A14 IDT online brochure

Launching much more than a road THE A14 Integrated Delivery Team (IDT) LAUNCH, WYBOSTON LAKES CONFERENCE CENTRE

Matt Stafford, managing director of the A14 Integrated Delivery Team (IDT) welcomed over 100

new colleagues to the team’s internal launch event held at the Wyboston Lakes Conference Centre in Bedfordshire. There was a buzz of anticipation as Matt set out his vision of a new delivery model that everyone could be proud of: “something different, better and exemplar”.

WATCH: Matt Stafford welcomes colleagues to the A14 IDT and poses the question “what is exemplar?”

The IDT – represented by Highways England and the six appointed major contractors, Costain, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Atkins, Skanska and CH2M – listened intently as Matt Stafford outlined the preparation that has gone into developing and implementing the new delivery and commercial model.

Contents 2-3 Launch day presentations 4-5 What does exemplar look like?

6-8 Values explored 9 Q&A 10 Looking ahead

As well as an innovative contract approach, the scheme is underpinned by three strategic pillars: Legacy and Stakeholder, Safety Health Environment and Wellbeing (SHEW), and Economics. The success of the project will be determined by the team’s ability to identify and capitalise on a range of benefits associated with the pillars.

Hosted by members of the Integrated Delivery Management Team (IDMT) and the Integrated Delivery Board (IDB), the event was a valuable networking opportunity and an opportunity to table questions.

Presentations focused on explaining the three pillars whilst interactive group exercises centred on defining the meaning of exemplar and an exploration of values.

A14 IDT. Developing much more than a road 1

Your opportunity to view the presentations

Nicole Preston Head of Benefits and Improvement There is no such thing as a bad idea. This was the message from Nicole Preston as she talked through the creation of the Benefits plan for the A14 scheme. The IDMT needed the help of the whole team to generate ideas right across the design and construction process.

To that end, a process to capture ideas and then build business cases around them to quantify impact would be implemented. Nicole stressed that getting it right first time would save time and cost and that in order to be judged successful the scheme would need to combat congestion, unlock growth, connect people, improve safety and leave a positive legacy.

WATCH: Nicole Preston talking Benefits at the Wyboston Lakes event

Wayne Brice Introducing the Health, Safety and Wellbeing pillar

WATCH: Wayne Brice explains how all aspects of health, safety and wellbeing are being approached by the IDMT

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The importance of coaching rather than telling, learning from incidents rather than having a blame culture, maintaining consistency of message and the benefits of training being conducted by operational people were just some of the key points delivered by Wayne Brice. The Health Safety and Wellbeing strategy, he said, will be characterised by innovation and ongoing development – with full day inductions introduced to show how things would be done differently. A buddy system would help facilitate 24/7 wellbeing, he said, along with an emphasis on collaborate ‘one team’ working. For him, being exemplar is including safety early in planning, not as an afterthought.

Message from the IDT MD

Peter Tosland Introducing the Economics pillar With the bar raised and a clear objective in place to deliver an exemplar scheme, Peter Tosland recognises the important link between the Commercial aspects and the other key strategic pillars. For example: looking after staff wellbeing would save cost, and engaging stakeholders would reduce objections and delays. He outlined how the commercial model was based around four contracts, but managed and supported as one. Peter stressed the need to spend wisely while creating real economic and social benefits. With the challenge set by Highways England to find savings of £300m, everything had to be run properly with genuine trust between partners. Peter also identified six categories for initiatives that should reap financial benefits.

WATCH: Peter Tosland puts detail on the commercial model and the economic pillar at the IDT launch

Nicky Leggatt Introducing the Stakeholder and Legacy pillar

WATCH: Nicky Leggatt talks about a commitment, a promise and the importance of a positive and lasting legacy

Nicky Leggatt stressed the importance of the Stakeholder and Legacy pillar to communities and stakeholders who really needed the improvements to take place. Leaving a positive and lasting legacy was a commitment and a promise. If this pillar is not achieved, the project will fail.

While working to define the plan for Stakeholder and Legacy, a key question had been posed: how do we want people to feel about the project? Achieving the objectives of the Benefits management plan – which should mirror the objectives of the Department of Transport – would enable something exemplar to be achieved.

She explored themes such as working smarter in alignment with partners; using funding wisely by working in an imaginative and smarter way; and encouraging stakeholders to come up with great ideas. Nicky Leggatt took time to stress the vital nature of good stakeholder engagement, why we want to achieve advocacy, how to inspire, how to overcome fears and manage aspirations.

The real challenge, she said, was to explain what the construction process was going to feel like and to encourage all stakeholders to keep their eyes on why it was important. And she ended with a commitment – that all stakeholders would get the right level of attention.

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What does exemplar look like?

Following the presentations by the heads of the three pillars, the meeting broke up into small groups to exercise some grey matter. With the Health Safety and Wellbeing, Economics and Stakeholder and Legacy content still front of mind, the objective was to get under the skin of each topic. The key question to answer was ‘what will exemplar look like’ in each of the areas.

Six members of the new IDT management team hosted groups and gave every delegate the chance to contribute.

With this high level of focus and great collective experience in the room, a good deal of input was captured as a number of important themes – and excellent ideas – emerged.

