changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (RIDDOR).

Construction companies across Northern Ireland have been officially invited to enter the Construction Excellence Awards 2015.

8 May 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has become aware that one of the biggest challenges for every construction business at the moment is how to manage your greatest asset – your people.

1 May 2015: The Department for Social Development has published a consultation paper entitled ‘Proposals for a New Regulatory Framework for Social Housing Providers in Northern Ireland’.

CEF has today issued its response to the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) regarding their interim guidance on proposed changes to the requirements for contractors to provide opportunities for the unemployed in public sector contracts.

24 April 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) 70th Anniversary Dinner and Dance, held last Friday night at Titanic Belfast, has been heralded as a resounding success.

NVIR-O-CERT, the construction-specific environmental management system, has been officially recognised by the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) as meeting the requirements for public procurement in Northern Ireland.

24 April 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) recently completed its round of spring local association meetings.

24 April 2015: A new online tender system for public sector contracts is being launched by the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD).

24 April 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) welcomes reports that Invest NI may provide finance for developers to build Grade A office accommodation in Belfast.

Are you interested in exploring new export opportunities or developing your existing business in Poland and the Czech Republic?

17 April 2015: The seminar will cover the design and procurement of hollow-core floor products, stairs, pipes and other precast concrete construction products.

17 April 2015: Invest NI will be running an event on Energy Management Systems, ISO50001 on 29 April 2015 at Ramada Hotel Shaw’s Bridge Belfast.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion CEF is hosting a special black tie gala dinner at Titanic Belfast on Friday 17 April 2015.

17 April 2015: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

17 April 2015: The Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 came into force at the start of the month and will give effect to the Shared Parental Leave Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015.

14 April 2015: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has published draft interim guidance on proposed changes to the requirements for contractors to provide opportunities for the unemployed in public sector contracts.

The first of the spring 2015 CEF Local Association meetings took place today at the CEF offices in Belfast.

30 March 2015: The Construction Excellence Awards 2015 will be launched after Easter. The awards celebrate excellence in the Industry and allow members the opportunity to gain well deserved recognition for the quality of their work.

24 March 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) extends an invite to all members to attend the Habitat ReStore Open House for Breakfast to find out more about this initiative that can reduce waste and serve the local community.

24 March 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) extends an invite to all members to attend the Habitat ReStore Open House for Breakfast to find out more about this initiative that can reduce waste and serve the local community.

20 March 2015: The Department for Social Development has published a consultation paper entitled ‘Proposals for a New Regulatory Framework for Social Housing Providers in Northern Ireland’.

20 March 2015: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met earlier this month to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

20 March 2015: Following further consultation with members the CEF has finalised its response to the HSENI consultation on proposals for the replacement of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007.

The Construction Employer’s Federation (CEF) today held its first annual NVIR-O-CERT Continuous Improvement event at the Ramada Plaza in Belfast.

6 March 2015: The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 came into force on 26 February 2015 and will apply to public procurements advertised from that date onward.

6 March 2015: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has today issued a guidance note which restricts the use of NEC3 Z Clauses on public sector contracts.

27 February 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), in association with our legal partner Carson McDowell LLP, today issued a further briefing note.

19 January 2015: A ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal in November 2014 called into question the standard practice by employers in the UK of calculating holiday pay in accordance with the Employment Rights Act 1996.

29 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has recently received a number of enquiries regarding potential redundancy and the concept of protected notice.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today briefed the All Party Group on Housing at Stormont.

20 February 2015: In December 2014 the Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland (HSENI) launched a consultation on proposals to replace CDM in Northern Ireland.

20 February 2015: The CPD has today issued notice that from 1 April 2016 all contractors tendering for construction works procured by a Government Construction Client will have to operate an approved environmental management system.

6 February 2015: Between February and May 2015 The Pensions Regulator will be sending out over a million additional letters, writing to ALL small and micro employers with a staging date between May 2016 and August 2017.

A ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal in November 2014 called into question the standard practice by employers in the UK of calculating holiday pay in accordance with the Employment Rights Act 1996.

2 February 2015: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has confirmed that from 1 April 2016 larger construction projects procured by Northern Ireland Government Construction Clients will be delivered to BIM Level 2.

6 February 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion CEF is hosting a special gala dinner at Titanic Belfast on Friday 17 April 2015.

3 February 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), in association with our legal partner Carson McDowell LLP, today held a free seminar to advise members on the changes to the calculation of holiday pay.

6 February 2015: To assist members in 2015 CEF, in conjunction with our legal partners, Carson McDowell LLP, is running a seminar “Staying on the right side of competition law.

6 February 2015: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

23 January 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has launched its training and events programme for February to June 2015.

21 January 2015: The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) today published the latest edition of the Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin

22 January 2015: The CEF has today issued its response to the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) regarding the proposed changes to the requirements for contractors to provide opportunities for the unemployed in public sector contracts.

22 January 2015: The CEF, in association with our planning consultant partner Turley, today held the first of two free seminars to advise members on the major reform of the planning system due to be implemented from 1 April 2015.

The Department for Social Development (DSD) and the Department of the Environment (DOE) announced today that the recent proposals to introduce developer contributions for affordable housing have been put on hold.

16 January 2015: Auto-enrolment is the requirement to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme. Every employer is given a date set in law when their duties start – this is their ‘staging’ date.

19 January 2015: The CEF has been in discussions with the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) over the past year to establish a clear policy for how Government Construction Clients deal with tenderers’ concerns about a procurement process.

The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) recently published proposed changes to the requirements for contractors to provide opportunities for the unemployed in public sector contracts.

19 January 2015: In recent years some Government Construction Clients in Northern Ireland have not been requesting evidence to support key claims of past experience provided at the prequalification stage of the procurement process.

19 January 2015: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is encouraging businesses that are currently operating an ISO14001 environmental management system to take steps to ensure they are ready for the forthcoming changes to the standard.

16 January 2015: There are a number of legislative changes regarding pensions which will take effect from April 2015.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) in association with our planning consultant partner Turley has arranged for two free seminars for CEF members on the implications of these changes.

9 January 2015: Managing construction waste can be a time consuming and difficult task.

9 January 2015: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge

1 January 2015: The changes outlined below, as previously promulgated by the Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) on 9 May 2014, become effective from 1 January 2015.

Last week the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) issued a stark warning to the Northern Ireland Executive that adopting the draft budget without amendment would threaten the foundations of economic growth in Northern Ireland.

18 December 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) on 25 November 2014 to discuss a range of regulatory issues.

18 December 2014: The Utility Regulator has recently issued a consultation on the introduction of contestability in electricity connections within Northern Ireland.

15 December 2014: The Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland (HSENI) has today launched the consultation on proposals to replace CDM in Northern Ireland.

15 December 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

16 December 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met recently with the monitors of the Considerate Constructors Scheme in Northern Ireland to discuss concerns raised by members.

4 December 2014: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met today to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

5 December 2014: As we look forward to 2015 the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is keen to continue to improve the health and safety performance of the industry.

5 December 2014: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the third quarter of 2014 was published today. The survey estimates that construction employment in Northern Ireland now stands at 62,000. This figure includes both employee jobs and self-employed jobs.

4 December 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) today to discuss a review of social clauses in public sector contracts.

28 November 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has today welcomed the publication of the Northern Ireland Review of Business Red Tape.

28 November 2014: Most accredited management systems require you to demonstrate your preparedness for emergencies and your ability to respond appropriately.

25 November 2014: The CEF Environmental Forum met today with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to discuss a range of regulatory issues.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met with the Minister for Regional Development, Danny Kennedy, to discuss the Department’s resource and capital spending in the short and longer term.

21 November 2014: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (NI) has decided to promulgate on Friday 21 November 2014 that,from 5 December 2016, employee ontributions will increase to 5% and employer contributions 4%.

21 November 2014: As members are increasingly working with the NEC Term Services Contract both in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain CEF, for the first time is running a one day course providing a practical introduction to the contract.

21 November 2014: The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has asked the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) to provide evidence of the sewer bond process in England from its members who build new houses there.

24 November 2014: The Education & Library Boards operate pre-qualified lists (PQLs) for calling off works projects through random selection for the following cost bands:

14 November 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is in the process of refreshing the CEF Soil Exchange.

14 November 2014: Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) has advised the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) that there are a number of Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTWs)that may reach full capacity over the next six years.

14 November 2014: Organisations need to ensure they are effectively managing their waste and getting maximum benefits from recycling and reuse opportunities.

The Northern Ireland Executive today published its Draft Budget 2015/16. The budget sets out the draft spending plans for each Government department for next year.

11 November 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is refreshing the membership of the CEF Environmental Forum.

7 November 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

4 November 2014: A ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal has been published today which calls into question the standard practice by employers in the UK of calculating holiday pay using basic salary only.

The Finance Minister, Simon Hamilton, published the outcome of the October monitoring round yesterday with regard to public sector capital funding reallocations.

3 November 2014: The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has asked the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) to provide evidence of the sewer bond process in England from its members who build new houses there.

7 November 2014: Auto-enrolment is the requirement to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme. Every employer is given a date set in law when their duties start – this is their staging date.

7 November 2014: As businesses look forward to recovery, joint ventures (“JVs”) are becoming an increasingly popular way to accelerate business growth.

3 October 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

27 October 2014: The Department of Education has advised the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) that the schedule of major capital works provide to CEF contained information on Castletower Special School that was incorrect.

20 October 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been advised by Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) of an increase in the connection charge which has been approved by the Utility Regulator.

The government has published official statistics on construction activity in Northern Ireland today which show that construction output continued to decline in the second quarter of 2014 and has reached a new low.

26 September 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has today formally called on the Department for Regional Development (DRD) to reduce the level of sewer bonds and inspection fees required by NI Water.

The winners of the Construction Excellence Awards 2014 were announced in Belfast last night. Guest of Honour, Minister for Employment and Learning, Stephen Farry, revealed Lagan Water as the winner of the Overall Award.

16 October 2014: The Northern Regional College (NRC) has organised a half day BIM Seminar on 23 October 2014 at CITB. Click on the link for full details of the NRC BIM Seminar.

10 October 2014: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has confirmed that the Government’s policy on Abnormally Low Tenders will be changing.

10 October 2014: As members are increasingly working with the NEC Term Services Contract both in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain CEF, for the first time is running a one day course providing a practical introduction to the contract.

10 October 2014: The Office for National Statistics (ONS), Land Registry, Registers of Scotland and Land & Property Services Northern Ireland are seeking views regarding the development of a new, single definitive house price index.

3 October 2014: CEF has today launched a new partnership agreement with leading insurance broker, Towergate Dawson Whyte, to provide CEF members with a dedicated insurance package which offers great rates and service.

19 September 2014: The dates for the autumn 2014 round of CEF Local Association meetings have been confirmed.

This intensive one day course is for experienced users of the contract who need to know how to properly deal with changes to Prices, Delays to Completion, the often misunderstood use of the Schedule of Cost Components.

The Government Construction Clients and the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) have almost reached agreement on a draft policy which will significantly reduce the misuse of NEC Z clauses in public sector contracts.

3 October 2014: Recent research from the Pensions Regulator revealed that 20% of small employers (5 – 49 employees) and almost half of micro employers (1-4 employees) do not know their staging date.

25 September 2014: InterTradeIreland has announced that it is holding a Meet The Buyer Event at the Ramada Hotel at Shaws Bridge in Belfast next month.

The competition to win the highest accolade in the local construction industry took a step forward today as the shortlisted finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2014 were revealed at the Guildhall in Derry.

25 September 2014: The Department of the Environment has issued a consultation paper on draft guidance on the planning element of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.

26 September 2014: Most accredited management systems require you to demonstrate your preparedness for emergencies and your ability to respond appropriately.

23 September 2014: The first report on the Project Bank Account pilot was presented at the meeting of the Construction Industry Forum (CIFNI) today.

26 September 2014: The National Minimum Wage rates are increasing with effect from Wednesday 1 October 2014. The new rates are as follows:

26 September 2014: Annual benefit statements for the year 2013-14 were issued this week to 16,000 members of Enhance – Construction Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland).

16 September 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended a meeting of the All Party Group on Construction at the Northern Ireland Assembly.

18 September 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the Department for Regional Development today to follow up on previous discussions on the consultation paper for a long term water strategy for Northern Ireland.

19 September 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the Department of Education today to get an update on the investment programme for the schools estate.

19 September 2014: Invasive species are now common on sites throughout Northern Ireland and their management and disposal is subject to legal control.

16 September 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has prepared its response to the consultations published by the Department for Social Development (DSD) and the Department of the Environment (DOE.

10 September 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today delivered a clear message to Government regarding the proposed introduction of developer contributions for social and affordable housing saying “Not now. Not like this.”

The Social Development Minister, Nelson McCausland and the Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan are to host a consultation event.

8 September 2014: Environment Minister Mark H Durkan today announced in the Assembly that he has adopted the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP).

12 September 2014: Most accredited management systems require you to demonstrate your preparedness for emergencies and your ability to respond appropriately.

29 August 2014: Earlier this year the Federation launched a BIFM Level 4 Facilities Management Training Programme in collaboration with MOL, one of the UK’s leading providers of professional learning programmes.

8 September 2014: The requirement to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme (auto-enrolment) is now affecting medium sized companies.

29 August 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) in partnership with CITB-Constructionskills NI is delivering the NVIR-O-CERT Development Programme this autumn.

29 August 2014: As part of the June monitoring round published at the end of July 2014, £90m of public sector capital funding was reallocated to a range of projects.

29 August 2014: The autumn round of CEF Local Association meetings will commence during October and CEF is seeking members that are willing to host a meeting.

27 August 2014: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the second quarter of 2014 was published today. The survey estimates that construction employment in Northern Ireland now stands at 66,000.

21 August 2014: There is currently a consultation exercise underway on proposed new legislation for the provision of services by Northern Ireland Water.

8 August 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has warned that a cessation of all roads maintenance contracts in Northern Ireland may put safety and jobs at risk.

22 August 2014: Belfast City Council is currently undertaking some research on the experiences of local businesses when bidding for Council work.

22 August 2014: Public procurement rules set by the EU have undergone a major overhaul following the publication of the 2014 Public Procurement Directives earlier this year. EU member states now have two years to transpose the new rules into national law.

15 August 2014: Following on from the success of the initial Qualifying the Existing Workforce project a further 1,000 places are available to upskill existing workers at no cost.

15 August 2014: From the start of September inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) will begin a two-week programme of unannounced site visits to tackle a number of risks facing local construction workers.

14 August 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) would like to make its members aware that the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) is seeking the views of employers on youth training in Northern Ireland as part of an ongoing review.

8 August 2014: In the summer of 2013 the mood of the construction industry in Northern Ireland changed.

8 August 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) works actively to reduce Government bureaucracy that unnecessarily holds back business.

8 August 2014: The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has recently informed the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) that as from 16 June 2014 the fees for discharge consents were increased.

8 August 2014: Fold Housing Association has informed the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) of its intention to take forward a Land, Design and Build competition for the delivery of up to 70 social housing units in Derry/Londonderry.

8 August 2014: This two day course is directed at those who manage construction operations (construction managers) with a practical business oriented approach.

8 August 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has today published the Procurement Guidance Note to facilitate the implementation of the Project Bank Account pilot projects.

31 July 2014: The Finance Minister, Simon Hamilton, today provided an update on Northern Ireland’s public expenditure position following completion of the June Monitoring Round.

1 August 2014: DSD, DOE, CEF and its planning consultancy partner Turley Associates held a seminar today to examine the experience of the implementation of such a policy in England over the last twenty years.

1 August 2014: Belfast City Council recently published a consultation paper on its draft Corporate Procurement Strategy 2014-2017.

CEF has obtained an update from the Department of Education (DENI) on the major capital schemes announced in 2012 and one in 2013 that will be coming to the market soon.

1 August 2014: The requirement to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme (auto-enrolment) is now affecting medium sized companies.

4 July 2014: The Department of the Environment (DOE) and the Department for Social Development (DSD) have issued consultation documents on developer contributions for affordable housing.

9 July 2014: The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has launched a consultation on a draft Long Term Water Strategy for Northern Ireland (2014-2039).

8 July 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

4 July 2014:The construction industry is facing one of the most significant changes for a decade as CE Marking of Construction Products became mandatory on 1 July 2014.

CEF has just been made aware that there were at least two attempts this week to get public sector clients to change bank account details of contractors currently undertaking work for the client.

30 June 2014: The shortlisted finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2014 were announced today after the judges carried out a rigorous first round assessment of the entries.

2 July 2014: CEF has been advised that DRD Roads Service name has been retired and replaced by TransportNI (TNI) which is felt more accurately reflects the range of services delivered.

4 July: The Department of the Environment has published its report on the annual performance statistics for DOE Planning.

4 July 2014: The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has launched a consultation on proposals for new water legislation.

4 July 2014: The requirement to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme (auto-enrolment) is now affecting medium sized companies.

30 June 2014: Transport NI – Roads CoPE intends to release tenders for Term Contracts for Road Markings during July 2014.

25 June 2014: Housing Minister Nelson McCausland has announced the launch of a new procurement approach to support the delivery of social housing in Northern Ireland.

20 June 2014: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate on Friday 20 June 2014 the Industry Holidays 2015/16.

24 June 2014: The Education Minister, John O’Dowd MLA today announced a further 15 schools that will be advanced into the planning stage in preparation for funding to be available for replacing these schools with new buildings.

25 June 2014: DOE Planning has published new guidance entitled ‘Information Leaflet 16: Guidance on Pre Application Community Consultation.

20 June 2014: CEF would like to remind all members that CEF formally endorses the UK Construction Industry Competition Law Code of Conduct and encourages all members to periodically review its practices to ensure compliance with the code.

20 June 2014: STEM is holding a free Network Showcase Event on Sustainable Construction: Sustainable Buildings on Friday 4 July 2014 at 9.30am – 12 noon in the South Eastern Regional College’s Ards Campus Environmental Skills Centre, Newtownards.

The initial deadline for registration of entries for Construction Excellence Awards 2014 is almost upon us. It only takes one minute to register for the awards but time is running out.

13 June 2014: The response to the Construction Excellence Awards 2014 has been very strong once again with a number of categories receiving a record number of entries.

13 June 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met today with the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) to discuss the forthcoming procurement of its Civil Engineering Minor Works Framework 2015.

13 June 2014: In the current economic environment a rigorously professional approach to tendering is more important than ever.

13 June 2014: The Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has published a consultative document containing proposals in respect of three health & safety Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs).

13 June 2014: The two official surveys monitoring construction employment in Northern Ireland have published their results for the first quarter of 2014.

6 June 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is hosting an event to launch the social housing land, design and build programme on 25 June 2014 from 9.30am to 12.00 noon at the CEF offices.

3 June 2014: Social Development Minister, Nelson McCausland and Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan have today launched public consultations on proposals that aim to increase the supply of affordable housing through developer contributions.

5 June 2014: The Department of the Environment recently published a consultation paper which seeks views on the proposed subordinate legislation.

6 June 2014: Over the last year the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has observed an increase in the range of skills card being offered in Northern Ireland claiming to be an alternative to the Construction Skills Register (CSR) card.

6 June 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

30 May 2014: Managing compensation events is a critical aspect in the making the most of NEC3 contracts. Many local construction companies have already built up some experience of this aspect of NEC3 and are now seeking to further develop their expertise.

The Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate the following changes to wages and other benefits.

26 May 2014: The Minister for the Environment, Mr Mark Durkan MLA has responded to CEF’s call for a backdated refund on the introduction of the proposed reduced fee for renewal of planning applications that are due to expire.

29 May 2014: Places are still available for the FREE information session for members on the training for the newly elected councillors so that they understand their role as the new planning authorities.

29 May 2014: The requirement to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme (auto-enrolment) is now affecting medium sized companies.

19 May 2014: With the launch of the Construction Excellence Awards 2014 now imminent CEF is reaching out to any members who may not have entered the awards in the past to encourage them to give it a go this year.

23 May 2014: Most of the planning functions currently carried out by the Department of the Environment (DOE) will transfer on 1 April 2015 to the eleven new local councils who have just been elected.

19 May 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has submitted a further briefing paper to the Committee for Finance and Personnel.

14 May 2014: Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan, has today announced that from 28 May 2014 the planning fees for the renewal of planning permissions will be cut by 75%.

15 May 2014: Companies with Safe-T-Cert, the construction-specific third party accredited health and safety management system, meet all the mandatory requirements for participation in public sector procurements in Northern Ireland.

15 May 2014: Invest NI is hosting a Doing Business in Turkey event on Wednesday 11 June and Thursday 12 June 2014 for companies interested in exploring new export opportunities or developing existing business in the region.

19 May 2014: Time is running out to get booked on to the Construction Employers Federation’s upcoming NEC courses delivered by one of the leading NEC trainers in the UK.

14 May 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), in partnership with Carson McDowell, has published its Environmental Law Register Update for Q1 2014.

7 April 2014: Most of the planning functions currently carried out by the Department of the Environment (DOE) will transfer to the eleven new local councils who are shortly to be elected on 1 April 2015.

30 April 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today hosted a public session of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Regional Development Committee.

2 May 2014: The requirement to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme (auto-enrolment) is now affecting medium sized companies.

28 April 2014: CEF met today with Belfast City Council (BCC) to discuss their current and potential future capital works programme.

28 April 2014: CEF has submitted its detailed response to the consultation on the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) as the 12 week consultation period closed today.

29 April 2014. In November 2013 CEF reported that DOE Planning was intending to introduce a 75% reduction for the renewal of planning applications that were about to expire.

The Minister for Regional Development was the principal guest at the CEF Annual Dinner this evening. The Minister was warmly welcomed by the Federation’s new president, Rhona Quinn, managing director of QMAC Construction.

7 April 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today submitted its response to the second wave of consultation on the future of apprenticeships in Northern Ireland.

24 April 2014: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is proposing to make revisions to the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) relating to safety in docks and to revoke a number of regulations to simplify health and safety legislation.

16 April 2014: Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Response to Construction Bulletin Q4 2013.

15 April 2014: CEF met recently with the Department of Education (DENI) to discuss the capital works programme for the Schools estate.

17 April 2014: The Construction Excellence Awards 2014 is due to kick off just after Easter but in advance of that all companies are encouraged to get thinking about what projects or initiatives you might enter this year.

16 April 2014: The importance of ensuring good health and safety compliance and maintaining a positive safety culture is well recognised by most businesses and their senior management team.

16 April 2014: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is proposing to make revisions to the Approved Codes of Practice (ACOP) relating to workplace welfare, asbestos and quarries. CEF is seeking your views on these proposed changes.

16 April 2014: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has issued an update on the aggregates levy following the recent Budget.

Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan today launched simplified planning guidance on pre-application discussions that will help speed up the decision making process for development control.

7 April 2014: The members of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) have today elected a new president and vice president at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

7 April 2014: The requirement to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme (auto-enrolment) is now affecting medium sized companies.

1 April 2014: Clanmil Housing Group today revealed details of a finance deal that will inject up to £180m into social housing and the wider economy.

It is with deep regret that we have to inform you of the death of our former Managing Director, Gordon Burnison OBE who passed away on 11 March 2014, aged 84.

4 April 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

26 March 2014: The spring 2014 CEF Local Association meetings concluded today with the Belfast Local Association meeting at the CEF offices.

31 March 2014: With the continued rise of the NEC3 forms of contract and the intense pressure being placed on tender prices, the importance of the Compensation Event mechanism is becoming ever more significant.

Earlier this month the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) hosted a meeting of the Assembly’s Committee for Finance and Personnel.

19 March 2014: The number of employee jobs in the Northern Irish construction industry has increased for two consecutive quarters for the first time since 2007.

24 March 2014: The Government has published figures today showing the uptake of the Help to Buy Scheme across the UK. The Help to Buy scheme has two strands of which one has an impact on Northern Ireland.

24 March 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met recently with Simon Hamilton, the Finance Minister, to discuss a range of issues affecting the industry.

24 March 2014: Marketing within the construction industry has often been seen as a “black art” and as a luxury that few can afford in a downturn.

11 March 2014: Members are advised that the Annual General Meeting for all Full members of the Construction Employers Federation will take place at the Federation’s offices.

14 March 2014: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met last week to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

14 March 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) NEC Z Clauses Working Group recently submitted detailed proposals to the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) on the use of NEC Z clauses in public sector construction contracts.

14 March 2014: The first European International Contractors (EIC) General Assembly of 2014 is being held in Belfast on 10th and 11th April 2014.

10 March 2014: The Finance Minister, Simon Hamilton MLA announced today a further extension to the exemption provisions for the rating of empty homes for new houses.

11 March 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

10 March 2014: CEF would like to make its members aware that DEL is inviting applications from individuals who wish to serve as the Chairperson of CITB-ConstructionSkills NI.

21 February 2014: It is a challenge for every employer to keep up to date with all of the obligations to employees under employment law.

7 February 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is making preparations to host a meeting of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for Finance and Personnel next Wednesday.

28 February 2014: The results of the State of Trade Survey Q4 2013 published today provide the strongest indication yet that the local construction industry is firmly on the road to recovery.

28 February 2014: The Minister for the Environment, Mark Durkan MLA has advised CEF that the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) has been referred to the NI Executive for approval as it is considered to be a cross cutting policy document.

21 February 2014: The Recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010 requires member states to transpose its requirements into nation law.

19 February 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today held the first meeting of an NEC Z Clauses Working Group which has been tasked with bringing forward proposals to CPD on the use of NEC Z clauses in public sector construction contracts.

21 February 2014: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has prepared the following consultative documents containing proposals for a revised Approved Code of Practice.

11 February 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended a meeting of the Assembly Business Trust at which the Mark H Durkan, Minister for the Environment, presented his plans for planning policy reform.

11 February 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended the All Party Group on Construction at Stormont.

14 February 2014: In advance of the transfer of planning powers to the new local councils in 2015 a raft of new measures are to be introduced in the coming months to speed up the planning system.

6 February 2014: The Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan has launched a 12 week consultation on the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) which consolidates 20 separate planning policy statements into one comprehensive document.

Housing Minister Nelson McCausland today launched a new Housing Supply Forum which will play a key role in helping find solutions to increase the level of house building in Northern Ireland.

07 February 2014: In order to get the chance to tender for work you regularly have to get through a prequalification process.

7 February 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge

24 January 2014: The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has today published the Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin for the third quarter of 2014.

31 January 2014: Companies going for NVIR-O-CERT, the construction-specific environmental management system, can now receive up to five days of expert guidance on-site through the STEM Project.

31 January 2014: The spring round of the 2014 CEF Local Association meetings are now being arranged and you should save these dates in your dairy.

CEF met today with the Regional Development Minister as part of a Roads Symposium to discuss progress on the recommendations from the Regional Development Committee’s report into Unadopted Roads.

31 January 2014: There has recently been an upsurge in thefts from building sites and/or new homes nearing completion.

31 January 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), in partnership with Carson McDowell, has published its Environmental Law Register update for Q4 2013.

13 January 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met week with Health Estates to discuss its capital works programme for 2014.

21 January 2014: The Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan, today raised his concerns over the latest delay in the adoption of the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP).

24 January 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) would like to make its members aware of the benefits of using the Employers for Childcare Voucher Scheme.

23 January 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended an Infrastructure Investment Seminar at the Titanic Building in Belfast.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met today with John O’Dowd, Minister for Education, to discuss the ongoing delays in the delivery of the major capital works programme.

23 January 2014: The provisional Northern Ireland Planning Development Management Statistics were recently published for Q2 2013/14.

24 January 2014: As winter nears to an end it is time to turn our attention to the spring round of CEF Local Association meetings.

17 January 2013: A few places on the high value, high impact Performance Improvement Programme 2014 remain available.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has welcomed the measures announced today to help speed up the planning system.

17 January 2014: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) would like to make its members aware of the forthcoming STEM networking events being held in January and February 2014.

17 January 2014: CEF would like to make its members aware that NetRegs, the website providing environmental guidance for businesses in Northern Ireland and Scotland, is in operation again. Click here to enter the site.

17 January 2014: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

17 January 2014: Managing construction waste can be a time consuming and difficult task. Organisations need to ensure they are effectively managing their waste and getting maximum benefits from recycling and reuse opportunities.

19 April 2013: The next event in the Construction Employers Federation ‘Building Better Business’ series will take place next Wednesday (24 April 2013) from 8.30am – 10.00am at the CEF offices.

18 December 2013: The two official measures of construction employment in Northern Ireland have shown an increase in employment in the industry in the third quarter of 2013.

10 January 2014: Mivan, one of Northern Ireland’s largest construction companies, has today been placed into administration.

20 December 2013: In preparing the Tender Opportunities notice for this week the Federation realised that a procurement by Dungannon District Council had an extremely short tender period.

5 November 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has today responded to the consultation on the Employment Law Review undertaken by the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL).

20 December 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Annual Report 2013 has been published.

20 December 2013: Tis’ the season to be jolly but it is also appears to be the season for tendering.

20 December 2013: Managing construction waste can be a time consuming and difficult task. Organisations need to ensure they are effectively managing their waste and getting maximum benefits from recycling and reuse opportunities.

20 December 2013: The Chancellor announced new legislation in the Autumn Statement that is intended to make labour agencies and intermediaries operate PAYE.

20 December 2013: In the Weekly News Update issued on 29 November 2013, we reported that DOE Planning was intending to introduce a 75% reduction for the renewal of planning applications.

4 December 2013: CEF met today with senior officials from DRD Roads Service to discuss matters relating to new housing development.

13 December 2013: The Department of Finance & Personnel has published two sets of consultations on proposed amendments to the Northern Ireland Building Regulations and the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations.

25 November 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the Department of Education (DENI) to discuss the delays in its major capital works programme and other matters.

12 November 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the new Minister for the Environment, Mark H Durkan to discuss a range of issues affecting the local construction industry.

29 November 2013: A consultation paper has been published by the Department of the Environment on a new version of PPS 15 Planning and Flood Risk.

28 November 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met today with senior officials from DOE Planning.

29 November: Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) provide an effective method of surface water management, reducing both the risk of flooding and pollution.

11 November 2013: The provisional Northern Ireland Planning Development Management Statistics were recently published for Q1 2013/14.

11 November 2013: The Committee for the Environment at the Northern Ireland Assembly has commenced the Committee Stage of the Local Government Reorganisation Bill.

11 November 2013: Invest NI is hosting a Doing Business in the Baltics event on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 December 2013 for companies exploring new export opportunities or developing existing business in the region.

The total volume of construction output in Northern Ireland in the second quarter of 2013 decreased by 5.4% compared to Q1 2013 and was 5.1% lower compared to the same quarter in 2012.

8 November 2013: The autumn round of CEF Local Associations began today with a meeting of the Armagh & Down Local Association, hosted by O’Hare & McGovern Ltd at Carnbane House in Newry.

11 November 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

29 October 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), in partnership with Carson McDowell has published its Environmental Law Register updated for Q3 2013.

31 October 2013: In June 2011 the Joint Council introduced phased employer and employee pension contributions.

25 October 2013: The latest figures in the Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin for Quarter 2 2013 show some encouraging signs that activity in the private sector housing market is beginning to recover, albeit from a very low base.

21 October 2013: Finance Minister, Simon Hamilton, today announced the outcome of the 2013/14 October Monitoring Round and provided details of planned capital reallocations for 2014/15.

18 October 2013: The Planning Bill 2013 passed the first of two consideration stages at the Northern Ireland Assembly at the end of June 2013.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) believes that there is an opportunity for construction companies to make savings by ensuring that resources like materials and power are being used efficiently.

The winners of the Construction Excellence Awards 2013 have been announced at a Gala Evening ceremony in Belfast, with H&J Martin being revealed as the winner of the Overall Award for the restoration of the Guildhall in Derry.

17 October 2013: The Construction Employers Federation would like to inform its members that CIC, CPD and Invest NI are hosting a free NI BIM Hub Conference on Tuesday 29 October 2013 in the Titanic Building, Belfast.

15 October 2013: The Department of the Environment has published a consultation for a revision to Planning Policy Statement 15 (PPS 15) ‘Planning and Flood Risk’ which is intended to reduce the risk of future flooding of new developments.

15 October 2013: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is consulting on proposals to amend the Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations (COMAH).

11 October 2013: The Department of Education has provided the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) with an update on its major capital investment programme as announced in June 2012.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is organising an ‘Attend and Share’ initiative for WRAP’s Annual Conference in London on 7 November 2013.

4 October 2013: Belfast Harbour has received planning approval for an 83,000 sq ft, Grade A office development, representing the first phase of a 20-acre, £250m mixed-use, office-led scheme known as City Quays.

4 October 2013: The body responsible for distributing EU funding in Northern Ireland has withdrawn its offer of £18m funding for the development of the Peace Centre at the Maze.

9 October 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

2 October 2013: Getting to tender stage is a major challenge in itself. It is essential therefore that when you do get shortlisted that you give your company the best chance of securing the contract.

2 October 2013: The latest statistics on local private housing output show some positive signs of recovery in the new build market.

2 October 2013: Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) has advised CEF of a 2.7% increase in the Standard Connection Charge for electricity supplies to housing developments of 12 or more individually serviced dwellings.

17 September 2013: The All Party Group on Construction met at Stormont today to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the industry but with a focus on housing matters.

30 September 2013: The National Minimum Wage rates are increasing with effect from Tuesday 1 October 2013.

20 September 2013: CEF would like to make its members aware that DEL is conducting a wide-ranging public consultation on possible changes to employment law in Northern Ireland.

The very best new building and civil engineering projects completed in Northern Ireland over the last year were recently celebrated at the Showcase of Finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2013.

20 September 2013: Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) provide an effective method of surface water management, reducing both the risk of flooding and pollution.

20 September 2013: The dates and venues for the autumn round of CEF Local Association meetings have been set.

12 September 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

6 September 2013: In January 2013 the Finance Minister announced that all projects procured by the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) over £1m and with a substantial element of subcontracting would make use of a Project Bank Account.

27 August 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is today calling on all of its member companies to consider donating any surplus building materials to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has announced the Shortlisted Finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2013.

30 August 2013: The annual BIFM Ireland Region Conference will take place on the 15 November 2013 at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast with a focus on ‘FM Facilitating for the Future’.

27 August 2013: Due to high levels of demand the Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation is hosting a second information day for CEF members.

27 August 2013: Are you prepared for auto-enrolment? All employers have a new duty to auto enrol employees into a qualifying workplace pension scheme between now and 2017.

27 August 2013: New EU Timber Regulations came into force in March 2013 with the aim of eliminating the demand for illegally harvested timber and timber products in the EU.

16 August 2013: The Department for Employment and Learning published a consultation paper on the proposed sharing of parental rights.

16 August 2013: New EU Timber Regulations came into force in March 2013 with the aim of eliminating the demand for illegally harvested timber and timber products in the EU.

Nelson McCausland, the Minister for Social Development, recently published an Action Plan which puts into effect his Department’s Housing Strategy which was the subject of a consultation process in 2012.

9 August 2013: It is hard to believe but time is moving on and once the holiday season draws to a close we need to turn our attention to the autumn round of CEF Local Associations.

5 August 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

2 August 2013: The NVIR-O-CERT Development Programme has been designed to help prepare companies that do not currently operate an environmental management system for their first NVIR-O-CERT full audit.

26 July 2013: In October 2012 the Government introduced new auto-enrolment legislation which makes it compulsory for all employers to enrol workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme to which both the employer and employee will contribute.

26 July 2013: CEF met recently with Health Estates to discuss a number of procurement issues including an update on the Health Estates Investment Group (HEIG) capital and minor works programmes.

19 July 2013: In autumn 2012 CEF provided the Minister for the Environment with a list of construction and civil engineering projects which could start on site very quickly if they were granted planning permission.

26 June 2013: The Chancellor has today announced the UK spending review for 2015/16. Amongst the news of further cut backs in Government spending there was confirmation that capital funding for Northern Ireland would increase to £1.1bn in 2015/16.

3 July 2013: The Department of Education has advised CEF that the PQQ for St Clare’s Convent & St Coleman’s Abbey Primary School in Newry will be issued today.

3 July 2013: The Properties Division of the Department of Finance & Personnel has advised CEF that the recent introduction of the Construction Products Regulation EU 305/2011 has necessitated updating the guidance in Technical Booklet B 2012.

3 July 2013: The PSNI has issued a warning to CEF members about a phone scam that is currently being targeted at businesses in Northern Ireland.

1 July 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

28 June 2013: The Planning Bill 2013 has passed the first of two consideration stages at the Northern Ireland Assembly at which MLA’s have the opportunity to seek amendments to the Bill before it becomes legislation.

The UK Government and the NI Executive announced a new package of proposals today aimed at rebalancing the Northern Irish economy and securing a shared future.

25 June 2013: The Health Minister today addressed the All Party Working Group on Construction at Stormont.

17 June 2013: In order to get the chance to tender for work you regularly have to get through a prequalification process.

17 June 2013: The Committee for the Environment at Stormont has completed its examination of the provisions of the Planning Bill 2013.

12 June 2013: Nick Turberville and Eleanor Butterwick from Invest NI today gave a presentation to CEF members who are considering working in Great Britain for the first time or who wish to expand their operations there.

17 June 2013: Funding has been secured to allow construction workers to gain there NVQ level 2 for free up until March 2014.

The Department of Social Development (DSD) has confirmed that Housing Association’s now have the discretion to engage with developers and confirm their interest in potential new developments.

17 June 2013: Due to the high demand for places on today’s site visit to the Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation, the Federation has arranged for another site visit to be held later in the year.

The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate on Thursday 30 May 2013 the Industry Holidays 2014/15.

7 June 2013: The Department of the Environment is seeking views on proposals contained in a consultation document for an Environmental Better Regulation Bill.

7 June 2013: CEF has requested an update on the capital works programme from the Department of Education and we hope to have that information very soon.

7 June 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge.

30 May 2013: CEF today attended a symposium on roads and sewers organised by the Law Society NI.

Construction companies across Northern Ireland have been officially invited to enter the Construction Excellence Awards 2013.

31 May 2013: The Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation is hosting an information day for CEF members.

24 May 2013: The Department of the Environment (NI) has published a consultation on its Phase 2 review of planning fees in Northern Ireland.

31 May 2013: Environmental legislation is having an ever increasing impact on the construction industry. New legislation is introduced on a regular basis.

17 May 2013: Most accredited management systems require you to demonstrate your preparedness for emergencies and your ability to respond appropriately.

24 May 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is launching a Behavioural Based Safety Programme aimed at companies that want to be at the leading edge of health and safety practice in the construction industry.

24 May 2013: The CEF State of Trade Survey for the first quarter of 2013 has been issued to all full members.

24 May 2013: As part of the CEF initiative to assist members in seeking work in export markets we have arranged with Invest NI to present an information session for members on the construction market in Great Britain.

