News

FPS Calls for Immediate Right to Work & Residency for Current UK-Based EU Construction Workers

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The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS), in the wake of the recent general election, is calling on UK government to act swiftly to reassure the status of EU construction workers currently employed within the UK construction sector, of their permanent right to residence and work within the UK post-Brexit.

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FPS Establishes Working Group to Investigate
New Methods of Pile Integrity Testing

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The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has established a Working Group to evaluate the many new methods of indirect pile testing, to address concerns that exist over their over interpretation and ensure results are both robust and calibrated against each other and against existing direct testing methods.

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FPS Welcomes Parliamentary Debate on Cash Retentions
Urging Cross-Party Consensus on Legislation

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The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has welcomed the recent parliamentary debate [Wednesday 26th April; 12:30] calling for the introduction of legislation to protect cash retentions and calls on all parties to ensure the debate is followed with legislative action through the parliamentary process and towards a future where they are eliminated altogether.

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FPS Lends Support for CECA “Stop. Make a Change” Initiative

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The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) is pleased to announce its support for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association’s (CECA) ‘Stop. Make a Change’ initiative - a national campaign being held on the 18th April 2017, which is designed to promote health and wellbeing in the infrastructure sector.

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New Associate Members Increases Sector Representation for Federation of Piling Specialists

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) is pleased to welcome three new Associate Members.

The three new members are Arup Group Ltd, the multinational professional services firm that provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment; Geofirma Ltd, a niche geotechnical consultancy and Pile Designs Ltd, an independent company providing geotechnical advice and undertaking calculations for pile loading and retaining walls.

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FPS Raised Concern over Proposed Immigration Skills Charge

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The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has raised concern over the soon-to-be-introduced ‘Immigration Skills Charge”, which from April 2017 means employers who sponsor a migrant worker for a Tier 2 visa will be required to pay a levy of £1,000 per migrant, per year, with a reduced rate of £364 applying to small businesses.

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FPS Revises Design & Lifting of Cages Guidance Note

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The Federation of Piling Specialists is pleased to announce the publication of the third edition of ‘The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Specification for Piling and Embedded Retaining Walls (SPERWall).’

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FPS Publishes ICE SPERWall - 3rd Edition Guidance Document

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has released a new revision of its Guidance Note – "The Design for Splicing and Lifting of Pre-Fabricated and Site Fabricated Reinforcement Cages for Piling and Walling Works."

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NCE Tunnelling Conference

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The FPS is pleased to support New Civil Engineer’s 10th annual Tunnelling Summit, which takes place on 7-8 December 2016 and brings together the leaders of the tunnelling industry to examine current and future projects and share best practice from UK and international schemes.

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FPS Welcomes New Associate Members

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As part of its on-going strategy to fully represent the geotechnical contracting sector, the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS), is pleased to welcome a further two new Associate Members

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Basements & Underground Structures Conference

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Brought to you by Ground Engineering, Basements and Underground Structures conference your best opportunity to explore the procurement, design and delivery of underground spaces.

The event is a critical gathering of leaders from major clients, main contractors, consultants, designers, specialist contractors and suppliers and essential for anyone involved in small, medium or large scale projects.

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FPS Rig Bearing Pressure Workshop

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The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) is pleased to announce it has set a date for two half-day workshops designed to train engineers and temporary works designers on how to use its recently published Rig Bearing Pressure spreadsheet correctly.

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FPS UKATA Support

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The FPS is pleased to announce its support and promotion of the UK Asbestos Training Association’s (UKATA) asbestos awareness campaign “Train Safe, Work Safe, Keep Safe.”

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FPS Annual Awards 2016 - The Entry Process

FPSThis year sees the FPS Annual Dinner reincarnated as the FPS Annual Awards Dinner, the first of its kind, where the achievements of outstanding individuals and companies within the Ground Engineering industry will be recognised and celebrated.

