Standard contracts body JCT has appointed Michelmores partner Anna Wood as chair of its drafting sub-committee, succeeding Clyde & Co partner Victoria Peckett, who steps down in July 2026 after 18 years in the role. Wood leads Michelmores’ construction team and advises developers, employers, contractors and consultants on contentious and non-contentious UK projects, including complex built environment disputes. Her leadership will shape future updates to the JCT suite of standard form construction contracts, directly affecting risk allocation, payment, and dispute mechanisms on UK infrastructure and building schemes.

ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certification is increasingly being used as a hard gate in UK infrastructure PQQs, with major utilities and Tier 1 contractors rejecting otherwise qualified bidders lacking accredited management systems. Pre-Qualification Questionnaires now commonly demand UKAS-backed certificates covering quality, environmental and health and safety processes, not just policy statements or past performance. SMEs in civil engineering and specialist groundworks risk being locked out of framework agreements unless they formalise procedures, document risk controls and undergo external audits well before tender stages.

British Columbia gold miner MCC Canadian Gold Ventures has filed a multi‑million‑dollar lawsuit against the province after 2024 Orders in Council under section 7 of the Environment and Land Use Act sterilised its Banks Island mineral claims and banned further exploration. The orders were issued as part of the province’s response to Gitxaala Nation’s legal challenge to online mineral claim grants and the BC Supreme Court ruling that the Mineral Tenure Act regime breached the duty to consult. MCGV, which says it invested millions to restart and clean up a bankrupt gold mine on Banks Island, has received no compensation and is citing parallels with the Carrier Lumber v. British Columbia damages case.