17 May 2013: The Department of Finance & Personnel has published a consultation paper on a proposal to amend Technical Booklet B 2012 which relates to materials and workmanship used in building work.

CEF met with Nelson McCausland, Minister for Social Development on two occasions last month to discuss a wide range of housing issues.

The spring round of CEF Local Associations concluded today with the Down and Armagh meeting which was hosted by Kelly Brothers at their premises in Warrenpoint.

10 May 2013: Managing construction waste can be a time consuming and difficult task.

10 May 2013: The Construction Employers Federation’s legal partner, Carson McDowell, has released the Environmental Law Register Update for the first quarter of 2013.

3 May 2013: If you are you interested in exploring new export opportunities or developing your existing business in Turkey, Invest NI is hosting an Exploring Europe: Doing Business in Turkey event on Tuesday 14 May 2013.

3 May 2013: The Building Regulations 2012, which came into effect from the end of October 2012, mark the biggest change in building regulations in Northern Ireland in a generation.

20 March 2013: The Building Regulations 2012, which came into effect from the end of October 2012, mark the biggest change in building regulations in Northern Ireland in a generation.

2 May 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

CEF today attended a stakeholder event on the Planning Bill hosted by the Assembly’s Environment Committee.

26 April 2013: In the current economic environment a rigorously professional approach to tendering is more important than ever.

29 April 2013: The Department of the Environment (DOE) has issued a consultation paper on its proposals to amend the Planning Fees regulations.

19 April 2013: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has warned that the practice of overloading structures is creating potentially fatal situations on building sites throughout Northern Ireland.

17 April 2013: The Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin for the final quarter of 2012 was published today.

19 April 2013: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has today published updated proposals for the exclusion of abnormally low tenders in public sector works.

16 April 2013: The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) has today announced plans to provide funding of £9 million to build a new housing development in Millmount, Dundonald.

CEF attended a workshop today for all stakeholders who responded to the consultation on the draft Housing Strategy which was published in October 2012.

19 April 2013: In today’s climate where energy costs are increasingly significant and customers are ever more aware of the green agenda, many businesses are keen to explore opportunities for sustainable energy generation from renewable sources.

12 April 2013: The spring meeting of the Down and Armagh CEF Local Association has been rescheduled because the original meeting had to be cancelled due to the severe weather conditions.

The Building Better Business Series of senior executive breakfast meetings got off to a flying start today with an insightful and entertaining talk delivered by Professor Michael McQuillan.

12 April 2013: The ‘Building Better Business’ Series of senior executive breakfast meetings got off to a flying start in March with an insightful and entertaining talk delivered by Professor Michael McQuillan.

12 April 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is organising an initiative to help develop members’ understanding of the concept of the Circular Economy. The initiative is strictly limited to 20 companies.

12 April 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

The Budget 2013 has been announced and contains a number of positives for the local construction industry.

28 March 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met today with the Department of Education to discuss its capital and maintenance works programmes.

27 March 2013: CEF attended a sub group of the Planning Forum today to discuss the future role of the Forum and how the Forum can become more involved is setting the agenda and monitoring progress in the planning reform process.

29 March 2013: Managing construction waste can be a time consuming and difficult task.

29 March 2013: Business in the Community, in partnership with CEF and other bodies, has organised a free seminar to raise awareness of the associated costs and consequences of breaching legislation and the best aftercare for tanks.

26 March 2013: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has today published proposals for the auto-exclusion of abnormally low tenders in public sector works.

22 March 2013: At a meeting of the Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) on 13 March 2013 some minor amendments to Working Rule 5 “Holidays With Pay” were agreed.

22 Marchg 2013: Any construction business interested in public sector construction work will benefit from having staff that have a thorough understanding of the NEC3 contract.

22 March 2013: The latest quarterly DOE Development Management Bulletin shows that the total number of planning applications being submitted in Northern Ireland for Q3 2012/13 fell by 11% compared to the same period last year.

The spring meetings of the CEF Local Associations have reached the half way stage. At the meetings members have been discussing a wide range of industry issues.

20 March 2013: Construction Employers Federation (CEF) and Podiem have put together a varied, interesting and vastly experienced line up of speakers for the inaugural Building Better Business Masterclass Breakfast Series.

8 March 2013: The consultation period on the draft Planning Bill 2013 will close on 15 March 2013. CEF has submitted its response to this important piece of draft legislation.

NVIR-O-CERT, the new construction specific environmental management system, has today gone live. The scheme is now officially inviting companies to apply to become one of the first to get NVIR-O-CERT certification.

11 March 2013: The Annual General Meeting for Full members of the Construction Employers Federation will be held at the Federation’s headquarters 143 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 6SU at 1.00pm on Monday 15 April 2013.

28 February 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) believes that there is an opportunity for construction companies to make savings by ensuring that resources like materials and power are being used efficiently.

28 February 2013: Many members of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) have been affected by the current TUPE regulations when they have won or lost a term contract.

26 February 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met today with Environment Minister, Alex Atwood. The meeting was arranged to as a follow-up to discussions on the prioritisation of shovel-ready projects in the planning system.

1 March 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

18 February 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met today with Danny Kennedy MLA the Minister for Regional Development.

10 February 2013: The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2013 came into effect on 10 February 2013.

CEF has met with representatives from the Education and Library Boards (ELBs) to discuss proposals that would allow the boards to efficiently deliver the increased capital funds that have been made available to them over the next two years.

22 February 2013: The Building Regulations 2012, which came into effect from the end of October 2012, mark the biggest change in building regulations in Northern Ireland in a generation.

19 February 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) was invited to Stormont today to meet a delegation of Sinn Fein MLA’s.

20 February 2013: The Department of the Environment NI has published a consultation on the draft Controlled Waste & Duty of Care Regulations (NI) 2013.

20 February 2013: CEF has received a revised progress report on the Department of Education’s capital works programme regarding the procurement of the 16 new build schools that were announced by the Minister for Education in June 2012.

20 February 2013: The NI Assembly is committed to improving payment practices in the construction industry. A specific method of monitoring payment is through the use and implementation of Project Bank Accounts (PBAs).

15 February 2013: It is in the interests of every local construction company to ensure that they have people within their organisation who have a good working knowledge and understanding of the NEC 3 Short Contract.

15 February 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been in correspondence with the University of Ulster to obtain some details of their capital investment programme.

CEF met recently with the Health Estates Investment Group (HEIG) to discuss their capital works programme and some procurement issues.

8 February 2013: In order to get the chance to tender for work you regularly have to get through a prequalification process.

The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) is undertaking a consultation on changes to the TUPE regulations.

8 February 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been dealing with a spate of live procurement issues on behalf of members in recent weeks.

7 February 2013: CEF would like to alert its members to an event NI Water is holding on Thursday 28 February 2013 at NI Water’s Training Centre, Antrim called ‘Meet the Team’, Northern Ireland Water Networks Repairs and Maintenance Industry Day.

6 February 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

1 February 2013: The Planning Bill has now commenced its Committee Stage at the NI Assembly.

Comment from John Armstrong, Managing Director of the Construction Employers Federation in the Newsletter on 21 January 2013.

30 January 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has submitted its response to the consultation on the Support for Repair and Improvement in the Private Housing Sector.

1 February 2013: The Regional Development Committee has published its report into Unadopted Roads.

1 February 2013: Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is delivering a Negotiating Skills course on 21 February 2013 to enable members to get the best possible deal while at the same time building a positive relationship with the other party.

1 February 2013: The Construction Employers Federation’s legal partner, Carson McDowell, has released the Environmental Law Register Update for the fourth quarter of 2012.

7 December 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has today responded to the ‘Facing the Future’ the Draft Northern Ireland Housing Strategy.

25 January 2013: Environment Minister Alex Attwood presented the Planning Bill to the Assembly last week.

The Regional Development Committee has published its report into Unadopted Roads.

25 January 2013: Gardner & Theobald LLP has asked us to make members aware of the posting of the Contract Notice for the above project in the Official Journal.

25 January 2013: Oaklee Housing Association has informed the Construction Employers Federation of a batch of minor works which must be awarded before the end of the financial year.

23 January 2013: The Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin, Quarter 3, 2012 has been published.

23 January 2013: CEF in conjunction with NHBC and the Law Society met today with Danny Kennedy MLA, the Minister for Regional Development to discuss the report on the inquiry into unadopted roads published by the Regional Development Committee.

25 January 2013: CE marking on construction products denotes that the product conforms with a harmonised European performance standard. Until now CE marking has been voluntary for many construction products sold in the UK.

25 January 2013: We have designed two special courses aimed at giving you the skills to be successful in writing a Winning PQQ.

18 January 2013: Whilst time is one of the most precious assets for every company it is notoriously difficult to manage.

16 January 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met recently with Belfast City Council (BCC) to discuss its capital construction programme for the year ahead and other future planned projects.

18 January 2013: In the second half of 2012 the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) started using random selection as part of the prequalification process for some construction projects below the EU threshold.

18 January 2013: As part of the CEF’s initiative to address the problems associated with unfinished roads in developments where construction is still on going, CEF has made a proposal to Roads Service.

Sammy Wilson, Finance Minister has announced that from January 2013, Project Bank Accounts will be introduced in government construction contracts awarded by Central Procurement Directorate with an estimated value of £1million and over.

7 January 2013: The Northern Ireland Law Commission has published a consultation paper on a proposed review of the law relating to apartments.

14 January 2013: CITB-ConstructionSkills NI has been awarded funding to deliver an innovative project to train 30 local construction workers in sustainable construction in Biberach, Germany.

The autumn 2012 round of local association meetings came to a conclusion at the end of November with the final meeting being held in Castlewellan at the premises of Kelly, McEvoy and Brown.

11 January 2013: A 2 hour seminar delivered by Stuart Murphy of Carson McDowell Solicitors.

9 January 2013: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) attended a meeting of the Planning Forum which was chaired by the Environment Minister, Alex Attwood MLA.

4 January 2013: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

20 December 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

14 December 2012: The programme of Essential Health and Safety Courses for the first quarter of 2013 has been released.

Autumn Statement 2012 was presented to Parliament today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The statement included a number of pieces of positive news for the construction industry in Northern Ireland.

12 December 2012: Derek Martin, current President of the Construction Employers Federation, has been elected as the new chairman of the Construction Industry Group (CIG).

13 December 2012: As we approach the Christmas holidays employers are reminded that holiday pay is no longer exempt from national insurance contributions.

7 December 2012: Five hundred NVQ Level 2 qualifications are available FREE to experienced construction workers in 37 occupational areas.

The autumn round of CEF Local Associations has reached its midway point with the Belfast meeting held last week and the Antrim/Londonderry meeting held today.

4 December 2012: Managing compensation events is a critical aspect in the making the most of NEC3 contracts.

4 December 2012: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met last week to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

4 December 2012: The CEF’s legal partner Carson McDowell has prepared a short article on the Bribery Act 2012.

26 November 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has warmly welcomed the extension to the exclusion for developers from the rating of empty homes.

19 October 2012: The Construction Contracts (Amendment) Act (NI) 2011 comes into force on 14 November 2012.

8 November 2012: The Northern Ireland Executive has announced a £200million economy and jobs initiative to support people, businesses and investment

16 November 2012: The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) has published a report on the payment performance of public sector clients.

16 November 2012: Marketing within the construction industry has often been seen as a “black art” and as a luxury that few can afford in a downturn.

16 November 2012: In the wake of the Patton Group going into administration the Northern Ireland Executive is alerting creditors to the support services which the Government can provide.

12 November 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today held a briefing session for members on the Government’s future plans for housing in Northern Ireland.

9 November 2012: The Department for Social Development has published a consultation paper to review the means of support for repair and improvement in the private housing sector.

09 November 2012: If someone performing services on behalf of your company uses a bribe to win business for the company, the company is criminally liable.

6 November 2012: Following news that the Patton Group has appointed an administrator, John Armstrong, Managing Director of the Construction Employers Federation released the following statement.

29 October 2012:CEF met with the Environment Minister Alex Attwood this week to discuss planning matters.

3 October 2012: Following the enquiry by the Regional Development Committee at Stormont into unadopted roads, CEF took part in a stakeholder’s symposium in late September 2012.

15 October 2012: The winners of the Construction Excellence Awards 2012 were announced on Thursday. OFMDFM Junior Minister Jonathan Bell revealed Mascott Construction as the winner of the Overall Award for the new Metropolitan Arts Centre in Belfast.

22 Ooctober 2012: CEF analyses the Northern Ireland Executive’s performance in planning infrastructure investment to drive economic recovery.

2 November 2012: Main contractors and subcontractors, interested in working on government construction projects, are reminded that first tier subcontractors with 5 or more employees must be certified by Safe-T-Cert or equivalent.

2 November 2012: As harsh economic conditions continue to prevail bad debt will continue to be a serious problem for the local construction industry.

1 November 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

1 November 2012: DEL is launching a public consultation seeking the views of interested parties on the proposal to extend, in line with the requirements of the EU Directive 2010/18/EU, the entitlement of parents to claim unpaid parental leave.

26 October 2012: The autumn 2012 meetings of the CEF Local Associations have now been confirmed.

23 October 2012: Finance Minister Sammy Wilson brought legislation before the Assembly today to improve payment practices in the construction industry.

26 October 2012:The Qualifying the Existing Workforce project will assess 500 currently unqualified, experienced, employed construction workers to NVQ Level 2, helping to increase productivity and meet the industry’s skills challenge.

25 October 2012: CEF is running a short seminar for people in the construction industry who are completely new to NEC3.

26 October 2012: The Construction Employers Federation’s legal partner, Carson McDowell, has released the Environmental Law Register Update for the third quarter of 2012.

15 October 2012: The Minister for Social Development, Nelson McCausland MLA has today launched a consultation paper on a housing strategy called ‘Facing the Future: Housing Strategy for Northern Ireland 2012 – 2017’.

17 October 2012: The Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin for the second quarter of 2012 was published by the Department of Finance and Personnel today.

16 October 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met with four Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive as part of a liaison arranged through the All Party Group on Construction.

12 October 2012: The National Insurance Concession on holiday pay ends on 30 October 2012. From that date employers and employees must pay national insurance on all pay, including holiday pay.

12 October 2012: The Construction Employers Federation is running a one day course for contractors involved in the maintenance and construction of the road network and other paved areas.

08 October 2012: New legislation introduced on 1 October 2012 requires all employers to enrol employees into a pension scheme and make contributions. This is known as auto-enrolment. CEF launches FREE Auto-enrolment Support Programme for employers.

10 October 2012: CEF met today with Constructionline and CPD as part of the Northern Ireland Users liaison group to review a number of operational matters relating to Constructionline.

12 October 2012: The Construction Employers Federation reminds all members that the Halloween 2012 holiday will be one day only.

31 August 2012: CEF is holding the Showcase of Finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2012 at Belfast Boys Model School at 5pm on 12 September 2012.

14 September 2012: Changes to improve the planning system due to be implemented in 2015 are now being brought forward by legislation to hit the ground in 2013.

14 September 2012: Managing cash flow is essential in the current economic climate. The use of statutory demands can be very effective in recovering monies owed.

26 September 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) insurance partner Willis and Company (Insurance Brokers) Ltd has prepared the following item on how to protect against bad debt by the use of credit insurance.

27 September 2012: The BuildHealth website has undergone a complete makeover and has been relaunched this week.

28 september 2012: The National Minimum Wage rates are increasing with effect from Monday 1 October 2012

26 September 2012: The UK Government is seeking views on the UK’s implementation of the EU’s Late Payment Directive.

12 September 2012: The very best of the Northern Irish construction industry was celebrated as local companies showcased the exemplary projects and initiatives that have been shortlisted for the Construction Excellence Awards 2012.

26 september 2012: NVIR-O-CERT, a ground breaking initiative designed to improve the environmental performance of the construction industry in Northern Ireland, was launched today by Environment Minister Alex Attwood.

3 October 2012: In April 2012 members were advised that the CEF had discussions with the Electricity Regulator.

21 September 2012: The next round of CEF Local Association meetings will be held as follows:

20 September 2012: Safe-T-Cert is delighted to announce that we have retained our Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) accreditation following an annual audit on 31 August 2012.

11 September 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) to discuss a wide range of procurement policy and operational matters.

7 September 2012: The Construction Export Development Programme, supported by Invest NI and delivered by Envision, is being launched at 11am on 11 September 2012 at the offices of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF).

7 September 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

7 September 2012: This is to remind you that following a decision by Joint Council on 8 June 2011 and information sent out last August, employee pension contributions were introduced on 5 December 2011.

7 September 2012: In the current economic environment a rigorously professional approach to tendering is more important than ever.

5 September 2012: Belfast City Council is hosting two free information sessions for construction companies to promote 2 forthcoming tender opportunities for the supply and installation of alley gates across Belfast.

31 August 2012: Changes to Public Procurement up to EU Threshold

31 August 2012: Minister for Employment & Learning, Dr Stephen Farry has launched a project to upskill the construction workforce.

31 August 2012: It is a legal requirement of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (NI) 2012 that those who are liable to disturb asbestos as part of their normal work must receive asbestos awareness training and have it refreshed annually.

31 August 2012: Under the review of public administration it was agreed that planning powers should be returned to the Local Councils.

CEF has written to the Minister for the Environment, Alex Attwood MLA to again call for the introduction of a time bound consultation process for planning applications

24 August 2012: The consequences of receiving payment late or of not being paid at all is a constant concern of most companies working in today’s construction industry.

21 August 2012: Apex and Accord have started the prequalification process for over £30m worth of social housing contracts.

17 August 2012: The CEF State of Trade Survey for the second quarter of 2012 has been issued to all full members.

17 August 2012: It is in the interests of every local construction contractor, subcontractor, professional and client to ensure that their organisation has a good working knowledge and understanding of the NEC 3 Short Contract.

13 August 2012: Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. But what about those who do plan to succeed and then submit their planning application into the Northern Irish planning system?

17 August 2012: Existing CEF members who are encouraging other companies to join CEF can now direct them to the CEF Membership Invitation Pack on the CEF website.

10 August 2012: The Building Regulations 2012, which come into effect from the end of October 2012, arguably mark the biggest change in building regulations in Northern Ireland in a generation.

10 August 2012: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) and the Buildsafe Steering Committee are inviting everyone involved in construction work to attend the Buildhealth Seminar - Managing Occupational Health in Construction

10 August 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

3 August 2012: In the current economic climate contractors are often asked to provide security on construction projects

3 August 2012: The Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) is seeking views on its consultation on proposals to amend the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008.

3 July 2012: There has been a lot of talk recently about the performance of the Northern Ireland Executive – most of it hasn’t been positive.

30 July 2012: Oaklee Housing Association is in the process of starting the procurement process for social housing projects totaling almost £23m.

30 July 2012: The Building Standards Branch of the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) has confirmed that the new Northern Ireland Building Regulations 2012 will come into operation on 31st October 2012.

31 July 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has added a new feature to the CEF Weekly News Update to help members keep track of tender opportunities being advertised in the local press.

20 July 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Private Housing Committee met recently to discuss some of the key issues affecting the private house building sector.

20 July 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is providing its members with a weekly new service to alert them to possible tender opportunities across a wide range of construction projects.

10 July 2012: The Department of the Environment (DOE) is seeking views on amendments it is proposing to the Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011 (the 2011 Regulations).

25 June 2012: Education Minister John O’Dowd announced an investment package of £173m in the schools estate this week.

5 July 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

2 July 2012: There has not been very much relevant new legislation in Q2 of this year.

2 July 2012: The summer months, with no school and long sunny evenings, provide a welcome opportunity for children to spend time outdoors having fun and adventure.