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FPS Chairman’s Blog | Reasons to be optimistic post-Brexit

So, Britain has voted and decided to call it a day on the European project. Politically, it’s all change to the left, right and centre too, but political shenanigans aside (and there are plenty) the Brexit result will have implications for ground engineering as well as the wider construction sector, which ultimately feeds our work supply.

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FPS Issues New PUWER Guidance - Includes BS EN 16228

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has issued New PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) Guidance, which incorporates the new European Standard for safety equipment on piling rigs – BS EN 16228.

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Bachy Soletanche UK – Secure Top Prize at International Safety Awards

This year Bachy Soletanche was one of the few companies to gain a distinction with full marks from their entry into the British Safety Council International Awards and were subsequently shortlisted in the Construction and Properties sector. Fifteen other leading world-wide construction companies also made this shortlist, providing stiff competition.

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ICE Bridges 2016

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) is pleased to be supporting ICE Bridges 2016 - Design, Construction and Maintenance, which is being held 1 June 2016, Westminster, London.

ICE Bridges 2016 is the third one day conference in this popular series and offers networking and insight for the whole supply chain. The event will explore methods to assess, manage, maintain and upgrade ageing assets, and levers the independence and specialist knowledge of the 200 year old ICE. It will also present the opportunity for the design, construction and maintenance communities to learn from innovative projects, hear about new approaches and understand the specifics of regulation changes.

For more information or to book your place follow the link www.ice-bridges.com, or call +44 (0)20 7665 2226.

New Chair at the Helm of the Federation of Piling Specialists

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has appointed Alasdair Henderson as its new Chair .

Alasdair Henderson, presently Divisional Director of BAM Ritchies, replaces Martin Blower who has completed his statutory two-year tenure at the helm.

In addition to the Federation’s core aims and goals, Henderson will focus on training, which is one of his big interests, as well as developing a route for pilers / geotechnical specialists to become professionally recognised as EngTechs, ideally through vocational routes recognised by the major engineering institutions.

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FPS Welcomes New Associate Members

As part of its on-going strategy to fully represent the geotechnical contracting sector, the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS), is pleased to welcome four new Associate Members.

The four new members; ESG, Test Consult, Remedy Geotechnics and A-Squared, bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience of working within their geotechnical specialism, knowledge that will be put to good use by the FPS in setting standards and crafting guidance in the future.

Speaking about the new Associate Members, Martin Blower, Chair of the FPS said “Through the Associate Membership scheme, the FPS has been able to involve stakeholders outside our direct membership, such as consultants and service providers as well as the wider supply chain such as Plant manufacturers. These four new members, each with their own unique sector and business perspective, widen further the FPS’s engagement with related industries and as such they are a welcome addition to the Federation.”

Since its launch FPS Associate Membership has grown to include companies from the majority of sectors of the wider geotechnical contracting industry. Their addition strengthens the Federation’s knowledge and representation base giving it a more authoritative voice in the construction sector. It also helps the FPS lobby more effectively at industry and government and European levels on issues such as health and safety, training and fair payment.

For more information about the FPS, Membership including Associate Membership, contact the FPS by email fps@fps.org.uk or visit the FPS website www.fps.org.uk. 

FPS Members’ Tournament and Summer Ball – Details and Date Announced

With summer fast approaching, it’s time to mark your diary with this year’s Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) Summer Ball. The ball is being held Saturday 11th June at Oulton Hall, Leeds, a stunning and unique 18th century former family mansion set in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside.

This year’s event will be preceded by a Member Tournament – a series of mini team-based challenges that will bring out everyone’s competitive spirit, as well as provide a series of fun events to put you in the mood for the evening’s dinner / dance event. The winning team will not only take away an impressive souvenir trophy, but also a cash prize!!!

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Best Practice Guide to Tremie Concrete

With concrete technology advancing rapidly, it is good practice to ensure you are familiar with the characteristic performance of fresh concrete and its method of placement using tremie methods.

The EFFC and DFI has launched its 1st edition of its Best Practice Guide to Tremie Concrete for Deep Foundations, which gives guidance on the characteristic performance of fresh concrete and its method of placement using tremie methods in bored piles and diaphragm walls, allowing construction of high quality elements.

