Regional construction company I&G has opened new premises in the North East, following a growth in demand for work in the area.

I&G, part of the Hull-based Sewell Group, is headquartered in West Yorkshire, with additional offices in East Yorkshire and Leeds. They specialise in complex construction projects in the health, education, food and commercial sectors. The company has opened a new office in Stockton-on-Tees, providing a base to be closer to their North East clients, and creating new employment opportunities throughout the region. I&G MD Christopher Carline said: “In the last five years, we’ve seen our turnover increase from £6m to over £21m, as we’ve taken on multi-million-pound projects and seen our partnerships with existing clients develop. “We’re now getting more and more work in the North East, so it feels like the right time to expand into the area. Our new Stockton office will give us a base from which we can work across the North East, giving us more opportunities to work on projects across the area. “As an employee-owned business, our people are really important to us, and we’re keen to create more opportunities for existing staff, whilst also looking to recruit locally.” I&G are experts at working in live environments, such as hospital wards, food production facilities and educational spaces. Recent major successes have included the new Critical Care Unit at Barnsley Hospital, the £6m refurbishment of the ophthalmology unit at St James Hospital in Leeds, and a food production factory extension in Pontefract for KP Snacks.

Following a comprehensive six-month refurbishment, the White Hart Hotel in Lincoln is set to open its doors to the public on Monday 6th November. Purchased in 2022 by Lincolnshire resident and businessman, Andrew Long, the hotel has been completely transformed and now offers both locals and visitors to Lincoln a truly stylish place to stay, eat and celebrate. Originally one of the oldest Coaching Inns in the region, the White Hart Hotel is located on Bailgate, one of the city’s most historic streets, within yards of the iconic Lincoln Cathedral and medieval Lincoln Castle. As well as a tasteful renovation of the bedrooms, the hotel now proudly boasts the fully refurbished and renamed Colonnade Cocktail Bar & Lounge at the very heart of the hotel, the all-new Gibson Club Bar for more relaxed occasions and a wealth of additional wedding and function suites. The hotel’s stylish new Antlers Restaurant, will be opening at the start of December, serving the very finest local and seasonal produce from a host of local suppliers and artisan producers. Andrew Long says: “Since acquiring the White Hart, we have had ambitious plans to turn it into one of the most elegant and desirable hotels in the region. The comprehensive yet sensitive and respectful refurbishment we have carried out on Lincoln’s most historic hotel should ensure that it quickly regains its reputation as the city’s leading ‘special occasion’ destination for both locals and visitors alike. “We can’t wait to welcome our guests, old and new to see what we’ve been able to achieve.” Andrew added: “The White Hart first opened more than 600 years ago as a Coaching Inn and has been one of Lincoln’s premier hotels since being substantially rebuilt and extended in the mid 1800s.” Hotel General Manager, Paul Noble, said: “We’ve spent the last few months training and developing our highly valued team and getting ready to reopen, so we’re excited to be able to put our carefully laid plans into action. “Not only have we considerably improved our food offering and menu choices, but we’ve also had a complete overhaul of our renowned cocktail menu to ensure each guest has a truly memorable experience – whether they are visiting for a few hours or staying for several days.” Andrew Long has also acquired the nearby Judge’s Lodgings, a similarly historic gem close to the White Hart Hotel on Castle Hill. Andrew plans to refurbish and redevelop the Judge’s Lodgings in conjunction with the former White Hart Hotel Garages and 2 Bailgate, providing fully serviced ‘apartment style’ Rooms, Restaurant and Licensed Cafe Bar, together with a high quality Retail Arcade and the continued provision of approximately 30 customer car parking spaces.

In one of the largest shake ups to procurement rules in UK history SMEs are to be helped to secure a larger share of about £300bn of expenditure every year. The changes became law following the Royal Assent of the Procurement Act, which, it’s claimed, creates a simpler and more transparent system delivering better value for money, reducing costs for business and the public sector. The Act places a requirement on contracting authorities to assess the barriers facing SMEs throughout the entire procurement lifecycle, and to consider what can be done to overcome them. For example, in the area of insurance, procurement processes can unfairly penalise businesses that lack the resources of larger suppliers. The Act makes it clear that contracting authorities must accept evidence that required insurance cover will be in place when a contract is awarded, rather than at the point of bidding. This will save all businesses, including SMEs, from having to incur unnecessary upfront costs. Significant new  powers will enable high-risk suppliers to be put on a public debarment list and be prevented from bidding for some categories of goods or services, such as areas related to defence and national security, while allowing them to continue to bid for contracts in non-sensitive areas. Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said: “We have taken the long-term decisions that will increase our powers to protect our security in our supply chains and procurement.

“This has included radical steps such as creating a National Security Unit for Procurement and giving Ministers the power to prevent suppliers from bidding for certain products where there is a risk to national security it will deliver lasting change which protects the UK for generations to come.”

Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said: “This Act is all about supporting British business using the opportunity of Brexit, as we change the way government works so it delivers better for people across the country. In particular, we draw on the new freedoms available to us by leaving the European Union to embrace and best support our small and medium sized businesses. “The Act will streamline the way that companies bid for public contracts, while also giving procurers more room for negotiating prices and innovative solutions with these companies. “These reforms will deliver better value for money, slash red tape, drive innovation and make it easier for suppliers of all sizes to do business with the public sector “It will also be possible to exclude suppliers from bidding for contracts, not only if they’ve performed badly on other contracts in the past, but also based on modern slavery or professional misconduct grounds.” The Government is also committing to publish a timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law from central government sensitive sites. Government will also produce an annual written report to Parliament detailing progress on this commitment.