28 June 2012: The CEF’s legal partner Carson McDowell has prepared a short article on the use of collateral warranties, which can create a direct contractual link to third parties.

22 June 2012: The shortlisted finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2012 were announced today following the first round of judging.

28 June 2012: The Department of the Environment has published, after a period of consultation, a revised Waste Management, The Duty of Care, A Code of Practice for Northern Ireland.

25 June 2012: The Environment Minister, Alex Attwood MLA, held a special summit meeting today to discuss ways to improve enforcement of planning conditions in the wake of a number of high profile cases highlighted in the media.

26 June 2012: The Finance Minister has today announced additional funding for public construction and civil engineering works for 2012/13.

22 June 2012: The Department of Employment and Learning has published a discussion paper in advance of issuing a formal consultation paper and a proposed review of employment law in Northern Ireland.

22 June 2012: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate on Friday 22 June 2012 the Industry Holidays for 2013/14.

15 June 2010: The Consumer Code for Home Builders has been in existence now for two years and is currently undergoing a review.

31 May 2012: The First Minister and deputy First Minister today launched the final Call for Entries for the Construction Excellence Awards 2012 at the Belfast Boys’ Model School.

15 June 2012: The Electricity Regulator has published a consultation paper RP5 which includes proposals on the schedule of Charges for Northern Ireland Electricity over the next 5 year period 2012 to 2017.

14 June 2012:The Department for Employment & Learning (DEL) has committed funding to qualify 500 existing skilled construction workers to NVQ Level 2 by March 2013.

31 May 2012: NVIR-O-CERT is the new construction-specific Environmental Management System which has been developed by the Construction Employers Federation

1 June 2012: From 1 October 2011 the same level of rates became due on all domestic properties whether they are occupied or empty. There was a temporary exemption granted for new build houses.

31 May 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

1 June 2012: If someone performing services on behalf of your company uses a bribe to win business for the company, the company is criminally liable.

24 May 2012: The CEF General Contractors Committee met this week to discuss the key issues affecting those firms who operate in the general contracting sector.

25 May 2012: The CEF met recently with the Health Estates Investment Group to discuss its major capital programme and related issues.

15 May 2012: The CEF Social Housing Committee met today to discuss the key issues affecting companies involved in new build social housing.

25 May 2012: A recent seminar at the CEF by Carson McDowell Solicitors highlighted the complex issue of redundancy and employment law affecting member companies.

25 May 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is encouraging members to reuse surplus uncontaminated soil from construction activities in accordance with good environmental practice.

25 May 2012: The Department of the Environment recently published a notice to indicate that it has conducted a review of the Environmental Assessment of the draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015 (BMAP).

25 May 2012: Managing compensation events is a critical aspect in the making the most of NEC3 contracts.

24 May 2012: NIEA, along with SEPA)and the Environment Agency in England and Wales, has published a new version of Pollution Prevention Guidance (PPG) Working at Construction and Demolition Sites: PPG6.

11 May 2012: The new Regional Development Strategy (RDS) was published in March 2012.

18 May 2012: The CEF State of Trade Survey for the first quarter of 2012 has been issued to all full members.

18 May 2012: DEL has published a discussion paper which highlights changes already in place and further proposed changes to employment law in Great Britain and asks should Northern Ireland follow suit or cherry pick some of the changes?

18 May 2012: The Department for Education & Learning (DEL) has published its response to a consultation paper issued in 2009 seeking views on a set of draft regulations to prohibit the blacklisting of trade unionists.

9 May 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) gave evidence at Stormont today on the Regional Development Committee’s inquiry into unadopted roads.

2 May 2012: This week CEF hosted an event aimed at delivering better value in social house building.

11 May 2012: The CEF’s legal partner Carson McDowell has provided the latest update of the CEF Environmental Law register for Q1 2012.

11 May 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) would like to congratulate McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd who recently won the 2012 Considerate Constructors Scheme’s top award for the UK’s Most Considerate Site.

20 April 2012: October 2012 will see major changes to workplace pension law known as ‘auto-enrolment’. The changes will affect every employer in the UK adding significant additional cost and administrative burden to employers.

11 May 2012: CEF is participating in a stakeholder discussion group which is providing input to NIEA to examine a range of approaches to develop more integrated stormwater management.

4 May 2012: The CEF’s legal partner Carson McDowell analyse a recent court decision highlighting contractual conditions.

27 April 2012: The Construction Employers Federation is calling all members to submit their entries for the Construction Excellence Awards 2012.

4 May 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

25 April 2012: The Construction Employers Federation in conjunction with CITB-ConstructionSkills NI today launched two major business improvement programmes for the local construction industry.

27 April 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been in discussions with the Electricity Regulator over the proposal to remove the 40% subsidy from domestic connections.

24 April 2012: The latest calculation for the definition of Prime Cost is now available covering the period from April 2012 onwards.

18 April 2012: At the CEF Annual general Meeting held today at the CEF headquarters, the members elected Derek Martin of H & J Martin Ltd as the new CEF President. Derek Martin succeeds Mark Lowry the outgoing President.

20 April 2012: In contractual disputes in the construction industry, contractors often engage of Claims Consultants to advise them on how to deal with legal proceedings.

20 April 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) in conjunction with CITB-ConstructionSkills NI is offering a limited number of places on two high value, high impact training programmes at a nominal cost to employers registered with CITB.

20 April 2012: Following the retirement of Brian Walker, CEF has engaged Richard McIvor to deliver the Site Safety Inspection Service alongside Wilson Lambe.

17 April 2012: CEF met the Electricity Regulator today to discuss the proposal to remove the subsidy on the connection charge for new build houses.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been involved in discussions with Northern Ireland Water on a variety of issues regarding sewers and drains in private housing developments.

22 February 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today responded to the consultation on the draft Programme for Government, Investment Strategy and Economic Strategy.

16 February 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has launched a new service for the provision of planning advice for its members in co-operation with well established planning consultants Turley Associates.

6 April 2012: The results of the State of Trade Survey for Quarter 4 2011 have been published. A summary of the key findings is provided below.

2 April 2012: The Pensions Regulator, FSA and HMRC are warning individuals to steer clear of pension offers that claim to be able to provide loans or release tax-free cash from people’s pension pots before they reach age 55.

6 April 2012: The CEF’s insurance partner Willis and Co has provided the following short note on the risks associated with the use of hired plant.

6 April 2012: Northern Ireland Electricity is holding a number of information seminars in various locations across Northern Ireland during April.

3 April 2012: "We are falling behind our competitors," he said. "And falling behind the great, world-beating, pioneering tradition set by those who came before us."

6 April 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

30 March 2012: Following the most recent meeting of the CECC the Construction Employers Federation has received further information NIW and CPD.

27 March 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) participated today in a seminar for members of the Royal Town Planning Institute on the contribution of the planning process to economic regeneration.

23 March 2012: Following the announcement of the Budget 2012 earlier this week, CEF has arranged a special budget briefing for members to explain what the Budget means for the construction industry in Northern Ireland.

30 March 2012: Members are reminded that the Annual General Meeting of the Construction Employers Federation will be held in 143 Malone Road, Belfast, at 1pm on Wednesday 18 April 2012.

2 March 2012:The University of Ulster has unveiled its plans for a £250m development of its new Belfast campus built around the existing campus in York Street.

23 March 2012: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met earlier this month to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

23 March 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is alerting members to Invest NI’s trade mission to the Czech Republic from 10-13 June 2012 in Prague.

15 March 2012: To maintain high standards of health and safety during temporary works your staff need to be appropriately trained.

15 March 2012: A number of training organisations in Northern Ireland are actively promoting the CSCS scheme as a ‘cheaper and quicker’ alternative to CSR.

13 March 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been in discussions with the Law Commission for Northern Ireland on a review of the law relating to apartments or Multi Unit Developments (MUDs).

15 March 2012: Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Construction Employers Federation will be held in 143 Malone Road, Belfast, at 1.00 pm on Wednesday 18 April 2012 immediately after the Federation Council Meeting.

13 March 2012: Places are still available for the Belfast and the Fermanagh/Tyrone Local Association meetings.

7 March 2012: The Construction Contracts (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 was published on 18 February 2011.

9 March 2012: The Construction Employers Federation has received its monthly Tax update from the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge.

9 March 2012: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided that hard copies of the “Blue Book” will no longer be printed.

6 March 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended the Planning Forum which is chaired by the Environment Minister, Alex Attwood MLA.

9 March 2012: In order to broaden the range of business organisations from which NI water receives tender bids, business suppliers are invited to a ‘Supplier Day’ on Thursday 29 March 2012 to be held at NI Water’s Training Centre.

10 February 2012: The Construction Employers Federation’s CEF Annual Dinner will be held at the Dunadry Hotel, Templepatrick on Friday, 20 April 2012.

1 March 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has arranged a seminar that will take a look at current best practice for handling redundancies.

2 March 2012: Places are still available for the spring round of CEF Local Association meetings.

2 March 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been actively campaigning on behalf of members for government clients to provide more tendering opportunities for small and medium sized firms.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has welcomed the announcement by the Finance Minister of £580m of capital investment last week.

3 March 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been an active participant in a Ministerial working group on ‘Streamlining’ of the planning process which was established through the Planning Forum.

1 March 2012: The Department of the Environment has published a consultation paper on its proposals to bring the demolition of buildings within the meaning of development.

28 February 2012: The Housing Executive is due to procure its planned maintenance contracts in the near future.

1 March 2012: The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has published new guidance on environmental awareness and compliance during excavations.

24 February 2012: Annual benefit statements, for the year to 5 April 2011, will be issued to members of the Enhance scheme over the coming week.

24 February 2012: The CEF State of Trade Survey for the fourth quarter of 2011 has been issued to all full members.

24 February 2012: DOE Planning has introduced a new telephone number for planning enquires. All planning enquiries are handled in the first instance by NI Direct which is the government centralised customer services system.

24 February 2012: In April 2011 the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding with the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) and the Quarry Products Association (QPANI) on archaeological matters.

24 February 2012: The spring round of CEF Local Association meetings will kick off next week at the Armagh City Hotel.

14 February 2012: The CEF General Contractors Committee met today to discuss the major issues currently affecting the general contracting and commercial contracting sectors.

15 February 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met with Northern Ireland’s leading economists to discuss the role of the construction industry in the local economy.

2 February 2012: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) is in the process of undertaking a number of changes to how it procures a broad range of works.

16 February 2012: It is the time of year when the majority of construction firms are negotiating the renewal of their insurance premiums.

15 February 2012: The Construction Employers federation (CEF) attended today’s meeting of the Planning Forum which is chaired by the Environment Minister, Alex Attwood MLA.

10 February 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has arranged a workshop to be held on 28 February 2012 to help members manage one of their most precious assets.

10 February 2012: CEF is asking for your help in determining what drives construction firms to be greener.

10 February 2012: According to the latest RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Construction Market Survey Northern Ireland remains the UK region with the largest number of chartered surveyors reporting declining workloads.

The CEF Social Housing Committee met today to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the sector and to agree a broad agenda for 2012.

3 February 2012. The spring round of CEF Local Association meetings will be taking place during March 2012.

2 February 2012: The CEF Private Housing Committee met today to discuss the major issues affecting private house builders at the present time and to agree its broad agenda for 2012.

1 February 2012: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London. Through the JTC we receive tax newsline updates.

6 December 2011:The Minister for Regional Development, Danny Kennedy MLA, today attended the final meeting of the Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) in 2011.

26 January 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today delivered two workshops to help members avoid tax penalties. The tax workshops were presented by Liz Bridge, one of the UK’s leading experts on construction industry tax issues.

27 January 2012: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate on Friday 27 January 2012 the following change to the Working Rules Agreement.

24 January 2012: Further discussions took place today between CEF and Northern Ireland Water on a variety of issues relating to the NI Water Scheme of Charges.

27 January 2012: The results of the CEF State of Trade Survey for Q3 2011 were released today.

27 January 2012: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is running a short seminar on one of the most important aspects of NEC3 contracts – compensation events.

27 January 2011: The Construction Employers Federation, as part of the Assembly Construction Group, met with six ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive last week.

27 January 2012: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) recently published the revised standardised prequalification questionnaire template for 2012 which included changes to the health and safety section.

13 January 2012: Companies certified with Safe-T-Cert will now be exempt from any further health and safety prequalification for projects issued by Government Construction Clients.

19 January 2012: The Department of the Environment has published a consultation paper seeking views on a revised Waste Management, The Duty of Care, A Code of Practice for Northern Ireland.

20 January 2012: Places are still available for a very important workshop on ‘How to Avoid Tax Penalties’ in the construction industry.

17 January 2012: The Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) has issued a call for evidence on the effectiveness of the TUPE regulations, asking whether they should be amended and if so, in what way.

17 January 2012: Poor standards and a failure to manage maintenance activities are major causes of accidents and occupational diseases.

16 January 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), in conjunction with the Quarry Products Association (QPA), is establishing a working group with Roads Service to review the operation of their Term Maintenance Contracts.

20 December 2011: CEF has been in discussions with the Government Construction Clients Group over the course of the last year about various mechanisms to speed up procurement.

13 January 2011: With the continued rise of the NEC3 forms of contract and the intense pressure being placed on tender prices, the importance of the Compensation Event mechanism is becoming ever more significant.

13 January 2012: EU procurement thresholds are reviewed every two years. The new thresholds have been amended upwards and now apply from 1January 2012.

13 January 2012: Places are still available for a very important workshop on ‘How to avoid Tax Penalties’.

6 January 2012: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

6 January 2012: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has prepared a consultative document containing proposals for new Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012.

21 Devember 2011: The latest update of the CEF Environmental Law Register is now available on the CEF website for member's only.

15 December 2011: CEF has made its response to the Regional Development Committee on the consultation on the draft Programme for Government and the draft Investment Strategy.

21 December: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) will be closed from 12noon on Friday 23 December 2011 for the Christmas/New Year break and will re-open on Tuesday 3 January 2012 at 8.45am.

21 December 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) attended a meeting of the Planning Forum at the start of December.

21 December 2011: Invest NI is inviting Northern Ireland construction companies to its Exploring the Baltics event which is on 11 & 12 January 2012 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, The Gasworks, Belfast.

16 December 2011: The results of the CEF State of Trade Survey for the second quarter of 2011 were published today.

16 December 2011:A comprehensive review of the CSR one day health and safety programme has been completed.

15 December 2011: HSENI has published a consultative document containing proposals for the Control of Asbestos Regulations (NI) 2012.

14 December 2011: CEF today met with the NI Law Commission to discuss problems associated with multi unit developments.

8 December 2011: The Construction Export Forum met today. The guest speaker was Mervyn McCall, former Managing Director of Mivan Limited.

8 December 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met today with the key players in the social housing sector to discuss social housing standards and value for money.

2 December 2011: Employers are reminded that employee pension contributions to Enhance – Construction Pension Scheme Northern Ireland will commence from Monday 5 December 2011.

9 December 2011: Adverse weather conditions have a well-documented potential to affect the progress of construction operations.

9 December 2011: The National Trust is inviting expressions of interest from contractors to tender for a single contract to the Grade I Listed Mount Stewart House.

2 December 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) would like to alert its members to the following consultation documents that were released by the Northern Ireland Executive on 17 November 2011.

2 December 2011: In order to assist those firms who are applying for Safe-T-Cert accreditation, CEF can arrange a mentoring session to help the firm in its preparation for audit.

2 December 2011: The CEF State of Trade Survey for the third quarter of 2011 has been issued to all full members.

25 November 2011: The Construction Export Forum was launched by CEF on Thursday 3 November 2011 with the purpose of helping local construction companies and construction related businesses to obtain work outside Northern Ireland.

2 December 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

2 December 2011: The Department of the Environment has made statutory regulations to increase planning fees on and from 12 December 2011.

25 November 2011. CEF met with the Divisional Managers of DOE Planning today to discuss how to minimise delays in the processing of planning applications.

2 December 2011. At the latest meeting of the All Party Construction Group at Stormont, CEF presented a paper that highlighted official statistics from the Office for National Statistics and the Northern Ireland Statistics Research Agency.

23 November 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is encouraging all members to ensure that health and safety standards on construction sites are not allowed to slip as a result of cost cutting.

18 November 2011: The autumn 2011 round of CEF Local Association meetings concluded last week with another strong showing from our local political representatives.

9 November 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today expressed its disappointment at the decision of the Irish Government to withdraw £400m funding for the A5 upgrade.

25 November 2011: The Department of the Environment (DOE) has made statutory regulations to increase planning fees on and from 12 December 2011.

21 November 2011: The Department for Social Development is currently funding a pilot scheme which aims to make more new affordable homes available on a shared ownership basis to eligible buyers normally priced out of the housing market.

21 November 2011: Initial reaction by John Armstrong, Managing Director, Construction Employers Federation to the publication of the draft economic strategy, as published in the Belfast Telegraph 18 November 2011.

21 November 2011: CEF is alerting its members to a three day workshop that CITB-ConstructionSkills NI is facilitating at its offices from 29 November 2011 to 1 December 2011 on the development of common qualification units for the Green Deal.

16 November 2011: Opinion from John Armstrong, Managing Director, Construction Employers Federation, as published in the News Letter 15 November 2011:

10 November 2011: The Construction Employers Federation today responded in the Belfast Telegraph to a public letter from the Finance Minister in which he suggested that the Executive has done enough to help the construction sector.

11 November 2011: The Joint Council has agreed that employee contributions will be introduced from 5 December 2011.

11 November 2011: Northern Ireland Water has begun its winter publicity campaign to encourage all house holds to insulate water pipes against potential freezing. A leaflet has been distributed to all households.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) successfully launched the Autumn 2011 round of local association meetings last Friday in Ballymena and Limavady.

7 November 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is encouraging construction companies to make sure they are getting the most out of their insurances through a short seminar.

7 November 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) launched its Construction Export Forum last week.

7 November 2011: The Construction Employers Federation’s (CEF) legal partner Carson McDowell has produced a short summary of a consultation paper on proposed changes to the Environmental Impact regulations (NI) 1999.

2 November 2011: The Construction Employers Federation's (CEF) legal partner, Carson McDowell, has produced a legal article exclusively for CEF members on understanding bonds and guarantees.

7 November 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

3 November 2011: CEF today launched the Construction Export Forum to assist Northern Irish construction firms in winning work abroad. The Forum is supported by Invest NI and CITB-Constructionskills NI.

26 October 2011: The autumn round of the CEF Local Association meetings will be held during November 2011 at various locations across Northern Ireland.

3 November 2011: The introduction of employee contributions from 5 December 2011 requires you to issue a revised contract of employment.

31 October 2011: A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for employers will be available on the CEF website by Monday 31 October 2011.

26 October 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today welcomed the announcement that the NI Executive has made an additional £10m available to the Co-Ownership housing scheme for this financial year and for the following 3 years.

26 October 2011: Constructionline is running a ‘Meet the Buyer’ event which provides an opportunity for all suppliers of construction services to network with local buyers.

21 October 2011: Employers are reminded that the Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (NI) has decided to introduce employee pension contributions. Employees will contribute 1.5% of normal weekly pay from 5 December 2011.

21 October 2011: Under the Buildsafe 2011 Action Plan all employees with site management responsibilities must have received suitable health and safety training and be able to show evidence of this training through their CSR card or equivalent.

21 October 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is alerting its members to a Nuclear Supply Chain Awareness Seminar which has been organised by Invest NI.

21 October 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is launching a new initiative aimed at helping members to obtain work outside Northern Ireland.

19 October 2011: CEF has welcomed today’s announcement by the Minister for Social Development to launch the FirstBuyNI scheme which will help first time buyers to get a foot on the property ladder and stimulate new house building.

14 October 2011: The autumn round of the CEF Local Association meetings will be held during November 2011.

21 October 2011: Recently published data shows that the repair and maintenance sector is bucking the downward trend in construction output.

14 October 2011: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met last month to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

12 October 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met today with representatives of the Assembly’s Education Committee.

7 October 2011: The winners of the Construction Excellence Awards 2011 were announced in Belfast last night. Farrans Construction was revealed as the winner of the Overall Award.

7 October 2011: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (NI) has decided to promulgate on 7 October 2011 the decision to introduce employee pension contributions.

7 October 2011: The Environment Minister announced a number of working groups to draw up proposals on how to bring improvements to the current planning system.

5 October 2011: The Construction Contracts (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 has required the payer under every construction contract to give two notices, a payment notice and (if it wants to withhold any sum) a withholding notice.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) attended a meeting of the All Party Construction Group at Parliament Buildings earlier this month.

7 October 2011: The risk of a bad debt is a constant concern for companies trading locally or further afield.

5 October 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

9 September 2011: The General Contractors Committee met earlier in September.

CEF, as part of a CBI delegation, met with the Environment Minister today. The meeting was very productive.

30 September 2011: The latest calculation for the definition of Prime Cost is now available covering the period from September 2011 onwards.

30 September 2011: The increases to the National Minimum Wage rates are effective from Saturday 1 October 2011.

22 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met with the deputy chairman of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for Social Development.

29 September 2011: The latest update of the CEF Environmental Law Register is now available on the CEF website for member's only. If you are a member please login first which will enable you to download the document.

29 September 2011: There will be a small increase to the CSR card fee from 1 November 2011.

23 September 2011: Comment from John Armstrong, Managing Director, Construction Employers Federation: There is no doubt that the house building industry in Northern Ireland has been through a torrid time over the last four years.

21 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended the Planning Forum which is chaired by the Environment Minister, Alex Attwood MLA.

15 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met with senior officials from Health Estates Investment Group (HEIG) to discuss the capital programme.

13 September 2011: The Buildsafe 2011 Action Plan, published earlier this year, contains a number of important changes to health and safety policy that may significantly affect construction businesses across Northern Ireland.

8 September 2011: The shortlisted finalists for the CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards 2011 were showcased today at the Heritage Centre at the Belfast Sewers.

16 September 2011: Road traffic and safety legislation has changed significantly over recent years. CEF is giving companies the opportunity to find out about those changes and to ensure that they stay within the law.

9 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is warning employers that the Government is introducing changes making it compulsory for employers to pay money to a pension scheme for their employees.

5 September 2011: CEF continued its round of meetings with Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive today as a delegation met with Jonathan Bell and Martina Anderson, Junior Ministers of OFMDFM.

9 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is hosting an information seminar on the NIHE Response Maintenance contracts which have been recently advertised.

9 September 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

9 September 2011: The need for all Full Member’s to complete the CEF State of Trade survey is now greater than ever before. The survey results strengthen our lobbying on your behalf.

9 September 2011: CEF's legal partner, Carson & McDowell, has produced a legal article exclusively for CEF members on the important new obligations imposed upon all UK commercial organisations in relation to the giving or receiving of bribes.

22 August 2011: This week CEF met Edwin Poots, Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety to discuss his department's planned building programme and how it will be funded.

1 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation's (CEF) legal partner, Carson & McDowell, has produced a legal article exclusively for CEF members.

1 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Private Housing Committee met today.

01 September 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has arranged a breakfast briefing on Business Continuity Planning to be held on Thursday 22 September 2011.

24 June 2011: The Department of Finance & Personnel has issued some guidance on the revocation of the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme (ALCS) in relation to individual contracts.

16 August 2011: CEF met John O’Dowd, Minister for Education this week to discuss plans for the building and maintenance of the schools estate

26 August 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has arranged an introductory one-day course on the NEC3 contract for those involved in estimating to be held on 12 September 2011.

26 August 2011: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has launched a public consultation on the potential introduction of a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) in Northern Ireland.

26 August 2011: The CEF State of Trade Survey for the second quarter of 2011 has been issued to all full members.

5 August 2011: CEF is encouraging you to support a Queens University MSc student who is conducting a survey of the soft management skills of senior managers in the Northern Ireland construction industry.

19 August 2011: A new policy on the rating of empty houses has been introduced. From 1 October 2011 the same level of rates will be due on all domestic properties whether they are occupied or empty.

17 August 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with the Utilities Regulator last week to discuss problems relating to Northern Ireland Water and the private house building sector.

2 August 2011: CEF's legal partner, Carson & McDowell, has produced a legal article exclusively for CEF members on a beginners guide to Adjudication.

5 August 2011: There are significant insurance implications where the construction of new houses has been suspended.

12 August 2011: CEF is raising the understanding and awareness Health and Safety of Temporary works through a number of courses.

10 August 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is encouraging its members to help the Habitat for Humanity (Habitat) Build Big in Romania from 1 - 8 October 2011.

5 August 2011: The Federation’s Construction Directory of member firms has been launched on our website.

5 August 2011: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has prepared a consultative document containing proposals for establishing Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs).

5 August 2011: CEF’s new insurance partner Willis & Company has been named as a finalist in the 18th annual UK Broker Awards.

28 July 2011: CEF's legal partner, Carson & McDowell, has produced a legal article exclusively for CEF members on the problems and solutions relating to Intellectual Property Rights and Patents in the construction industry.

5 August 2011: Members are reminded that the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has a partnership with Action Cancer that enables the charity to offer their ‘Big Bus’ service to CEF members at a reduced price.

5 August 2011: CEF has arranged a contractual awareness course to be held on 5 September 2011.

3 August 2011: The Construction Holiday Pay Scheme is now online.

2 August 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London. Through the JTC we receive Tax Newsline updates. The full collection, together with special tax briefings can be seen here.

26 July 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

27 July 2011: Members are reminded that the Blue Book wage increase will take effect from Monday 1 August 2011.

28 July 2011: Phase 2 of proposals to replace the Building Regulations (NI) 2000 has been published. There will be 3 phased consultations in total.

28 July 2011: Members are reminded that the Federation provides a free consultancy service for Full and Associate members on all planning related issues.

27 July 2011: Making pension contributions for your employees is one of the most tax efficient ways of rewarding them.

20 July 2011: Figures published in the Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin for Quarter 1 2011 show a major fall in construction output.

27 July 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is alerting members to Invest NI’s Trade Mission to Istanbul, Turkey from 18 – 22 October 2011.

25 July 2011: The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has prepared a consultative document containing proposals to amend RIDDOR.

22 July 2011: The Irish Academy of Engineering (IAC) has published a report entitled The Cost Effective Delivery of Essential Infrastructure.

15 July 2011: The Industrial Training Levy (Construction Industry) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011 was made on 1 July 2011 and is due to come into operation on 31 August 2011.

5 July 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today met with Sammy Wilson, Finance Minister, to discuss the state of the local construction industry and measures that would boost activity.

22 July 2011: Enhance is the pension scheme for the construction industry in Northern Ireland. However that does not mean the pension scheme can only accept site workers.

22 July 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is alerting members to Invest NI’s trade mission to GREENBUILD 2011, the world’s largest conference dedicated to green building, which takes place in Toronto from 4-7 October 2011.

22 July 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is alerting members to Invest NI’s trade mission to BATIMAT, an international construction convention which takes place in Paris from 7-12 November 2011.

1 July 2011: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (NI) has promulgated the Industry Holidays 2012/13

4 July 2011: The Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (NI) has agreed that employer contributions to Enhance Construction Pension Scheme (NI) will change from the current flat rate contribution to a percentage rate.

1 July 2011: The consultation period on proposals to devolve the power to vary the rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland has been extended to 8 July 2011.

30 June 2011: The latest update of the CEF Environmental Law Register is now available on the CEF website.

30 June 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) attended a meeting of the Planning Forum on 29 June 2011. The Forum was chaired by the Minister for the Environment, Alex Attwood MLA.

The Construction Industry Forum established two task groups to undertake a review of the public sector construction procurement process.

24 June 2011: The need for all Full Member’s to complete the CEF State of Trade survey is now greater than ever before. The survey results strengthen our lobbying on your behalf.

24 June 2011: Nine local construction firms recently completed a unique high impact training programme entitled “Setting Direction” aimed at helping business leaders to set their strategic direction in the current challenging times.

24 June 2011: The are a few places still available on the CEF seminar ‘Environmental Law Update’ to be held between 9.30 am and 11.30 am on Tuesday 28 June 2011.

17 June 2011: The Northern Ireland Science Park has advised us of a tender opportunity for contractors with experience of marine works and working with or in proximity to scheduled buildings.

17 June 2011: Paladin Underwriting Agency has announced its withdrawal from the specialist construction market and will cease to accept new business or offer renewal with immediate effect.

17 June 2011: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate on Friday 10 June 2011 the following Amendment to Working Rule 6.

17 June 2011: Places are still available for the CEF’s short seminar on the Bribery Act to be held between 9.30 and 11.30am this Tuesday, 21 June 2011.

10 June 2011: The Cabinet Office has published a UK Construction Strategy on how to achieve full value for money from public sector construction

10 June 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) collates a wide range of statistics relating to the Northern Ireland Construction Industry.

10 June 2011: The UK government has issued a consultation document to seek views on how greenhouse gas emissions caused by businesses should be measured and reported.

10 June 2011: There are a few places left on the Foundation Course in Sustainable Building for Managers which is being held on 20th and 27th June 2011.

CEF is warning employers that the Government is introducing changes making it compulsory for employers to pay money to a pension scheme for their employees.

9 June 2011: The CEF State of Trade Survey for the first quarter of 2011 has been issued to all full members.

9 June 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

3 June 2011: CEF has arranged a seminar ‘Environmental Law Update’ which will be held on Tuesday 28 June 2011.

The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate on Friday 27 May 2011 the following decision on industry wages.

3 June 2011: The Department of the Environment has issued a consultation document entitled:

3 June 2011: The window of opportunity to enter this years Construction Excellence Awards is almost closed. However, we have extended the entry deadline for one category only – the award for Innovation.

3 June 2011: CEF has been notified by Roads Service that the method and procedures for providing electricity to developers’ street lighting control pillars will change from 6 June 2011.

3 June 2011: Invest NI is holding a seminar entitled Exploring Europe on Wednesday 8 June 2011 at the Ramada Hotel, Belfast.

27 May 2011: The Federation of Small Businesses in Northern Ireland has made a video recording with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Owen Patterson MP as part of the ongoing campaign to reduce corporation tax.

27 May 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Private Housing Committee met last week.

27 May 2011: The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has developed proposals for a revised draft Regional Transportation Strategy and is seeking your views.

The UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive have a common objective to rebalance the Northern Ireland economy, to increase the size of the private sector and to promote economic growth.

27 May 2011: A few remaining places are available on the popular CEF course Asphalt- Getting Best Value which will be held on Wednesday 8 June 2011.

27 May 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) recently wrote to the Utilities Regulator to complain about the lack of advance notice to the industry of an increase in the NIE connection charge for new housing developments.

20 May 2011: New offences created by the Bribery Act 2010 will come into force later this year.

20 May 2011: Members are reminded that the CEF Legal Hotline provides up to half an hour of free and prompt legal advice.

13 May 2011: CEF has launched a new insurance package for its members in co-operation with Willis and Company insurance brokers.

20 May 2011: Members are reminded that the Federation provides a free consultancy service for Full and Associate members on all planning related issues.

20 May 2011: As part of the reform of local government in Northern Ireland the Local Planning Division of the Department of the Environment has taken over operational responsibility for Development Plan and Development Management functions.

12 May 2011: The Consumer Code for Home Builders was introduced on 1 April 2010.

The CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards 2011 were officially launched today with the support of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP.

28 April 2011: The Federation has taken a very public approach as part of its lobbying campaign in the run up to the Assembly elections on the 5 May 2011.

6 May 2011: At the meeting of the Construction Industry Forum in February the Buildsafe NI Action Plan 2011 was approved. The plan is now available to download from the CPD website.

6 May 2011: Invest NI is inviting construction companies from Northern Ireland to participate in a Trade Mission to the Baltic States from 4 – 9 September 2011.

5 May 2011: The US Consulate in Belfast is seeking expressions of interest from companies that wish to bid for two separate small projects.

6 May 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

4 May 2011: As part of an awareness raising campaign in advance of the Assembly elections 2011, CEF has reviewed the manifestos of the five main political parties to establish where they stand on issues affecting the local construction industry.

4 May 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has been informed by the Apex Procurement Group about a number of tender opportunities available throughout Northern Ireland.

22 April 2011: CEF has launched a new Insurance Package and Advice Line which is exclusive to CEF members.

20 April 2011: The Construction Industry Group (CIG) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) today launched a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which sets out best practice guidance on archaeological matters relating to construction sites.

22 April 2011: A recent survey indicates that CEF members would like the Federation to provide support to expand in or enter markets outside Northern Ireland.

20 April 2011: CEF has issued a stark warning that the new Northern Ireland Assembly must take early and decisive action if it is to halt the devastating decline in construction activity.

22 April 2011: The Federation has arranged a seminar to be held on 24 May 2011 to update members on the forthcoming Bribery Act which will come into force later this year.

The Call for Entries for the Construction Excellence Awards 2011 is due to be launched next week to start the journey of identifying the best performing companies and most outstanding projects recently completed in Northern Ireland.

18 April 2011: At the Annual General Meeting of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) held today,

20 April 2011: The latest calculation for the definition of Prime Cost is now available covering the period from April 2011 onwards.

The Department of the Environment has announced that from 1 April 2011, the six Planning Divisions of the Planning Service have been reorganised into five Planning Areas.

15 April 2011: The first quarter update of the CEF Environmental Law Register is now available on the CEF website

15 April 2011: This week, the Health and Safety Executive highlighted a contractor’s legal duty to appoint a competent Temporary Works Co-ordinator.

15 April 2011: The aim of the Environmental Better Regulation White Paper is to set out a range of proposals to reduce the regulatory burden on business.

15 April 2011: The level of death benefit provided through the Enhance pension scheme has changed to £30,000.

15 April 2011: The Department of the Environment has published a draft Planning Policy Statement 2 (Revised): Natural Heritage.

12 April 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has had discussions with the Group Chief Building Control Officers (CBCO’s) in relation to the issue of type approvals for building control approval.

15 April 2011: New Planning Fees Regulations came into operation on 11th April 2011.

This week over ninety delegates from the construction industry learned how to prepare their company for the sweeping changes to pension laws.

11 April 2011: The Department of the Environment has recently published a discussion document on its proposed Environment Strategy for Northern Ireland.

11 April 2011: CITB-ConstructionSkills NI has announced the following two new grants to help employers with the cost of engaging apprentices.

11 April 2011: The Department of the Environment is seeking views on proposals arising from the publication of a White Paper on Enabling Legislation for National Parks.

11 April 2011: The Department of the Environment has published a draft Supplementary Planning Guidance to promote quality in sustainable building practices and architectural design in the countryside.

11 April 2011: The Annual General Meeting for Full members of the Construction Employers Federation will be held at the Federation’s headquarters 143 Malone Road, Belfast at 1.00pm on Monday 18 April 2011.

1 April 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has updated its Soil Exchange webpage. CEF is encouraging members to reuse surplus uncontaminated soil from construction activities in accordance with good environmental practice.

29 March 2011: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met today to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

1 April 2011: The final two Local Association meetings for Spring 2011 are scheduled for next Friday, 8 April 2011. Book your places today to one of these free events.

29 March 2011: The Federation’s General Contractors Committee met today. The main focus for discussion was the Federation’s initiatives for assisting members in finding work outside Northern Ireland.

The Spring round of Local Associations began today with meetings being held in both Newry and Omagh.

31 March 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

25 March 2011: CEF urges the industry to show leadership in keeping sites safe by training from the top down.

25 March 2011: The Federation responded to the government consultation on Site Waste Management Plans by the closing date of 11 March 2011.

25 March 2011: Invest NI is inviting construction companies to participate in a six day Trade Mission to Slovenia and Hungary from 19 – 24 June 2011.

25 March 2011: Following consultation with industry representatives from the Northern Ireland branch IOSH, CSR is introducing a new card for health and safety practitioners.

25 March 2011: Members are advised that the Annual General Meeting of the Construction Employers Federation will be held in 143 Malone Road, Belfast, at 1.00 pm on Monday 18 April 2011 immediately after the Federation Council Meeting.

25 March 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has made a response to the public consultation on the 10 year review of the Regional Development Strategy (RDS).

18 March 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is encouraging all members to ensure that health and safety standards on construction sites are not allowed to slip as a result of cost cutting.

18 March 2011: As clients are increasingly using the NEC suite of contracts, the Construction Employers Federation is encouraging members to build their knowledge of the NEC3 Short Contract at a training course to be held on 6 April 2011.

18 March 2011: The Construction Employer Federation (CEF) has continued its work to reduce waste by hosting a workshop for designers on practical ways to design out waste in construction projects.

18 March 2011: CEF members are invited to attend a free workshop on the Aggregates Quality Protocol for Northern Ireland next week.

11 March 2011:The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has today issued clarification on the question of whether there will be an additional day’s holiday in 2011 due to the Royal Wedding.

8 March 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) gave a presentation today to a wide range of government construction clients on the industry’s view of public procurement.

4 March 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is seeking your views on working outside Northern Ireland.

11 March 2011: The need for all Full Member’s to complete the CEF State of Trade survey is now greater than ever before. The survey results strengthen our lobbying on your behalf.

11 March 2011: The Spring round of Local Association Meetings have been scheduled for 24 March 2011 and 8 April 2011.

11 March 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has submitted a response to the consultation on local government reform.

4 March 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has expressed its disappointment that the final budget does not provide a platform for sustainable economic growth in Northern Ireland.

4 March 2011: Invest NI is inviting construction companies to participate in a Trade Mission to Poland and the Czech Republic from 8-13 May 2011.

4 March 2011: The Department of Education has provided the following update on the schools projects contained in the Minister’s announcement of 5 August 2010.

4 March 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

3 March 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) met with Health Estates Investment Group (HEIG) on 10 February 2011.

3 March 2011: The Spring round of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Local Association meetings will be taking place during March and April 2011.

23 February 2011: The Construction Industry Forum met today for the first time in 2011. The Forum, chaired by the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD), is the official structure for strategic liaison between government officials and the industry.

23 February 2011: The Construction Employers Federation held separate meetings today with the policy advisors from three of the main political parties.

24 February 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today responded to the Northern Ireland Executive’s consultation on the Economic Strategy: Priorities for Sustainable Growth and Prosperity.

14 February 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) this week issued its response to the draft Budget 2011-15.

18 February 2011: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) is spending over £26m this year in grant aid to home owners for extensions and adaptations to their homes.

18 February 2011: John Armstrong, Managing Director of CEF, has conducted a number of interviews with the broadcast media in the last week.

18 February 2011: The CEF State of Trade Survey for the final quarter of 2010 has been issued to all full members.

17 February 2011. The Federation’s Private Housing Committee met today. One of the items discussed was the recent meeting with the Regulator on the N I Water Statement of Charges for 2011/12.

16 February 2011. The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) attended a meeting today of the External Working Group on the Review of the Regional Development Strategy (RDS).

11 February 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has prepared its response to the draft budget 2011-15.

7 February 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today hosted a business awareness morning to promote the benefits of Action Cancer’s Big Bus facility.