Getting the mix right can only be achieved in a joint approach by the Specialist Contractor (to achieve the execution requirements), the Designer (to meet the durability and structural needs), and the Supplier (to produce an economic and practical mix).

The Guide is available now for download using the link here http://www.effc.org/documents/effcdfi-tremie-guide/

Ice Engineering Underground Space 2016

Ice Engineering Underground Space 2016

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) is pleased to announce its sponsorship and support for ICE Engineering Underground Space 2016, which is being held 15 March 2016.

With many current and proposed UK infrastructure projects heavily reliant on underground engineering, this one-day conference aims to help planners and engineers optimise the connection and liveability opportunities, promote resilience and highlight the specialist skills required.

The event will feature a number of best practice case studies that highlight the effective use of space as well as plan for sustainable developments. ICE will also give delegates the opportunity to learn about the latest technological developments and explore innovative strategies with their peers in the home of civil engineering, One Great George Street.

For more information, visit www.ice-underground.com

FPS Welcomes CITB Report Adding its Support for More Apprenticeships

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) welcomes the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) 'Construction Skills Network' (CSN) report, which predicts '...sustained growth from 2016-2020...' adding its support to its call for ‘All types of training, and especially apprenticeships.

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Crossrail: a Specialist Foundation Construction Lessons Learnt conference in association with the Federation of Piling Specialists

The FPS Crossrail “Lessons Learnt Conference” was a tremendous success – with over 100+ delegates attending. The quality of submissions was matched by the lively debate and discussion they generated and its format will provide a framework for future events that promote better working practices.

The Proceedings from the event, which pulls together the Papers that provided the basis for discussion and debate, are reproduced here for downloading.

Ground Engineering Awards 2016

Ground Engineering Awards 2016 The Ground Engineering Awards is back and celebrating nine years of showcasing the very best in the industry.

Entries are now open and you have until 15 January 2016 to tell us why you are the best at what you do, so what are you waiting for?

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Joint FPS – Crossrail Conference
“Lays Successful Foundations for Future Projects”

The recent one-day Specialist Foundation Construction Conference focused on ‘Crossrail - Lessons Learnt,’ was universally hailed a success having examined some of the many issues encountered during the project and showcased the new levels of innovation deployed by Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) Members in tackling some of the key geotechnical challenges presented by this major project.

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FPS Annual Dinner

Royal Horseguards Hotel

The Royal Horseguards Hotel, London – once the HQ of the Secret Service during the First World War – will this year be the stunning venue for the Federation of Piling Specialists Annual Dinner. Quintessentially British, yet contemporary in every way, this stunning hotel will be the perfect backdrop for a totally engaging night.

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Brush up your handicap – it’s time for the FPS Annual Golf Day!

Staverton Park Golf Course

This year’s FPS Annual Golf Day will take place on Tuesday 15 September at Staverton Park, Daventry, Northamptonshire, and we’ve chose an exciting new venue that boasts an impressive 18-hole championship course.

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GE Awards 2015

Ground Engineering Awards 2015 logo The Ground Engineering Awards 2015 celebrate the best achievements of our sector, rewarding those organisations that share the same values as the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS), values such as best practice; quality; innovation and engineering and the FPS is pleased to be supporting this year’s event.  For full information about this year’s Awards please visit www.geawards.com

FPS 2015 Summer Ball – Details and Date Announced…

The Belfry The much anticipated Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) Summer Ball will be held on Saturday 13th June, at The Belfry Hotel and Resort <www.thebelfry.co.uk> in Sutton Coldfield.

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ICE Flooding 2015
Future Proofing for Business and Communities

To be held on Wednesday 13 May 2015 at the Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, London, W8 4PT

ICE Flooding 2015On 13 May in London 200 senior members of the wider flood community will come together at ICE Flooding 2015. The third consecutive event in the series will explore detailed case studies looking at how far the UK has come in terms of sustainable flood risk management in the last eight years and what is being done to ensure long term planning to protect business, infrastructure and residents.