My word! These word clouds give an

indication of the thinking captured during the break-out sessions at the Wyboston Lakes IDT launch

Stakeholder and Legacy With stakeholder engagement already firmly established as part of project planning, the new IDT members were vocal in their views on how to take it forward. Topics included suggestions for a new A14 website or portal, active engagement with schools over tree planting, implementing ‘volunteer days’ for A14 apprentices, and giving stakeholders a role in the benefits exercise.

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Economic Lively positive debate and inspired lateral thinking characterised the Economic break-out session. A string of issues were discussed, including the need for video conferencing to save time and money, offering landfill to local landowners to reduce movements, encouraging a culture that is quick to react to opportunities, and examining the options of buying rather than hiring kit.

Health Safety and Wellbeing The importance of implementing a buddy system received popular consensus in this group, which explored a host of positive themes around Health Safety and Wellbeing. No stone was left unturned, from improving the quality of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and the importance of comprehensive safety inductions to healthy meal options, access to gym and exercise facilities and taking the best from each JV to ensure consistent policy and procedure.

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Developing a common set of values

The Values session – with breakout activity involving all attendees – was led by Glennan Blackmore, Joint Sponsor of Safety Health & Wellbeing. In his initial presentation, he outlined why common values are so important for individuals tasked with delivering the scheme as a group. The activity began with delegates choosing an image from a selection of photographs.

Then, individually, they explained to the group which values they associated with the image. These initial thoughts then informed the team’s collective thinking.

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Everyone has a voice!

IDT members explore Values in a breakout session at the Wyboston Lakes event

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Everyone has a voice! (Continued)

Glennan Blackmore paid tribute to the phenomenal energy in the room, describing the day as a great foundation to be built on. The IDB had already conducted a values exercise, which had resulted in five core values being determined: • • • • •

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To be the best Ensuring everyone has a voice Respecting and caring for each other Providing fulfilment for all Making an absolute commitment

Q&A – on the day and following up During the launch event, delegates were invited to submit the questions that were exercising their minds the most.

As many as possible were answered in a live debate as the day drew to a close. But with limited time available, the IDMT gathered subsequently to consider outstanding questions. A selection of questions and answers are reproduced here, and more will be published in future communications.

Q: Do we need more branding?

A: Possibly. Branding hierarchy is a work in progress, based on the fact that Highways England is the ultimate owner of the project and therefore needs to protect brand integrity. However, we are all agreed that as a business there are opportunities to do more in this area.

Q: How do we bring external stakeholders into the Benefits review?

A: This is being undertaken by the Legacy team already in the Legacy Implementation Working Group. We can also take the ideas to the Stakeholder Strategy and forums going forward.

Q: What will make the supply chain choose the A14, and not HS2 or SMP and so on?

A: In a rising market it is crucial to be seen as the customer of choice by our supply chain. Our proposed integrated delivery model will be one of the key factors for our supply chain when selecting their target contracts.

This model may become consistent with the approach of HS2, but won’t be fully replicable in SMP in its current form.

Timely communication will be crucial and we will be proactive in our supply chain engagement and completely transparent with our requirements and expectations for this project. Ultimately it is the responsibility of everyone in the IDT to “do what we say we will do” in respect of working collaboratively with our supply chain. If we are consistent with our values, our supply chain will become advocates of the A14 approach within wider industry forums and contribute to our ability to be seen as customer of choice by the wider supply chain.

Q: How do we capture the savings to the OPEX costs and how is that reflected in the PLIF? (For example, if the IDT spends more to achieve an OPEX saving, currently the IDT loses out in the PLIF.) A: Benefits will be defined that will identify these issues and hopefully can be realised. Over time, relationships will develop that should encourage an OPEX approach.

Q: Why was Corderoy not at the event? They are an integral member when referencing collaboration, trust, working relationships and so on.

A: This was an internal launch. A launch will occur in January, to which Highways England and Corderoy will be invited.

Q: What has been done to combine the best parts of the home organisations in the IDT? A: Each organisation was requested to nominate personnel for ‘Key People’ roles as part of tender submissions for the A14. With minor exceptions, these people have subsequently been made available.

Thereafter we have held various forums on different subject areas with specialists within our home organisations. Natural strengths have been apparent from these forums and therefore the source of input determined. Examples include: • HR/Resourcing • IT Infrastructure • Materials Engineering • Procurement/Supply chain • Plant and Fleet Services Q: What about future skills? How does the IDMT think we should bring future talent into the construction industry?

(Before leaving school, careers fairs, construction cadets and so on.)

A: We will do this through a joined up approach led

by Nicky Leggatt. We will work closely with Highways England through the Legacy and Stakeholder Benefits Management Plan. We are attending a careers fair in Huntingdon on December 16.

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Looking ahead

Looking ahead

The A14 IDT is now well and truly launched, and the team has embarked on its journey to deliver an exemplar scheme. Good communication at all times, both internal and external, will be key to the process, so watch this space as project begins to clock up the miles.

A14 IDT. Developing much more than a road / November 2015 A14 Integrated Delivery Team Bedford Heights, Brickhill Drive, Bedford, MK41 7PH

Email: A14CambridgeHuntingdon@highwaysengland.co.uk www.highways.gov.uk/A14C2H A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme