Re:Construction
Re:Construction
The Construction Index
A weekly podcast in which veteran construction industry journalists Bishop and Taylor have a natter about some of the week’s events in the UK construction industry, seeking meaning even where none may exist. To keep up to date with the latest construction news every day, visit www.theconstructionindex.co.uk. You can find the latest issue of The Construction Index magazine in WHSmith & independent newsagents UK wide - use our online store locator to find your nearest stockist today.
200: The grand finale
After two hundred episodes and six (and a bit) years, Bishop and Taylor gracefully bow out from their responsibilities on the Re:Construction podcast.  Don’t worry - they still manage to fit in some last bits of construction industry news relating to a change in the top at Vistry and the latest goings on at Strabag.  
Apr 15
1 hr
199: Late payment, Whitehall red tape and plug-in solar panels
Bishop and Taylor discuss proposals to finally ban the use of retentions. Plus they ask why is the government  consulting on proposals to cut consultations? And who is Fatty Acid Methyl Ester?
Apr 1
35 min
198: Revival postponed, Vistry’s wobbles and a plumber goes to Parliament
Bishop & Taylor discuss the extent to which a much anticipated imminent recovery in UK construction is likely to have been hit but the latest turn of world events. They also chat about the impending departure of Vistry CEO Greg Fitzgerald and the election of a plumber to the House of Commons.
Mar 18
49 min
197: Rudi Klein on payment reform
Bishop & Taylor are joined again by barrister Rudi Klein, who for more than 30 years was chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group, to discuss progress – or lack of – in construction industry payment reform.
Mar 4
1 hr 6 min
196: Parliament refurb, Power tools and Persimmon’s recycling
In this episode Bishop & Taylor discuss the latest in the ongoing saga of the physical deterioration of the Palace of Westminster.  They also talk power tools, with the relaunch of a redesigned range of JCB-branded tools. And they talk soil recycling, with specific reference to house-builder Persimmon’s latest money-saving initiative.
Feb 18
45 min
195: Industrial relations, Sentencing quirks and Tier One defined
This episode sees Bishop & Taylor discuss the state of labour relations in the UK construction industry, the rationality of sentences for health & safety breaches and the precise definition of ‘a Tier One contractor’.
Feb 4
56 min
194: Graphene, Late payment law and Plant hire profits
With the demise of Versarien, the company behind Cementene, Bishop & Taylor discuss whether graphene admixtures will ever take root in the construction industry. They also talk about the landmark Supreme Court ruling in the case of Providence v Hexagon and a young plant hire company in the northeast making a tidy 40% pre-tax profit margin.
Jan 21
45 min
193: Regulating Professions, Procurement and Chiefs of Staff
The Single Construction Regulator Prospectus dropped shortly before Christmas – with some astonishing content. And the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has published the interim report of its civil engineering market study. Much food for thought here for Bishop & Taylor to discuss. And, prompted by a new appointment at Kier, they ponder: what does a chief of staff actually do?
Jan 7
53 min
192: Review of the Year 2025
Were you paying attention in 2025 or closing your eyes at the back of the classroom? Bishop & Taylor are here to remind you of some of the UK construction industry news highlights of the year, or maybe tell you what you missed.
Dec 10, 2025
1 hr
191: The Budget, Octavius and Komatsu
After a brief look at Birmingham City’s bonkers stadium plan, Bishop & Tayor discuss this week’s budget news, RSK’s latest acquisition and major developments in plant and tool hire, including the sale of Marubeni-Komatsu and the repositioning of Brandon Hire Group
Nov 27, 2025
56 min
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