Contractors should push for 5% margins, says ISG boss

摘要

The new boss of ISG, Paul Cossell, has said contractors must aim for margins of 5% or more - and said a recent internal audit of the firm's construction contracts found efficiency savings that would have seen it close to achieving this figure. His comments on profitability come as fellow contractor Laing O'Rourke this week became the latest builder to reveal the full extent of its losses on problem jobs won at cut-throat prices during the downturn (see page 11).