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ICE Skills Conference 2015
Talent Development for Project Delivery

To be held on 21 April 2015 at the Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3AA

ICE Skills ConferenceThe Institution of Civil Engineers is holding a Skills Conference that will outline the abilities your employees need in the post-recession economy, and analyse the most effective ways of ensuring they have them.

Eight years of financial squeeze have left a legacy of underinvestment in talent management, skills and L&D, and nearly a third of engineering and construction CEOs are ‘extremely concerned’ about access to key skills limiting growth in the next two years.

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FPS Lends Its Support to UK Centre for Research in Cities and Infrastructure (UKCRIC)

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) is pleased to announce its support for the establishment of the UK Centre for Research in Cities and Infrastructure (UKCRIC), in particular the proposed ‘buried facility’, which will allow the testing of equipment and foundation systems under controlled conditions.

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FPS Sponsors Ground Engineering’s Piling and Foundations conference

Ground Engineering Piling and Foundations Conference

Ground Engineering’s 2015 Piling and Foundations conference is a key industry forum where clients, main contractors, engineers and geotechnical contractors gather to explore how the next generation of projects will be designed and delivered.

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FPS Sponsors Ground Engineering’s Ground Investigation Conference 2015

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Ground Engineering’s Ground Investigation event is now in its second year, and is a focused one day event designed to give you expert insight into best practice, innovation and future opportunities in the sector.

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Plant Yard Open Days

The FPS is encouraging Members to run a ‘Plant Yard Day’, week commencing 2nd March 2015, to inspire young people to consider a career within the construction sector.

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The 2015 Ground Engineering Awards are now open for entries

GW Awards 2015

Attracting the biggest names in the industry, and international interest, the 2015 Ground Engineering Awards offer an ideal opportunity to promote your engineering excellence, demonstrate your competitive edge, and position your company alongside the finest firms in the country.

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One Day Safety Awareness Course – Site Safety Plus (accredited by CITB)

We are happy to advise that Skanska UK have agreed to support Cementation Skanska and the FPS and have offered to deliver their one day Site Safety Plus course to FPS members. The course provides an awareness of health and safety highlighting potential hazards when working on site in particular on Piling sites and offers practical advice on keeping yourself, and your colleagues safe. The course is CITB accredited and therefore can be used as preparation training for the CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test or as refresher training.

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FPS Newsletter

Winter 2014 issue

FPS CAREERS IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING VIDEO

*CALL FOR CANDIDATES*

The FPS are looking for Members to appear in a short, inspiring video which will showcase three different career paths to promote the benefits of joining the geotechnical engineering sector.

Aimed primarily at school leavers and undergraduates, the video will be approximately 3-6 minutes long and will focus on three different FPS Members who have followed one of the below career avenues. The overall aim of the video is to inspire new recruits across all diversities to join FPS Member companies and start a careers within the geotechnical engineering sector.

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Ground Engineering, Slope Engineering and Geotechnical Assets Management Conference 2014

Conference LogoGround Engineering’s Slope Engineering and Geotechnical Asset Management conference is the only geotechnical event which will bring together the industry and asset owners, to pinpoint the techniques, technologies and strategies needed to better mitigate geotechnical risk in infrastructure.  The event has been designed to give you more detailed knowledge into how improved modelling and asset knowledge can impact maintenance and management of complex assets. There will also be insights from award winning individuals and projects that are demonstrating excellence and innovation in their approach to geotechnical asset management.

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FPS Supports 2014 Basements and Underground Structures Conference

The FPS is proud to support the 2014 Basements and Underground Structures Conference, being held from 30th September to 1st October at the Emirates Stadium, London.  For further details on the Conference, speakers and how to book your place please visit:  http://www.gebasements.co.uk

FPS to partner with Engineers without Borders

As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, we’re partnering with charity Engineers Without Borders (EWB) to sponsor a number of placements on their upcoming 2015 projects.

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FPS Raises Awareness of Rig Instability through Over-Flighting

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has issued a Guidance Document that is designed to highlight situations where piling rigs can become unstable through over-flighting during Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piling.