8 February 2011: The Construction Employers Federation today attended a specially convened meeting of the All Party Construction group at Assembly Buildings, Stormont, to discuss the draft budget.

11 February 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has updated its Environmental Toolbox Talks which can only be downloaded by CEF members.

20 January 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Social Housing Committee held its first meeting of 2011 today at which the agenda for the year ahead was agreed.

1 February 2011: A new coalition of eight of Northern Ireland’s leading business organisations has jointly produced a manifesto ahead of the Assembly Elections and the new Programme for Government.

11 February 2011: The Federation has launched a new one day course called NEC3 Short Contracts to be held on 24 February 2011.

4 February 2011: The Construction Employers Federation met today with Alex Attwood, Minister for Social Development to discuss the implications of the draft budget for social housing.

28 January 2011: Each of the twelve Government Departments was required to publish their individual draft budgets. The final Departmental budget was published on 21 January 2011.

4 February 2011: Ten of Northern Ireland’s leading construction companies are taking part in a new training programme, which aims to improve business sustainability in Northern Ireland’s construction sector.

4 February: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has announced that it will be hosting the Project Management Fundamentals Programme in March 2011.

4 February 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee (JTC) which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

21 January 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today hosted the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia, HE Mr. Iztok Jarc as he appointed Suzanne Hill as Honorary Consul for Slovenia in Northern Ireland.

28 January 2011: The Construction Employers Federation is calling on members to review the NI Executive’s Consultation on Priorities for Sustainable Growth and Prosperity and provide feedback to help inform the Federation’s response.

21 January 2011: The new guidance on the regulation of greenfield soil, launched in June 2010 by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and CEF, has been updated.

18 January 2011: The General Contractors Committee met today to discuss the draft budgets from the Departments of Education and Health;

28 January 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) raised much needed funds for Action Cancer at the recent Construction Excellence Awards Gala Evening at the Culloden Hotel.

21 January 2011: The Federation has been asked for its comments on the enforcement policy of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations and the explanatory guidance.

21 January 2011. The Federation met recently with senior officials from the Planning Service to discuss proposals to address the current backlog of planning applications.

11 January 2011: This week CEF published the State of Trade results for the third quarter of 2010.

21 January 2011: All of the Northern Ireland Government departments have now published their draft spending and saving proposals.

21 January 2011: The Planning Service has published two important consultation papers.

12 January 2011: The Department of Education has provided the following update on the schools projects contained in the Minister’s announcement of 5 August 2010.

12 January 2011: Members are reminded that your CEF annual subscription is now due.

12 January 2011: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today attended the first meeting of the Planning Forum at Parliament Buildings.

7 January 2011: CEF has been advised by the Planning Service that Minister Poots has decided to prioritise actions to reduce the backlog of major planning applications in the planning system.

13 January 2011: The government proposes to make site waste management plans (SWMPs) a legal requirement for construction and demolition projects in Northern Ireland.

12 January 2011: The Department for Regional Development has published a consultation paper on the Review of the Regional Development Strategy (RDS).

7 January 2011: As we all begin to make plans for 2011, the Federation is alerting all members to forthcoming courses on two areas of training that remain at the heart of construction – Health and Safety and NEC contracts.

7 January 2011: CEF has welcomed the news that Enhance, the pension scheme for the construction industry in Northern Ireland, will not only meet but exceed the new pension requirements to be introduced from October 2012.

7 January 2011: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

7 January 2011: In November 2010 the Department of the Environment published a consultation paper proposing significant changes in planning fees.

7 January 2011: The UK Government has recently published a report of an investigation into how to reduce the costs of delivering civil engineering works for major infrastructure projects.

15 December 2010: The Construction Employers Federation has commended the Executive for taking a long term approach and for proposing measures which will deliver a tangible social and economic return.

17 December 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is seeking your initial response to a government consultation on Site Waste Management Plan Regulations.

17 December 2010: CEF reminds all members that annual subscriptions received by 21 December 2010 will only be liable for VAT at 17.5%. Subscriptions received after that date will be liable to 20% VAT.

10 December 2010: The Department of Education has provided the following update on the 13 new build schools announced on 5 August 2010.

10 December 2010: The construction Employers Federation (CEF) gave a presentation last week to the Environment Minister, Edwin Poots and the Better Regulation Board.

30 November 2010: CEF has welcomed the announcement by the Environment Minister Edwin Poots MLA that the Northern Ireland Executive has agreed to proceed with reforming the planning system.

3 December 2010: After 28 years of providing the industry with pension and death benefit the Construction Benefits Scheme (CBS) has been wound up in a solvent position.

30 November 2010. The Federation today met with members of the Assembly’s Health Committee.

3 December 2010: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

26 November 2010: The CEF Sustainability Forummet on 16 November to review progress against its key aims for 2010 and to discuss current environmental issues.

26 November 2010: The Department of the Environment published a consultation paper proposing significant changes in planning fees.

23 November 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today had a private meeting with Tom Elliot, the newly appointed leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).

19 November 2010: The suspension of the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme from 1st December 2010 raises particular issues for construction contractors.

25 November 2010: It is now over a month since the cuts to public expenditure were announced in the UK-wide spending review.

8 October 2010: The winners of the CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards 2010 were announced last night. Guest of Honour, Minister for Finance & Personnel, Sammy Wilson, revealed Morgan Farrans Joint Venture as the winner of the Overall Award.

22 October 2010: So far the meetings have once again proved to be a useful opportunity for members to discuss the issues affecting their businesses with CEF staff and local political representatives.

3 November 2010: The CEF’s autumn Local Association meetings continue to attract a high level of political support.

12 November 2010: The Federation carries out regular visits to member firms.

11 November 2010:The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today gave evidence to the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee at the Northern Ireland Assembly.

12 November 2010:The need for all Full Member’s to complete the CEF State of Trade survey is now greater than ever before. The survey results strengthen our lobbying on your behalf.

10 November 2010: It has been brought to our attention by Homes for Scotland that in July 2010 the Financial Services Authority (FSA) published a consultation on proposals to review the UK Mortgage Market.

12 November 2010: The final Local Association meeting of the autumn season was held today at the CEF Headquarters. There was an excellent turnout from members.

18 November 2010: The CEF Private Housing Committee met today to discuss the major issues affecting the private house building industry.

19 November 2010: It is important that every construction company is aware of all environmental legislation affecting its business.

19 November 2010: In the face of tough times for the construction industry in Northern Ireland, the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is seeking to help employers reduce their costs whilst benefiting their employees at the same time.

19 November 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is urging the construction industry to fully comply with the new 'Guidance on the Sustainable Re-use of Greenfield Soil in Construction'.

19 November 2010: The Construction Industry Group (CIG) arranged a workshop attended by the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) earlier in the year to discuss a Sustainable Construction Strategy for Northern Ireland.

29 October 2010: The Department of Education has provided the following update on the 13 new build schools announced on 5 August 2010.

5 November 2010: The renewal requirements for CSR cards have been reviewed by the Scheme.

26 October 2010: The Federation, as part of a Construction Industry Group delegation, met today with the recently appointed construction spokespersons from each of the political parties.

5 November 2010: The tutors David McComb and Damien Cambell are pictured on the far left. Barry Neilson, CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland, and Mark Browne, CEF Project Manager, are pictured on the far right.

5 November 2010: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

5 November 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has today welcomed the DUP’s proposals to boost capital investment levels in response to the reduction in the block grant announced as part of the Spending Review on 20 October 2010.

29 October 2010. The Federation has had further discussions with the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) to develop a policy on Random Selection.

29 October 2010: The need for every Full Member to complete the CEF State of Trade survey is now greater than ever before. The survey results strengthen our lobbying on your behalf.

29 October. The Federation was advised by HM Revenue & Customs on 26 October that the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme (ALCS) in Northern Ireland is to be suspended with effect from 1 December 2010.

29 October 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has submitted a response to the consultation on phase 1 of the Building Regulations 2011.

26 October 2010: The CEF Civil Engineering Committee met today to discuss the current issues facing the civil engineering sector of the Northern Ireland construction industry.

20 October 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has called on the Northern Ireland Executive to take decisive action to minimise the impact of the cuts to capital investment which appear to be in excess of 30%.

14 October 2010: The autumn round of CEF Local Association Meetings commenced today in Newry. Danny Kennedy MLA and Councillor Jimmy McCreesh were in attendance to listen directly to members’ concerns.

15 October 2010: Last week each of the five main political parties in Northern Ireland nominated spokespersons for the construction industry.

15 October 2010: The Construction Employers Federation has today given a cautious welcome to the commitment given by Secretary of State, Owen Patterson, that capital investment levels of £18bn will be achieved over the ten years to 2018.

15 October 2010: The Construction Employers Federation will be responding to the first of three planned phases of consultation on changes to the Building Regulations by 27 October 2010.

5 October 2010: CEF, as part of a CIG initiative, has today contacted every MLA to impress upon them the need for collective responsibility and quick decisions as our Politicians engage in debate on the future Northern Ireland budget.

8 October: A group of 13 managers attended the first day of a new two day foundation course in sustainable construction on Monday.

1 October 2010: There has been a good response so far to booking places for the autumn round of Local Association meetings that will take place in October and November 2010.

29 September 2010: CEF met with three of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committees this week to heighten awareness of the social and economic impacts of cuts to public expenditure on building and maintaining our infrastructure.

8 October 2010: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London. Through the JTC we receive Tax Newsline updates.

22 September 2010: CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland and the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) today held the first workshop in a programme to help local construction firms steer a safe course through the current economic storm.

1 October 2010: Comment from John Armstrong, Managing Director, Construction Employers Federation, as published in the Newsletter 28 September 2010.

29 September 2010: The Winning Construction Contracts Abroad course commenced today with the first of six workshops.

1 October 2010: The increases to the National Minimum Wage rates are effective from today.

1 October 2010: A very successful seminar was held at the CEF on Thursday 30 September on best practice in the adoption of sewers in private housing developments.

28 September 2010: The Federation has made a submission to the DOE on the current review of PPS 15 recently announced by the Planning Minister, Edwin Poots MLA.

24 September 2010: The autumn round of Local Association meetings will take place in October and November 2010.

24 September 2010: The results of the CEF State of Trade Survey for the second quarter of 2010 were published today.

22 September 2010: The Federation recently met with the Utilities Regulator to express concern over the methodology used by Northern Ireland Water to calculate bond values, its unit cost charges and the connection charges for private housing developments.

Earlier this week CEF met with Alex Attwood, the Minister for Social Development. Issues discussed at the meeting included funding for social housing, procurement, product specification and sustainable housing.

24 September 2010: Construction companies interested in working in eastern Europe are invited to make contact with Invest NI about up-coming trade missions.

24 September 2010: To view a copy of the September Newsletter from the Construction Skills Register click on the Link below.

24 September 2010: The Planning Service has announced that it is continuing to roll out its ePIC computer system to its Divisional Planning Offices from 27 September 2010.

14 September 2010: The Federation today met with the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) and other senior officials to discuss the public funding outlook for Northern Ireland.

17 September 2010: The current deferral of all Joint Council agreed wage increases remains in place.

17 September 2010: The Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (NI) has decided the holidays for the construction industry in 2011/12.

17 September 2010. The department of Education has provided the Federation with a progress report on the 13 schools recently announced by the Education Minister.

17 September 2010: CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland has joined with the CEF to launch a new foundation course in sustainable construction aimed at managers which starts on 4 October 2010.

9 September 2010: This week the Construction Employers Federation held its Showcase of Finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2010.

10 September 2010: The Federation, in partnership with CITB ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland, has arranged an 8 day programme called ‘Winning Construction Contracts Abroad” starting on Wednesday 29 September.

10 September 2010: The National Minimum Wage rates will increase from 1 October 2010.

10 September 2010: The Federation in conjunction with QPANI is continuing discussions with NIEA to improve the arrangements for the engagement of archaeologists, in order to fulfil planning conditions.

31 August 2010: The CEF has warned the devolved administration that swingeing cuts to the public building programme would most likely result in job losses from the industry topping the 30,000 mark.

3 September 2010: The Federation is running a half day course on 22 September 2010 in partnership with CITB ConstructionSkills NI to help firms increase their chances of prequalifying for construction tenders.

3 September 2010: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

1 September 2010: The Federation met today with the Regional Development Committee at Stormont.

2 September 2010: Federation members are reminded that the CEF Legal Hotline provides free and prompt legal advice.

2 September 2010: You are reminded that the Federation provides a free consultancy for Full and Associate members on planning issues.

26 November 2010: CEF, as part of a Construction Industry Group delegation, met Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson.

6 October 2010: The Federation today gave evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Finance and Personnel Committee.

7 October 2010. We understand that the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme (ALCS) in Northern Ireland is under review.

27 August 2010: On 5 August 2010 it was announced that the Department of Education had been awarded an additional £23million for the schools building programme for the rest of the current financial year.

27 August 2010: The Federation launched the new Business Improvement Programme today in partnership with CITB ConstructionSkills.

27 August 2010: The Co-Ownership Housing Association recently announced that it will not be operating a quota based system for applications during September and October 2010.

27 August 2010: The Building Guarantee Scheme (BGS) has put its application forms online

18 August 2010: The Federation today met with Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) to discuss the use of random selection at the prequalification stage of procurement

27 August 2010; The University of Ulster’s Real Estate Initiative has published a report on Mortgage Market Liquidity in Northern Ireland.

At the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) we are always looking at new ways of helping our members.

The Construction Employers Federation met with the Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, to discuss the role of the construction industry in the local economy.

Environment Minister Edwin Poots has announced his intention to review planning policy for flood risk in PPS 15.

13 August 2010: A number of calls have been received recently enquiring about next year’s industry holidays.

CEF has welcomed the recent announcement by the Education Minister that an additional 6 August 2010: £23million has been made available to the Department of Education for school building projects during the rest of the financial year.

6 August 2010: The Federation’s Construction Directory of member firms was launched on our website at the beginning of June 2010.

6 August 2010: Employers can now access their employees’ CSR records on our on-line CSR database.

23 July 2010: Contact us on 028 9087 7149 to find out how we can save you up to 15% on your annual holiday pay bill.

6 August 2010: CEF Full and Associate members are reminded to take advantage of the Federation’s legal hotline if they require guidance on any construction related legal matter.

8 July 2010: The need for every Full Member to complete the CEF State of Trade survey is now greater than ever before. The survey results strengthen our lobbying on your behalf.

30 July 2010: The Federation would like to draw its member’s attention to possible job opportunities relating to the London2012 Olympic Games.

30 July 2010: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

20 July 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) raised a number of issues of concern at today’s meeting of the Constructionline Advisory Forum.

8 July 2010: The Construction Employers Federation has launched itsGreening Construction programme to support companies in becoming certified with the international environmental management system standard ISO 14001.

5 July 2010: Following today’s meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council CEF has welcomed both Governments’ focus on the need to continue developing infrastructure on the island.

6 July 2010: The Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) is consulting on a draft revised Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland – Success Through Skills 2.

6 July 2010: The Social Housing Committee of the Construction Employers Federation met with the senior officials from the Department of Social Development on 25 June 2010 to discuss issues regarding new build social housing.

2 July 2010: The short listed finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2010 were announced today following the first round of judging in which over 100 entries were rigorously assessed.

5 July 2010: CEF, as part of a Construction Industry Group (CIG) delegation, attended a meeting of the Northern Ireland Assembly Construction Group last week.

11 June 2010: The Federation met last week with senior officials from DHSSPS Health Estates Investment Group (HEIG) and with The Department of Education last month to discuss their budget and programme.

2 July 2010: The Federation met with senior Officials from DRD Roads Service to discuss road bonds and other related matters

02 July 2010: Construction First Holiday Pay Scheme is now online as part of the roll out of our Web Enabled Systems.

1 July 2010: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London. Through the JTC we receive Tax Newsline updates.

30 June 2010: Following on from our News Update article on 11 June 2010 ‘Opportunities to Help Rebuild Haiti’ the Federation has received notification that a briefing session for interested companies will take place on 8 July 2010 in London.

25 June 2010: Environment Minister Edwin Poots launched guidance yesterday that will help to safely reuse soil from construction sites.

23 June 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has today given a qualified welcome to the emergency budget delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Tuesday.

The Federation is launching full details of ‘Greening Construction, ISO14001 in easy steps’ on Wednesday 30 June 2010.

25 June 2010: The Federation’s Construction Directory of member firms has been launched on our website.

25 June 2010: Through the Joint Taxation Committee, administered by Liz Bridge in London the Federation has received a special Emergency Budget 2010 Briefing Paper.

18 June 2010: CEF has warned all Government Departments that cutting the budget for building and maintaining our infrastructure would not only result in further job losses but would stymie Northern Ireland’s economic recovery.

18 June 2010. The Federation would like to congratulate all those CEF members who recently picked up gold, silver and bronze awards at the recent Considerate Constructors National Site Awards 2010.

18 June 2010: 40 delegates attended a two hour quick overview of the NEC3 form of contact at the CEF on Tuesday 15th June.

18 June 2010. Members are advised that the Planning Service will be rolling out a new computer system to Belfast Division and Planning Service Headquarters during the week beginning 21 June 2010.

11 June 2010: Wages discussions are on hold until September 2010.

There are plans to spend £1.86bn on construction projects in Haiti over the next 18 months as work begins to rebuild the country following the devastating earthquake in January.

28 May 2010: There was an excellent turn out at the CEF Simplifying Procurement Roadshow which was held last week in Newry, Antrim and Omagh with a total of 330 delegates attending.

30 April 2010: At the Federation Council AGM, which was held on the 19 April 2010 the Federation elected a new President, Mark Lowry of Farrans (Construction) Ltd and also a new Vice President, Derek Martin of H&J Martin Ltd.

4 June 2010: The UK Technology Strategy Board (TSB) launched a new competition last Tuesday 25 May called ‘Design for Future Climate’.

3 June 2010: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

28 May 2010: The Construction Industry Group held an information workshop on Tuesday 25 May 2010 to discuss problems associated with Archaeological surveys.

28 May 2010: Acceptance of entries for the Construction Excellence Awards 2010 has now closed.

24 May 2010: The Department of Finance and Personnel has revealed that the cuts announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer will mean that the Northern Ireland Executive will have to cut an additional £128m from the budget.

28 May 2010: A new service has been launched by Constructionline whereby main contractors can have all of their subcontractors in their supply chain assessed and accredited by Constructionline.

A number of training organisations in Northern Ireland are actively promoting the CSCS scheme as a ‘cheaper and quicker’ alternative to CSR.

21 May 2010: The Northern Ireland assembly Committee for Finance & Personnel will be considering the Construction Contracts (Amendment) Bill in the Assembly.

21 May 2010: CEF has today published the full results of the State of Trade survey for the first quarter of 2010. A summary of some of the key findings is provided below.

Don’t miss your chance to enter the 2010 CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards.

14 May 2010: Official Government figures published this week show that the increase in the number of construction workers claiming unemployment benefits has come to a halt.

21 May 2010: The CEF and the Law Society have jointly developed a standard house building agreement for use by builders’ and purchasers’ solicitors for new build houses.

21 May 2010: The Construction Employers Federation is continually updating and improving its web systems for the benefit of its members.

21 May 2010: On 8 March 2010 CIG met with DOE Minister Edwin Poots MLA to discuss the problems experienced by developers and quarry owners when archaeological surveys are required as a condition of planning permission.

7 May 2010: The Construction Employers Federation is now accepting entries for the 2010 CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards.

7 May 2010: The Construction Employers Federation has prepared a short summary table showing the revised net capital investment budgets for each Government Department for 2010/11.

