The long awaited Bribery Act took effect on 1 July 2011. But what is it all about? Insight provides a guide to the four new criminal offences: paying a bribe; receiving a bribe; bribery of a foreign official; and the corporate offence of failing to prevent bribery. Our guide concentrates on the latter offence which will be of most interest to the construction industry and represents the most significant departure from the existing law on bribery.
Insight
Insight
Insight is our newsletter which provides practical information on topical issues affecting the building, engineering and energy sectors.
February 2026
February’s Insight provides a comprehensive guide to “smash and grab” adjudications (or “Payment Notice Dispute” adjudications). In this issue, Claire King and Laura Bowler outline the basics that give rise to the right to require payment of the notified sum, consider recent case law from the courts, and provide practical tips to help employers and contractors avoid being on the receiving end of a smash and grab adjudication.
download (PDF 593KB) February's Insight [2]
Previous issues
Click to download PDFNovember 2011
In November's issue of Insight we examine and contrast the previous approach to litigation costs and the new costs management approach that will now be required in light of the extension of the Birmingham Pilot.
October 2011
October's issue of Insight provides information on what you need to know about amendments to the JCT and NEC forms following implementation of the New Construction Act.
September 2011
3 October 2011 marked the first working day of the operation of Part 8 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (the “New Act”) and the Scheme for Construction Contracts (England and Wales) Regulations 1998 (as amended) (the “Revised Scheme”) in England and Wales. Insight provides pointers on how the New Act and Revised Scheme are likely to operate in practice.
August 2011
Find out what you need to know about the New Construction Act & Revised Scheme. After months of speculation, we now know that the changes to the Housing Grants Act and the Scheme for Construction Contracts will be implemented in England and Wales on 1 October 2011. Insight summarises the key changes and considers the likely impact of the reforms on construction industry practice as a whole.