The document, which is available for download from the FPS website www.fps.org.uk, is aimed at piling contractors; geotechnical designers; CDM Co-ordinators and others involved with the specification, selection and procurement of CFA piling. It provides background information to the flighting mechanism, helping identify some of the situations where the risk of over-flighting is likely to occur.

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FPS Issues Safety Alert Raising Awareness of the Dangers
of Poor Working Platforms

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) is reminding piling companies to ensure that Working Platforms for rigs have been properly risk assessed, following a number of reports from its members that they are being asked to work on inadequate platforms.

The result of a poor working platform

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FPS PUWER Guidance revised

FPS Guidance on the provision and use of Equipment Regulations (PUWER) (Regulations 11 & 12) in relation to guarding and cleaning of augers on piling operations has been extended to cover cased secant piling (CSP) and has been published as Edition 2b within the Safety Guidance section of the website.

This will be the final revision before the publication and introduction of the new European Standard for rig safety (EN 16228) which, subject to final acceptance by CEN, is expected to be available later in 2014.

Download Document

FPS E-Pile Schedule Speeds Information Flow and Eliminates Errors for Structural Engineers

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has introduced an E-Pile Schedule that not only increases information efficiencies, through the provision of data in a standardised format, but is also designed to eliminate potential errors with loading details, assisting structural engineers throughout the specification and design process.

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The FPS Piles into BIM Establishing Dedicated Working Group

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has initiated a programme of activity designed to help its members embrace Building Information Modelling (BIM) and at the same time establish a set of standard formats for information that can be used by both members and members’ clients to facilitate process and interoperability of systems and software.

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Press Releases

FPS Calls for Immediate Right to Work & Residency for Current UK-Based EU Construction Workers (13 June 2017)

Testing Methods Working Group (17 May 2017)

Retentions Parliamentary Debate (28 April 2017)

New Associate Members Increases Sector Representation for Federation of Piling Specialists (13 February 2017)

FPS Revises Design & Lifting of Cages Guidance Note (14 December 2016)

FPS Launches MSc. Bursaries Application Deadline Extended to 18th November 2016

FPS Annual Awards - FINAL RELEASED - PDF (15 August 2016)

Rig Pressure Spreadsheet - PDF (05 August 2016)

Rig Pressure Spreadsheet - DOC (05 August 2016)

FPS Annual Awards 2016 - The Entry Process (04 August 2016)

FPS Chairman’s Blog | Reasons to be optimistic post-Brexit (25 July 2016)

FPS Issues New PUWER Guidance - Includes BS EN 16228 (17 June 2016)

British Safety Council International Awards 2016 (18 May 2016)

ICE Bridges 2016 (29 April 2016)

New Chair at the Helm of the Federation of Piling Specialists (27 April 2016)

FPS Welcomes New Associate Members (27 April 2016)

FPS Members’ Tournament and Summer Ball – Details and Date Announced (10 February 2016)

FPS Welcomes CITB Report Adding its Support for More Apprenticeships (9 February 2016)

PRS 012 Crossrail Conference (21 May 2015)

PRS 008 FPS Raises Awareness of Rig Instability through Over-Flighting (14 July 2014)

PRS 007 FPS Issues Safety Alert Raising Awareness of the Dangers of Poor Working Platforms (28 January 2014)

PRS 006 HS2 Must Clarify BIM Expectations or Risk Restricting Supply Chain Engagement Warns FPS (21 November 2013)

PRS 005 FPS Apprentice Scheme Delivers First Batch of Tomorrow’s Piling Operatives (4 October 2013)

PRS 004 UKCG Recognises PSSTS as SSTS Equivalent (31 July 2013)

PRS 003 Carbon Calculator Makes Environmental Impact (1 July 2013)

PRS 002 FPS E-Pile Schedule Speeds Information Flow and Eliminates Errors for Structural Engineers (23 May 2013)

PRS 001 FPS Piles into BIM (16 April 2013)