7 May 2010: Bookings for the three venues in Antrim, Newry and Omagh have been filling rapidly with contractors, consultants and clients. You will need to book soon to ensure you secure your place.

The four main political parties attended the CEF Bricks and Mortar Politics Public Debate on Wednesday evening at Queen’s University Belfast.

7 May 2010: The CEF is a member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London. Through the JTC we receive Tax Newsline updates. The full collection, together with special tax briefings can be seen here

30 April 2010: A reminder to all Full and Subsidiary members that completed State of Trade Surveys for Quarter 1 2010 must be returned to the Federation by 28 April 2010.

30 April 2010: Environment Minister, Edwin Poots MLA was the principal guest at the 2010 CEF Annual Dinner held at the Dunadry Hotel on 23 April.

22 April 2010: The Federation encourages everyone connected to the construction industry to put some of the following questions to the candidates for election in your constituency.

12 April 2010: The Construction Employers Federation met with Conor Murphy, Minister for Regional Development, to discuss budgets, future work opportunities and procurement issues.

16 April 2010: Applications will soon be invited for the CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards 2010.

16 April 2010: As your Federation, it is essential that we maintain a close watch on developments in the local construction industry so that we can speak with authority, react to your needs and provide strong leadership.

16 April 2010: We are pleased to announce that employers can now access their employees’ CSR records on our on-line CSR database.

9 April 2010: CEF is asking everybody in Northern Ireland affected by the downturn in the construction industry what questions they would like to put to the leaders of the local parties in advance of the general election.

16 April 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is asking all members what questions they would like to put to the leaders of the local parties in advance of the general election.

8 March 2010. The Construction Industry Group met with the Environment Minister, Edwin Poots MLA to discuss the problems experienced by developers when archaeological surveys are required as a condition of planning permission.

8 April 2010: Action Cancer today praised the generosity of the members of the Construction Employers Federation as they thanked John Armstrong for the fundraising efforts of the organisation.

2 April 2010: The Minister for the Environment, Edwin Poots MLA published on Friday 26 March 2010 the Government’s Response to the Planning Reform Consultation.

2 April 2010: The following statement has been prepared by the Federation’s insurance partners, Kerry London.

1 April 2010: The CEF met recently with senior officials from Roads Service to discuss a number of issues affecting the private house building sector.

30 March 2010: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met today to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

1 April 2010: The final Spring Local Association Meeting took place today at the Seagoe Hotel, Portadown. David Simpson MP, MLA, John O’Dowd MLA and Delores Kelly MLA attended the meeting.

The Antrim Local Association met today at the Galgorm Manor Hotel, Ballymena. Mitchel McLaughlin MLA and Ian Paisley Jnr MLA attended the meeting.

26 March 2010: The following commentary on the Budget has been prepared by Grant Thornton, the Federation’s Tax and Business Advice partners.

25 March 2010: A building firm has been fined £5,000 this month after a worker was injured and trapped for more than two hours when the trench he was in collapsed.

26 March 2010: The Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) recently published an update on the Buildsafe-NI Initiative on their website advising that new procedures for the assessment of contractors’ competence in health & safety had been developed.

17 March 2010: Official Government figures published today show a small increase in the number of construction workers claiming unemployment benefits.

19 March 2010: CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland has produced a range of four occupation specific health and safety booklets for employees in the construction industry.

The Consumer Code applies to Home Buyers who, on or after 1st April 2010, reserve to buy a new or newly converted Home built by a Home Builder under the insurance protection of one of the supporting Home Warranty Bodies.

12 March 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has welcomed the call issued by Finance Minister Sammy Wilson that the Executive needs to take some difficult decisions about economic policy.

12 March 2010: The government published a consultation ‘False Self Employment in Construction: Taxation of Workers’ in July 2009.

25 February 2010: There has already been significant interest in booking places for the next round of Local Association meetings.

11 March 2010: The Down Local Association met today at the Canal Court Hotel, Newry. Danny Kennedy MLA and Councillor Mick Murphy attended the meeting.

12 March 2010: The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) will take over €4.8b worth of Northern Irish loans from First Trust/AIB, Bank of Ireland, Anglo Irish and several other Irish financial institutions starting this month.

The Fermanagh and Tyrone Local Association met today at the Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen. Tommy Gallagher MLA and Tom Elliot MLA attended the meeting.

5 March 2010: The Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) wishes to raise awareness of the management of mental health issues in the workplace.

26 February 2010: WARNING:- A number of training organisations in Northern Ireland are actively promoting the CSCS scheme as a ‘cheaper and quicker’ alternative to CSR.

5 March 2010: The CEF is member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London. Through the JTC we receive Tax Newsline updates.

23 February 2010: The Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Finance and Personnel has published its report on the Inquiry into Public Procurement in Northern Ireland

Official government figures have revealed that during January 2010 the number of construction workers claiming unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland increased by 805.

19 February 2010: Employers should be aware that card schemes are operating in Northern Ireland which allow operatives to obtain a skills card without undertaking any health and safety training.

19 February 2010: Offshore Wind is creating some of the largest infrastructure projects in the world with a potential market investment of over £100 billion. With this comes tens of thousands of jobs.

19 February 2010: The Federation held its first seminar on Drugs and Alcohol in the workplace on Tuesday 16 February 2010.

As a result of the current upsurge in the theft of contractor’s plant, the PSNI Crime Prevention Branch has asked the Federation to draw attention to some simple guidance that can improve site security.

12 February 2010: Recently published figures from NHBC show that there were more new housing starts in 2009 than in 2008.

8 February 2010: The Utility Regulator has published its ruling on NI Water’s business plan for 2010 to 2013.

The results of the CEF state of trade survey for the final quarter of 2009 indicate that for many companies the downturn in construction is far from over.

In light of the growing unemployment within the construction industry CEF has called upon each of the political parties to inform the electorate of their plans to assist the industry.

5 February 2010: The competition for the Department for Employment and Learning’s (DEL) Apprentice of the Year Award 2010 has begun.

5 February 2010: CEF, in conjunction with DEL and CITB, has launched an Experienced Worker Practical Assessment Pilot Scheme to allow experienced tradesmen to achieve an NVQ Level 2.

5 February 2010: With the increase of drug abuse and alcohol dependence in our workforce, there is a legal requirement to manage this problem in order to protect colleagues.

Official Government figures released today show that the number of construction workers claiming unemployment benefit increased by a further 385 during December 2009. This brings the total number of construction claimants to 13,245.

29 January 2010: The CEF today met with the Permanent Secretary of the DFP and the Director of the CPD to discuss the potential to use private finance to deliver public construction projects.

1 February 2010: The CEF is member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

18 January 2010: The Construction Employers Federation has made an initial response to the draft standardised template for prequalification questionnaires.

18 January 2010: Last week the Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, published the Northern Ireland Executive’s draft revised spending plans for 2010/11.

22 January 2010: The spring round of Location Association meetings have been scheduled for March and April 2010.

22 January 2010: A reminder to all Full and Subsidiary members that completed State of Trade Surveys for Quarter 4 2009 must be returned to the Federation by 22 January 2010.

15 January 2010: On Friday 8th January 2010, NHBC revealed the ‘Pride in the Job’ Supreme winners for 2009 at a gala ceremony held at the Lancaster London, hotel.

15 January 2010: Titanic Quarter is one of Europe's largest waterfront developments situated on a 185-acre site on the banks of Belfast's river Lagan.

15 January 2010: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is supporting the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA) drive to add to its register of people interested in becoming Voluntary Board Members for a housing association.

The Federation has written to the DOE Minister, Edwin Poots to propose that the time limit on concessionary planning fees is waived and to extend the lifespan of current approvals.

8 January 2010: As your Federation, it is essential that we maintain a close watch on developments in the local construction industry so that we can speak with authority, react to your needs and provide strong leadership.

8 January 2010: The Northern Ireland Environment Agency is coordinating a Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) working party.

8 January 2010: The CEF is member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

Wednesday 16 December 2009: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has decided to promulgate on Tuesday 15 December 2009 the following update on the deferral of the wage increase.

17 December 2009: The Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland recently launched a campaign to raise awareness of the risks posed by Asbestos

17 December 2009. The Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his Pre Budget Report on Wednesday 9 December.

17 December 2009: The latest unemployment figures for the construction industry show an increase of 145 claimants since October.

The Government Construction Clients Group (GCCG) and the Construction Industry Group (CIG) have today published a draft set of standardised pre-qualification documents for consultation.

7 December 2009: The Civil Engineering Consultative Committee (CECC) met for the final time in 2009 last week to discuss construction budgets, work programmes and procurement.

7 December 2009: The Federation met Geoff Allister, Chief Executive of DRD Roads Service to discuss a number of current problems relating to private housing development.

11 December 2009: The Federation has written to the Planning Minister, Edwin Poots MLA to propose that under the current economic conditions.

11 December 2009. The Planning Service in conjunction with the CEF has developed updated guidance on the use of Pre Application Discussions to facilitate the efficient processing of planning applications.

11 December 2009: The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) is appealing to all contractors to take appropriate measures to secure their plant and equipment particularly when sites are closed during the Christmas holidays.

11 December 2009: The CEF Legal Hotline provides members with free and prompt legal advice. This service gives members up to half an hour of practical advice on a wide range of topics relevant to the construction industry.

11 December 2009: Members are reminded that the Federation provide a free consultancy for Full and Associate members on planning issues.

11 December 2009. The CEF is member of the Joint Taxation Committee which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

4 December 2009: The Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry in Northern Ireland recently met with Reg Empy, the Minister for Employment and Learning, to discuss the industry’s proposals for revitalising construction apprenticeships.

4 December 2009: As a result of the Barker Review of 2004 and the Office of Fair Trading Market Study into the house building industry dated October 2008

1 December 2009: The Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report is currently being prepared with one major issue in mind – the general election.

The Federation met with Laurence McKenzie, the recently appointed Chief Executive of NI Water. The purpose of the meeting was to express the concerns of members involved in house building regarding the poor level of customer service from NI Water

4 December: The latest figures from the National House Building Council show that applications to build new homes rose by a staggering 134% in October 2009 compared to the same month last year.

27 November 2009: The Construction Employers Federation, as part of a Construction Industry Group delegation, has briefed the SDLP Northern Ireland Assembly Group on the current state of the industry and the need for their support.

27 November 2009: The Federation met recently with DHSS Health Estates to discuss its capital construction programme and its procurement strategy.

27 November 2009: The Federation met with the Department of Education to discuss the current delays in releasing new school projects to the market.

The Planning Service has published a further consultation paper on a Review of Permitted Development Rights.

The Independent Commission on the Future of Housing in Northern Ireland was established on 8 April 2009 to set out a long term vision for the future role of the housing system in contributing positively to Northern Ireland’s future.

20 November 2009: The results of the CEF State of Trade Survey for the third quarter of 2009 show that 45% of firms are now operating at half capacity or less.

16 November 2009: The Construction Employers Federation, as part of a Construction Industry Group delegation, has briefed the Alliance and DUP Northern Ireland Assembly Groups on the current state of the industry and the need for their support.

20 November 2009: It has come to the Federation’s attention that some member firms have been experiencing an increased level of theft from their construction sites over the last 6 months.

Official Government figures released this week show that the number of construction workers claiming unemployment benefit decreased by 40 during October.

The Federation has recently learned that the NIHE grants budget has received a welcome boost following the September monitoring round where Government departments reallocate surplus funds.

The Federation met with the new Environment Minister, Edwin Poots to discuss planning reform, the proposed introduction of developer contributions and third party appeals.

Published in June 2009, the Construction Industry Forum Procurement Task Group report identified a series of actions to improve public sector procurement processes.

The Belfast leg of the Autumn Local Association meetings took place at CEF Headquarters today with an excellent turn out from members and local MLA’s.

The Construction Employers Federation, as part of a Construction Industry Group delegation, has briefed the Sinn Fein Northern Ireland Assembly Group on the current state of the industry and the need for their support.

A number of Federation members took advantage of an opportunity to visit the Storm Water Tunnel in Belfast, nearly a mile long and 40 metres below ground.

In response to the current economic downturn, earlier this year the First and Deputy First Ministers established a Cross Sector Advisory Forum (CSAF).

A report sponsored by the UK Contractors Group in Great Britain was published yesterday highlighting the vital importance of the construction industry on the UK economy, and specifically highlighting the benefits of investing in construction.

There was a very good attendance at the Canal Court Hotel, Newry where members had the opportunity to lobby their local political representatives about workload.

The Planning Service has published a consultation paper on the Department of the Environment’s proposals to extend householder permitted development rights

The Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) is hosting a workshop and seminar which will provide essential information on a range of health issues in the construction industry.

16 October 2009: Official Government figures show that the number of construction workers claiming unemployment benefit increased by 155 during September 2009.

There was a very good attendance at the Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen, where members had the opportunity to lobby their local political representatives about workload.

23 October 2009: We are currently in the process of putting in place procedures that will enable us to issue individual Username/Passwords to all CEF members.

22 October 2009: A reminder to all Full and Subsidiary members that all completed State of Trade Surveys for Quarter 3 2009 must be returned to the Federation by 30 October 2009.

22 October 2009: In September 2008 the Office of Fair Trading published a market study into the home-building industry which found that in Great Britain the consumer was not receiving the appropriate level of after sales service.

16 October 2009: Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has launched a new website to help small businesses manage their workplace health and safety.

The Health and Safety Executive has just issued a warning to scaffolding companies that they need to double check their structures are safe and secure.

The Federation is offering your company the opportunity to take a fast track route to qualifying some of your skilled workers to NVQ Level 2 at no cost to you.

The winners of the CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards 2009 were announced in Belfast last night with Patton Construction winning the Overall Award for Wellington Street Presbyterian Church, Ballymena.

9 October 2009: As your Federation, it is essential that we maintain a close watch on developments in the local construction industry so that we can speak with authority, react to your needs and provide strong leadership.

The Federation has submitted a detailed response on the planning reform consultation on behalf of our members which is available to view on our web site.

The Construction Skills Register, working with the National Association of Shop fitters (NAS), has launched a new Gold CSR Card for Shop Fitters and Interior Contractors.

Miroslaw Barszcz, who was the deputy Minister of Finance and former Minister of Construction in Poland, will be visiting the Federation on 22 October. We have arranged a seminar where he will tell the industry here about opportunities in Poland.

2 October 2009: The National Minimum Wage rates have increased from 1 October 2009. The following rates now apply:

The consultation paper on planning reform ‘Reform of the Planning System in Northern Ireland: Your chance to influence Change’ contains a detailed section on the potential use of Third Party Appeals.

30 September 2009: The autumn round of Location Association meetings have been scheduled for October and November.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has welcomed the significant increase in capital investment by the NI Executive but is failing to see this translate in to work on the ground.

The OFT has fined a total of 103 firms in England £129.5m for colluding with competitors on building contracts.

25 September 2009: The Department for Employment & Learning is to make a statutory rule to increase the weekly limit used to calculate redundancy and unfair dismissal awards.

CEF today met with Sammy Wilson, Minister for Finance, to discuss funding, work flow and procurement issues.

As part of the celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the Construction Excellence Awards the Belfast Telegraph.

The Construction Employers Federation today met with Conor Murphy, Minister for Regional Development. The issues discussed at the meeting included social objectives in procurement and the NI Water Alliance framework.

18 September 2009: The Federation has prepared its draft response to the major consultation document on planning reform

16 September 2009: Official Government figures show that the number of construction workers claiming unemployment benefit increased by 200 during August 2009.

18 September 2009: We are currently in the process of putting in place procedures that will enable us to issue individual Username/Passwords to all CEF members.

The CEF kicked off a great celebration of the construction industry, of its people and its work, at the Showcase of Finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2009 which are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year.

18 September 2009: The autumn round of Location Association meetings have been scheduled for October and November.

The Federation ran 2 workshops on Monday 14 September on the implications of the proposals in the HMRC consultation.

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce is organising trade missions to Italy and Turkey as part of a new initiative, Chamber Connections which is designed to utilise the worldwide Chamber network on behalf of local companies.

Click on the link to view the September 2009 edition of the Joint Taxation Committee Newsline.

Titanic Signature Project represents a significant investment in infrastructure which includes a number of substantial construction projects.

The Federation has established a working group to develop practical proposals on how Government Construction Clients could deliver social benefits through construction procurement

The Government is proposing that in 2011 all Labour Only Sub Contractors will have to be paid through the PAYE system.

The Construction Employers Federation has raised serious concerns over Northern Ireland Water’s recently advertised Alliance Framework.

Environment Minister Edwin Poots today appealed to those with an interest in reform of the local planning system to make their voices heard.

A Government Working Party proposes that Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are the preferred approach for managing the storm water discharges which arise from the development of land.

The latest training programme up to November 2009 is now available in a new format. You have a choice of a calendar view or to search for specific topics

18 August 2009: Members of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) can now avail of a new Environmental Law Register which is officially launched today.

Invest Northern Ireland has organised the NI Energy & Environment Conference 09. Due to take place at the Waterfront Hall on Wednesday 14 October 2009, it will be the largest event of its kind ever to take place in Northern Ireland.

The Joint Secretaries of the Joint Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industry remind all employers that the requirement to pay the national minimum wage overrides all other wage agreements.

HMRC has published a major consultation on the issue of ‘false self employment’ in the construction industry. Liz Bridge from the JTC will be at the CEF on Monday 14 September 2009 to make a presentation on the implications of this proposal.

From 27 July 2009 NI Water will introduce a new policy regarding the extraction of water from a public water main through the use of standpipes.

17 July 2009: The Federation is offering your company the opportunity to take a fast track route to qualifying some of your skilled workers to NVQ Level 2 at no cost to you.

14 August 2009: Official Government figures show that the number of construction workers claiming benefit increased by 40 during July 2009.

The Construction Employers Federation has received an updated list of public sector construction projects and consultant contracts to be tendered in the near future.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment have compiled a matrix of the different types of financial support

The Department for Employment & Learning is to make a statutory rule to increase the weekly limit used to calculate redundancy and unfair dismissal awards

Payment of winding up lump sums underway.

For Full and Subsidiary Members only – please ensure only one survey is completed per company.

A number of construction firms have lost their Gross Payment Status (GPS) over the past year. In order to help protect members’ Gross Payment Status, a fact sheet has been prepared by Grant Thornton with additional guidance from HMRC

26 June 2009: Stage two of the wind up of Construction Benefits Scheme is now well underway.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has published a consultation paper on the proposed introduction of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).

The Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) started in 1997. This important initiative operates voluntary Site and Company Codes of Considerate Practice, with which participating construction companies and sites register

As the spread of the swine flu virus (officially known as influenza A H1N1) continues, businesses in Northern Ireland are advised to take precautions to limit the risk in their workplace.

In the 2009 Budget, the Government announced that it remained committed to addressing the problem of ‘false-self employment’ in the construction industry. This consultation paper has now been published.

The long awaited consultation paper on planning has now been published by the Planning Service.

23 July 2009: The Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) has released the report on the future of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

24 July 2009: The seemingly ever increasing toll of construction workers claiming unemployment benefit has suddenly come to a near halt.

For Full and Subsidiary Members only – please ensure only one survey is completed per company

Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, praised the local construction industry’s continued commitment to quality as he officially revealed the shortlisted finalists for the Construction Excellence Awards 2009

The Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (Northern Ireland) has agreed to postpone until 1 January 2010 the wage increase that was due to come into effect on 3 August 2009.

The Federation has welcomed Finance Minister Sammy Wilson’s announcement that the Executive has agreed to redistribute a £20m capital allocation to social housing for disabled adaptation and renovation works.

