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The National Federation of Demolition Contractors' failure to act over the bid rigging scandal that has named 10 of its members could (and, perhaps, should) make it harder for the NFDC to attract sponsorship from industry suppliers that are protective of their brand and reputation. And that could, in turn, limit the Federation's ability to do some (or all) the things that used to make it great. If you enjoyed this episode, if you got value from it or if you would like to help support this podcast, then please consider buying the author a coffee...or two.   You can do so here.

When The Queen failed to return from her holiday at Balmoral and refused to fly the Union flag at half mast over Buckingham Palace in the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana, she was seen as cold, distant and aloof.   There was a feeling that she had misjudged the mood of the nation.   The National Federation of Demolition Contractors' failure to act in the aftermath of the CMA scandal now sees it cast in a similar light.

It has been a week that eight (or possibly ten) members of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors will want to forget: a week in which the three-year investigation into bid-rigging and price-fixing in the UK demolition industry came home to roost and found those companies wanting; a week in which the "voice of the demolition industry" feel silent as the magnitude of the collusion became clear. DemolitionNews and The Break Fast Show has been covering this (pretty much alone) throughout. And in this very special episode of The CMA Files, we look back at a week of almost endless revelations; revelations that have brought the demolition industry and the NFDC into disrepute. If you enjoyed this episode, if you got value from it or if you would like to help support this podcast, then please consider buying the author a coffee...or two.   You can do so here.

The saying says:  "Cometh the hour, cometh the man".  But what if the hour cometh and the wrong man cometh with it? It is highly likely that the worst of the CMA shit-storm will land in the lap not of the incumbent NFDC President William Crooks but in the lap of his successor, Gary Bishop. When Crooks’ tenure comes to an end, what the NFDC will need is a President with the ability to unite members and engage with them. Instead, it appears to be headed for a President that has already been the target of one ousting campaign.  A man who failed to engage the Federation membership before and will likely do so again. What the NFDC needs even MORE desperately is a President with fresh ideas and a fresh perspective. What they look set to get is a second-time-around President who brings with him more than a decade of baggage and intellectual intransigence. If you enjoyed this episode, if you got value from it or if you would like to help support this podcast, then please consider buying the author a coffee...or two here.   Mark Anthony is the founder of DemolitionNews.com.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has named 10 companies that have been investigated for bid-rigging and price fixing.   Eight of them have admitted involvement.   But while the industry is still reeling, it does have the opportunity to rebuild anew. If you enjoy this episode, then please consider showing your support at www.buymeacoffee.com/demolitionnews

After an investigation that has taken more than three years, the Competition and Markets Authority has finally released its provisional findings.   Those findings implicate a total of 10 companies, eight of which have admitted their involvement. All 10 were members f the National Federation of Demolition Contractors at the time of the alleged price-fixing. The following episode includes the the original news story broadcast as part of DemolitionNews' Break Fast Show on Friday 24 June while the remainder is an unscripted after-show chat.

40-months after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) turned its spotlight onto alleged collusion within the UK demolition industry, the investigation is now in limbo while the CMA prepares to release its findings. And while we await the CMA pronouncement, this podcast is being turned into a new book. Watch this space! If you enjoyed this episode, if you got value from it or if you would like to help support this podcast, then please consider buying the author a coffee...or two. Just CLICK HERE.

The exodus from the National Federation of Demolition Contractors continues with the shock announcement that former president and honorary life vice president David Darsey has resigned. You can read more here.

Is it possible to separate the criminal from the crime?   Is it possible to forgive and forget?   Does it matter? As the story of the Competition and Markets Authority investigation (supposedly) nears its conclusion, we consider how the perpetrators might be viewed in a post-CMA era. 

In the penultimate episode (for now) we look at a possible outcome if companies are found guilty of collusion and/or price-fixing and how this might open the way for others to prosper in their wake.

From the very outset, the industry rumour mill has served up literally dozens of company names that self-appointed experts insist have been caught in the CMA net. If you enjoyed this episode, if you got value from it or if you would like to help support this newsletter, then please consider showing your appreciation by buying the author a coffee...or two.

It was a month in which house-building was usurped as construction’s busiest sector and when London was knocked from its perch as the UK’s busiest construction region.  Both changes are to be welcomed, says Builders’ Conference CEO Neil Edwards. If you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving up a tip over at buymeacoffe.com/demolitionnews. Thank you.

In the second episode of The CMA Files, we learn who and what the Competition and Markets Authority is; we learn that it has teeth; and we learn that it is not afraid to use them. The third episode will follow on Monday 9 May.

In several recent episodes of DemolitionNews' The Break Fast Show, demolition and construction workers revealed how their working day often begins at 04.30 or 05.00 am in the morning.   Following a resulting debate on the potential impact of tiredness and fatigue, I dug through my archives for an interview with Caterpillar's Mitch Cowart about what he describes as a "catastrophic epidemic of sleep deprivation" and about some of the potential technological solutions. If you are listening to this on Apple Podcasts, can we please ask you to rate this episode as it greatly helps our channel.

Whenever we speak about the future for demolition and construction, we talk about a sector constantly under the watchful eye of drones, where remotely controlled and autonomous machines carry out tasks with pinpoint accuracy. A world in which diesel fuel has been consigned to the history books and in which electric and hydrogen-powered machines now reign supreme.   And we also envisage a world in which the presence of humans on demolition and construction sites has been reduced or eradicated entirely. But all of that remains a long way off.   So what is to become of the industry's workers until that happens?   Are they expected to soldier on in an often toxic work environment; where bullying is an unspoken but constant threat; where the suicide rate is three times the national average; where women and ethnic minorities remain a novelty? This episode was inspired - at least in part - by this episode of the "From the seat of the cab" podcast.   And it is a subject that is covered in greater depth in this article.

The Competition and Markets Authority investigation into alleged collusion within the UK demolition industry has been in progress for more than three years now. In this, the first episode in our brand-new podcast series, we travel back to 2019 to revisit where the story began. The second episode will follow on Monday 2 May 2022.

It is a story that has gripped the UK demolition sector for the past three years; the Competition and Markets Authority investigation into alleged collusion within the industry.   Now, as that investigation apparently nears its conclusion, DemolitionNews brings you the story of that investigation in an exclusive new podcast series. This is just a trailer.   The first full episode will drop on Monday 25 April 2022.

The naivety of youth and how a digger journalist gained a lucrative sideline in the porn industry.      Welcome to the latest episode of Beyond the reporter's notebook.

Predictions of a spike in fuel theft in the wake of the removal of the red diesel rebate on 1 April are coming true.   And it is costing demolition and construction companies dear.

During the Futureworx event, we caught up exclusively with Richard Clement, Deputy General Manager; Smart Construction, Komatsu Europe to talk about all things Smart Construction.