The Strategic Investment Board (SIB) has launched a web-based Delivery Tracking System (DTS) portal for the NI Executive's 10-year infrastructure investment strategy.

The Federation has today received the following notice from NI Water

The summer months, with no school and long sunny evenings, provide a welcome opportunity for children to spend time outdoors having fun and adventure.

On 30 June the CEF Managing Director John Armstrong attended the second meeting of the Cross Sector Advisory Forum (CSAF) established by the First and Deputy first Minister to review the impact of the current economic downturn on the local economy.

The Construction Employers Federation sent out its first e-zine to all members today.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF), as part of a Construction Industry Group (CIG) delegation, attended the Assembly Construction Group today.

The CEF today congratulated a young member of the H&J Martin Team who received a ‘Medal of Excellence’ for his performance during his apprenticeship at an awards ceremony at the Belfast Metropolitan College, Millfield Campus.

22 June 2009: The Federation Council has today endorsed a proposal for the revitalisation of construction apprenticeships in Northern Ireland.

26 June 2009: The full results of the State of Trade survey for the first quarter of 2009 have been released.

The shortlisted finalists for the CEF Construction Excellence Awards 2009 have been announced following a record 107 entries and the strongest competition to date.

The Construction Employers Federation today welcomes the launch of the Good Practice Guide and e-Planning Initiatives aimed at improving the planning process in Northern Ireland.

17 June 2009: Official Government statistics have revealed that 345 construction workers lost their jobs and claimed unemployment benefit during April 2009.

Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has released the latest update on major injuries suffered in the construction industry.

The Federation is delighted to welcome JP Corry as our new sponsor for the Innovation Category of the Construction Excellence Awards 2009.

The Construction Employers Federation today hosted a major conference aimed at giving the local construction sector a clearer view of future work opportunities arising from the NI Executives building programme.

11 June 2009: The Joint Council for the Building & Civil Engineering Industry (NI) has decided to re-promulgate the industry holidays for 2010/11.

The Call for Entries for the Construction Excellence Awards 2009 has generated an overwhelming response.

12 June 2009: The results of the CEF State of Trade survey for the first quarter of 2009 reveal that 7 out of 10 construction companies are expecting a lower workload over the next twelve months.

The Federation today met with Ed Vernon, the head of the Capital Realisations Taskforce (CRT).

Please click on the link below to view the Water Damage Guidance Notes supplied to the CEF by their insurance firm Locktons.

JUNE 09 The Federation has access to the Joint Taxation Committee, which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

June 2009 The Federation has access to the Joint Taxation Committee, which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

Approximately 11,000 letters have been issued to CBS pension scheme members who qualify for a winding up lump sum payment.

Written submissions for the first stage of judging in this year’s Construction Excellence Awards are due by Friday 5 June.

The Planning Reform Bill has not been published for consultation because it has run into political problems. Members need to lobby their local MLA's.

If you are interested in government contracts – don’t miss this half day conference. With less than two weeks to go – book now to avoid disappointment!

The CEF would like to draw member firms attention to certain Insurance problems which may arise in the current economic climate.

Applications are now invited for the 10th Annual CEF Construction Excellence Awards.

In March 2009, £27.1m was transferred to the Enhance scheme and invested in the Legal & General Liquidity Fund in respect of the 14,300 transferring members from Construction Benefits Scheme.

Key clients will present their procurement plans at the CEF conference on 11 June

Official Government statistics have revealed that 365 construction workers lost their jobs and claimed unemployment benefit during April 2009.

Members may be aware that the Social Housing Development Programme 2008/09 – 2012/13 has been delayed and has not yet received Ministerial approval.

We have been advised by NI Water that from 1 April 2009 members of the public are no longer permitted to excavate within the public carriage way. DRD will therefore no longer issue roads opening permits.

The Joint Taxation Committee have issued their May 2009 Newsline.

Members of staff at the Construction Employers Federation today had the opportunity go take a short health check provided by the Action Cancer Big Bus service.

The First Minister, Peter Robinson MP MLA was the principal guest at the CEF Annual Dinner held at the Dunadry Hotel Friday 24 April 2009.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) expressed concern and disappointment at the announcement of a proposed 20% increase in planning fees.

The Procurement Task Group Report has been finalised and will be presented to the Finance Minister at the Procurement Board next Thursday.

On 9 April 2009 CEF met with (DSD),(NIHE),(NIFHA) and the newly established procurement groups to discuss new build social housing issues.

The Patton Group featured prominently in one of the province's top business awards' ceremonies held on Friday 3 April 2009

The Construction Employers Federation today met with the Finance Minister, Nigel Dodds, to discuss the local economy and a range of issues affecting the construction industry.

As your Federation, it is essential that we maintain a close watch on developments in the local construction industry so that we can speak with authority, react to your needs and provide strong leadership.

The Following Budget Analysis has been prepared by PWC LLP.

22 April 2009: Official Government statistics have revealed that 370 construction workers were forced to sign-on for unemployment benefit during March 2009.

The Construction Employers Federation has received an updated list of public sector construction projects and consultant contracts to be tendered in the near future

Lawell Asphalt based at the Work West Enterprise park, has been awarded Small Business of the year at the Aer Lingus/Business Eye Awards held in London.

The Federation has been instrumental in the establishment of the Procurement Task Group following the successful legal challenges on the major frameworks for the Department of Education and the Department of Finance & Personnel.

The CEF has welcomed the broad thrust the SDLP’s proposals that were announced on 7 April 2009 suggesting reprioritising of the Executives budget. These proposals will inject an additional £400m into the local economy.

On the 2 April 2009 McLaughlin & Harvey won the Excellence in Environmental Achievement Award at the Belfast Telegraph, Northern Ireland Business Awards.

The CEF, as part of a CIG delegation, attended the Assembly Construction Group today. CEF highlighted the devastating impact of the downturn and sought further support from the cross party grouping of MLAs for a range of actions to assist the industry.

The CEF has launched a new course covering the key roles and responsibilities of the Temporary Works Coordinator.

The Federation has access to the Joint Taxation Committee, which is administered by Liz Bridge in London.

Northern Ireland Environment Agency has instructed all Landfill sites not to accept any gypsum based products such as plasterboard from 1 April 2009. In this article we provide you with some useful contacts and some further background.

A unique housing seminar aimed at addressing the challenges in the Northern Ireland housing sector was held on Wednesday 25 March 2009 at the University of Ulster’s Belfast Campus by its property think-tank, the Real Estate Initiative (REI).

The Construction Employers Federation today welcomed the news that the Executive is to introduce a rates relief scheme for 16,000 small businesses in Northern Ireland.

The Federation met with the Council of Mortgage Lenders today to discuss a number of problems regarding the valuations set by RICS valuers for mortgage applications.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has instructed all Landfill sites not to accept any gypsum based products such as plasterboard from 1 April 2009.

The Federation met representatives from the DUP today to discuss the difficult budgetary decisions facing the Executive and to lobby for measures to assist the construction industry.

The fifth CEF Environmental Management Programme kicks off on Tuesday 5 May 2009.

At the end of February 2009 there were 11,270 construction workers claiming unemployment benefits. This is an increase of 108% since February 2008.

The Construction Excellence Awards are on the horizon again and behind the scenes teams are working hard on what is sure to be another memorable night.

Wind up of Construction Benefits Scheme

Construction Employers Federation has received an updated list of public sector construction projects and consultant contracts to be tendered in the near future.

During these recessionary times firms are facing pressure on cashflow and employment.

The first meeting of the CEF and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency on Archaeology will take place on Wednesday 25 March 2009.

The final session of local association meetings with MLA’s took place on Tuesday 10 March with the AGM of the Belfast Builders Association.

Construction Employers Federation has received an updated list of public sector construction projects and consultant contracts to be tendered in the near future.

Following considerable lobbying from the Construction Employers Federation, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has set up a Topsoil Steering Group.

The Construction Employers Federation met with Brian Doherty (Deputy Director) and Stephen Johnston from the Department for Social Development (DSD) to discuss Developer Contributions

Invest NI invites you to join our six day business Mission to Romania and Bulgaria

The Royal Society of Ulster Architects has arranged this seminar to be held on 26 March. This may be of interest to those involved in Design and Build.

The Federation met with the Environment Minister, Sammy Wilson, on 2 February to discuss the proposed introduction of developer contributions for social and affordable housing.

The Construction Industry Forum Procurement Task Group met today to advance the proposals on the future shape of procurement for Government construction clients.

The Federation met with Northern Ireland Water today to discuss how they intend to procure civil engineering works over the next few years.

The spring Local Association meetings are continuing. With local MLAs present at meetings held in various locations across Northern Ireland, members have had an opportunity to pose questions to those in a position to influence the decisions of Government.

Members of the CEF can now take advantage of the new CEF Environmental Legislation Register which will be updated on a quarterly basis.

From April 2009 policy changes mean that all timber and timber products used on public sector construction projects must come from independently verifiable, legal and sustainable sources.

The Federation hosted its Londonderry Local Association meeting on Wednesday 18 February at the Everglades Hotel. The meeting was attended by Local MLAs.

For the third month in a row an additional one thousand construction workers have signed on for unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland.

The Construction Employers Federation hosted an awareness event for 100 invited companies and organisations to promote the benefits of Action Cancer’s Big Bus service.

The Construction Employers Federation has received an updated list of public sector construction projects that will be tendered before the end of this financial year.

The CEF has arranged a number of meetings for its members in February to discuss the crisis in the local construction industry and update members on the work the Federation is doing on their behalf.

We have had a very good response so far from members wanting to attend their Local Association meeting.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has called on the Northern Ireland Executive to urgently adjust its priorities and redistribute revenue and capital funds into the building and maintenance of Northern Ireland’s public infrastructure.

The Construction Employers Federation has welcomed the European Commission’s decision to permit member states to accelerate public sector procurement.

The Construction Employers Federation, as part of a Construction Industry Group (CIG) delegation, gave evidence to representatives of the NI Assembly Health, Social Services and Public Safety Committee.

Over 30,000 jobs could have gone in construction, Northern Ireland’s biggest industry, before the summer due to the deepening crisis facing the house building, general contracting and civil engineering sectors, the CEF warns today.

The Construction Industry Group has put forward broad proposals for the future of public procurement to help start meaningful discussions with the Government construction clients and the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD).

By completing the State of Trade survey you will help us represent your interests more effectively.

The Federation has committed to keeping our members informed of the work being carried out by the Procurement Task Group established just before Christmas 2008.

The Federation, as part of a Construction Industry Group (CIG) delegation, gave evidence to the NI Assembly Environment Committee today.

The Construction Employers Federation has received an updated list of public sector construction projects that will be tendered before the end of this financial year.

The Construction Employers Federation welcomes the announcement of a new recycling and incineration plant on the edge of Belfast

The CEF, as part of a Construction Industry Group delegation, met with the Minister for Social Development to stress the devastating impact on the construction industry of the Housing Executive’s decision to halt non-emergency repair and maintenance work.

At the end of November 2008 there were 8,200 construction workers claiming unemployment benefits. This is an increase of 90% since November 2007.

Capturing email addresses for Full & Associate members re the Weekly News Update

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) advised all their contractors on the 18 December 2008 that much of its work was being stopped over the next two months.

The Federation met with SDLP Policy Advisors today to input into their party manifesto for the forthcoming European elections.

The Construction Employers Federation has received a provisional list of public sector construction projects totalling approximately £400m that will be tendered in early 2009.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive, last night, advised all their contractors that much of its work is being stopped over the next two months.

18 December 2008. Mr Justice Coghlin has published his decision on the remedies hearing between Henry Brothers (Magherafelt) Limited, F B McKee & Company Limited and others v The Department of Education.

The Construction Employers Federation has received further detail of the Executive’s package to assist the construction industry and has voiced its broad support for the measures.

The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) tentatively welcomes today’s announcement by the Executive outlining measures to assist the construction industry but has called for greater detail.

The Abacus Procurement Group, a consortium of housing associations, has withdrawn its tender for framework contractors following pressure from the Construction Employers Federation and other bodies.

CEF welcomes the Finance Minister’s announcement that Government Construction Clients will pay invoices in 10 days. This follows a call from the Federation for the Government to help construction firms with cash flow.

Economy Minister Arlene Foster has been urged by the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) to ensure that small businesses across Northern Ireland are given a fair deal in bidding for public sector contracts.

5 December 2008: At the end of October 2008 there were 7,100 construction workers claiming unemployment benefits. This is an increase of 70% since October 2007.

CEF welcomes the return of the Northern Ireland Executive and reiterates its call for the Executive to help keep people in jobs by getting public sector construction work on the ground urgently.

The Federation, as part of a Construction Industry Group delegation, met with two Assembly Committees this week to lobby for immediate action by the Government to prevent further job loses in the industry.

Criminal Justice Minister Paul Goggins MP was joined at the Lagan Lookout in Belfast by ACC Duncan McCausland and John Armstrong from the CEF for the launch of the theft from vehicles campaign – ‘If thieves see it, they’ll steal it’.

The 100,000th Construction Skills Register (CSR) card was issued today. Sir Reg Empey, the Minister for Employment and Learning, congratulated the industry on the success of the scheme.

The CEF has joined CBI, the IOD and others in sending an open letter to the First and Deputy First Minister.

Over 8,000 Northern Ireland construction jobs have already been lost or are under immediate threat, according to an independent survey by Pricewaterhousecoopers. (Pwc)

France, the sixth largest economy in the world and the second largest trading nation in Western Europe after Germany, offers significant opportunities to Northern Ireland companies.

The NICC together with the DTCM and in conjunction with the Construction Employers Federation, will be holding a Dubai Business Briefing on Thursday, 20 November 2008 from 6pm until 8pm.

Following the court judgment handed down on 11 September 2008, a remedies hearing was held in the High Court on 21 October 2008. the judge heard representation from plaintiff and CPD’s counsel on what the remedies in the case should be.

CEF met with Conor Murphy, Minister for Regional Development to brief him on the current state of the construction industry and to highlight the need for urgent intervention by the Northern Ireland Executive to stem rising unemployment in the industry.

The winners of the CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards 2008 were announced on Thursday 9th October at a special Gala evening at the Culloden Hotel. Junior Minister Jeffrey Donaldson presented the award to the overall winners.

The CEF welcomes the £35m deal between the Bank of Ireland and Co-Ownership to fund an additional 200 houses through the scheme between now and March 2009. This will help first time buyers to get on the property ladder.

The CEF hosted a seminar called ‘Banks: how to deal with them’ on Thursday 25 September 2008. In addition, the Federation has expanded its hotline (0800 1300361) in association with Grant Thornton to handle queries on this issue.

An increase in the national minimum wage from £5.52 to £5.73 an hour for adult workers has come into force. Click on the title to view article.

The Federation met the Finance Minister Nigel Dodds on Monday 1 September 2008 to discuss the state of the construction industry. (Click on the title to view the full article)

The Federation has compiled a list of contractors interested in building slurry tanks. 2000 tanks need to be built by the end of the year. This equates to a £100 M investment in only six months. Click the title to view the list.

The CEF met the Minister of the Environment, Sammy Wilson, on Wednesday 27 August 2008 to brief him on the state of the house building sector and to call on his support for the industry at this time.

The Federation calls for urgent action to start the recovery of the house building sector to stop job losses, support the wider economy and to meet housing need. Click on the title for full details.

The CEF is to gather objective evidence on the effects of the Credit Crunch.

The Construction Sector in Poland offers very good opportunites at present. Poland has secured over 25 billion Euro of EU funding to be spent on its infrastructure over the next five years.

The Federation has played a leading role in the establishment of a new lobby group for the construction industry, the Assembly Construction Group (ACG). At its first meeting MLAs were fully briefed on the difficulty currently faced by the industry.

Minister Michelle Gildernew MP MLA has congratulated the organisers of the seminar, “Give Tanks for £100m.” As a result of this seminar the CEF have compiled a list of builders interested in carrying out the FNMS work.

Recently the Federation met with Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the Trade Unions, the Colleges and the Department of Education and Learning (DEL) to discuss the future of the apprenticeships programme.

The single biggest issue for the housing market is the lack of funding to support new mortgage lending. The Federation welcomes an initiative by the Council of Mortgage Lenders to stimulate market investment in the mortgage market.

We understand that HMRC is now focusing on removing gross payment status from contractors for non compliance under the CIS tax scheme.

Following the introduction of NI Water as a government company, some members have reported delays in obtaining Article 161 agreements, road bond inspections and reductions.

Members of the Construction Employers Federation(CEF)can now avail of free legal advice from the Federation’s legal partner, Carson McDowell.

The latest Calculation for the definition of Prime Cost is now available.

The Federation is in the process of meeting with the four main local Banks to discuss the downturn in activity in the construction industry and in particular the difficulties being experienced by house builders in the current market climate.

On 17 June 2008 the European Parliament decided to keep clean soil within the Waste Framework Directive.

The Federation has written to HMRC in Belfast requesting that blank monthly returns for the CIS Scheme be issued in plenty of time to enable firms to send back the completed return before the industry shuts down for the holiday period.

The Assembly Committee for Employment and Learning has published its First Report on Training for Success (TfS), the Department’s programme for apprenticeships that commenced in September 2007.

The serious downturn in construction activity was debated in the Northern Ireland Assembly on 21 April.

The Federation has joined with Minister for Agriculture, Michelle Gildernew, in calling on farmers, builders and suppliers to work together to deliver a £100m investment in slurry tanks within the next six months.

On 30 May 2008 twenty members of the Belfast Builders’ Association ventured into the sewers of the city.

An Energy Performance Certificate indicates how energy efficient a building is and must be accompanied by a list of cost effective improvements.

The Federation recently organised a site visit to Poundbury in West Dorset.

Chris Carvill, Managing Director of the Carvill Group, was elected as the new President of the Federation at the AGM on 21 April 2008.

The current issue of the serious downturn in construction activity was debated in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday 21 April 2008.

The Federation has been engaged in an intense round of lobbying to ensure that the Government’s plans to introduce developer contributions for social and affordable housing do not make house building in Northern Ireland economically unviable.

The CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards have returned for 2008 and, for the first time, were launched at Stormont Buildings in recognition of the industry’s role in the regeneration of Northern Ireland .

Following the tragic death of a young man, the PSNI are warning employers against fitting seats in their vehicles without seatbelts.

Northern Ireland Water is reminding small businesses and other non-domestic customers that new charges came into operation from April.

To compliment the new CEF corporate identity the Federation launched this new website on Thursday 1 May 2008.

The Federation has been extremely active over the last few months in meetings with Ministers, MLA’s and senior Departmental Officials regarding the proposals to introduce developer contributions for the provision of social and affordable housing.

Members can now avail of half an hour free legal advice over the telephone on most areas of law affecting the construction industry.

CEEQUAL is an assessment and awards scheme for publicly-rewarding high environmental quality of civil engineering projects.

It is now official – the Tax Treatment Qualification Tests (TTQT) applied by HMRC have commenced.

Until 31 March 2007 developers provided a road bond surety through the DRD Bond Surety procedures

On 9 October 2007, the Chancellor announced that the National Insurance concession for centrally managed holiday pay schemes would be withdrawn on 30 October 2007 with the exception of the scheme for the construction industry

Another success for the Federation in the short term is the announcement by the Planning Minister Arlene Foster of the launch of a pilot scheme for streamlining the consultation process between the Planning Service and Derry City Council.

Members should be aware of important proposed changes regarding the provision of social and affordable housing arising from Sir John Semple’s report earlier in 2007