UK Construction Excellence MAY 2016

MAY 2016

ÂŁ37M revamp for Windsor Castle

Exclusive Interview: David Philp -Taking BIM to the next level

State School infrastructure for 21st Century

»

MORE THAN JUST AN EXHIBITION

BOOK YOUR PLACE TODAY! YOUR EXHIBITION VISITOR PASS GIVES YOU FREE* ACCESS TO • • • • • • • •

50 BEST PRACTICE SEMINARS 2 NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTIONS THE OFFICIAL FRINGE PFH LIVE AWARD WINNING #THETREEHOUSE16 FRINGE COMMUNITY INITIATIVES CAFÉ TECHNOLOGY ZONE MORE THAN 300 EXHIBITORS & SPONSORS Book your visitor place at www.cihousing.com click on the exhibition tab and then visitor registration Join in the conversation today: #CIHhousing16

*A fee will be applied to commercial businesses

54 Gender Pay Gap Equal pay for the construction industry.

72 BIM Task Group BIM Mandate an unparalled achievement.

76 Exclusive Interview Geoff Prudence, Chair CIBSE Facilities Management

ALL THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS FROM PAGES 6-43

94

102

UK Infrastructure National Infrastructure Commission congratulated on initial findings.

Computer Software Revolutionising not only the way in which buildings are conceived and constructed .

108 Exclusive Interview Julie Kortens, Chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)

Publications Editor Victoria Maggiani

General Manager Ian Parker

Designer James Ormerod

Head of Operations Gareth Trevor-Jones

Publications Officers Robert Atherton Abigail Burr

Product Development Seamus Norton Display Advertising Sales T: 01257 231900 admin@ukconstructionmedia.co.uk

Sales Administrator Alecia Rowe Approvals Beka Patterson

ISSN 1461-1279

Follow us on...

UK Construction Media, Stirling House, Ackhurst Business Park, Chorley, PR7 1NY 01257 231900 • admin@ukconstructionmedia.co.uk • www.ukconstructionmedia.co.uk © Copyright Pro-Mark. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of Pro-Mark. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

3

ACRYPOL+ • NU-LIFE • SYSTEM 15 QUARTZDEK • METAL-KOTE • SYSTEM 10 ALL CONTRACTS ARE COVERED BY ACRYPOLS 5/10 YEAR WARRANTY Acrypol is a market-leading manufacturer of cold applied liquid waterproofing and slip resistant coatings that can be applied to all roofs and services.

They are proven to prevent water leakage and protect against all weather elements, with long lasting results.

Acrypol’s products have been used extensively across a number of hospitals including Hope Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary and Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham.

The Company carried out work at Manchester Royal Infirmary, affecting repairs to a leaking roof on the front of the hospital lodge.

Acrypol System 15 was used on the project. This product has been developed to provide a fast and cost effective total refurbishment solution for commercial, industrial and public sector roofing.

Another advantage of using Acrypol 15 is that it offers a year-round application, even in damp weather conditions. It is unaffected by any changes in temperature and gives maximum solar reflectivity.

measures to complete the contract as areas within the building needed to be closed during the installation.

Weekend work also undertaken to ensure the job was completed as quickly as possible using System 15.

The system is cold applied and takes only a fraction of the time it can take to install other types of waterproof membranes. The tough acrylic resin dries to a durable elastic finish and prevents water penetrating the surface but simultaneously allows any trapped moisture to escape.

Another Acrypol product that is ideally suited for use on hospitals is Acrypol System 10.

Hope Hospital in Manchester also saw the benefit of using Acrypol’s System 15. The Urology department and four other roofs had the product installed to prevent leaking occurring in various areas.

Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham was also hit with leaking roofs as a link walkway was badly in need of repair. Acrypol had to put in special

Along with Health Authorities, many other public authorities including the Department of Education, the Ministry of Defence, and educational establishments have selected the tenyear System to provide a cost effective alternative to a total replacement.

The System 10 package includes installation by Acrypol’s skilled professionals and is backed by a ten-year life guarantee for materials and labour (guarantee only valid if work carried out by Acrypol).

Like System 15, System 10 can still

Tel: 01925 213655 • Fax: 01925 213656 info@acrypolproducts.co.uk • www.acrypolproducts.co.uk 4 Asher Court, Lyncastle Way, Barleycastle Lane, Appleton, Warrington WA4 4ST

Acrypol Products winners of the Best for Structural Waterproof Coatings in the UK for 2015 AFTER

be applied during damp weather conditions and offers maximum solar reflectivity and is unaffected by temperature change. As the System is totally seamless, vulnerable areas such as upstands and vent outlets also get the same high level of protection as the rest of the roof.

Tayside NHS required Stracathro Hospital in Angus, Scotland to under go repairs to corridor roofs and Blocks A and B that was causing major problems with leaks to the below areas.

System 10 was specified to provide the complete waterproofing refurbishment solution due to its all in one solution providing exceptional performance, waterproofing integrity and solar protection. The system is installed in several easy steps that can be applied over virtually any roofing membrane, meaning that installation costs are extremely competitive

and disruption kept to a minimum.

Arbroath Hospital also needed a solution to their leaking corridor and GP ward roofs. Again, Acrypol System 10 was identified as the best option with all work completed in 12 days.

Last year, Acrypol Products Ltd was named ‘Best for Structural Waterproofing Coatings in the UK’ at the Build Construction & Engineering Awards. The award acknowledged the Company’s efforts and expertise of its dedicated workforce and the unparalleled specification of its products.

The Company is completely dedicated to providing high specification products that fully meet the requirements of its wide-ranging client base. It is this guiding principle that has allowed Acrypol to cement its position as a tried and tested market leader.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Worth more than £400M to the steel sector, the move will provide greater investment certainty for the future.

Energy cost relief for steel sector & other energy intensive industries A consultation has been launched

outlining details of an exemption for energy intensive industries, from major energy tariff costs.

The Government published a consultation on 1st April 2016, on introducing an exemption worth £390M a year, for Energy Intensive Industries (EII’s), such as the steel industry from renewable electricity costs.

The move which was first announced in the Autumn Statement, could save the steel industry over £400M over this Parliament, exempting all EII’s from paying £390M a year in policy costs of the Renewables Obligation and Feed-in Tariff. Worth more than £400M to the steel sector, the move will provide greater investment certainty for the future.

From 2017, the exemption will come into force with the Government keen to get the steel industry involved, securing the exemptions it will be entitled to.

After meeting with the steel industry workers in Port Talbot, Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Help with energy costs has been one of the steel industry’s key asks and, having extended last year the compensation we are paying out, I want to see progress on exempting them altogether.

“While we can’t control the global price of steel, we are doing everything we can to help our steel industry, not just on energy costs but also securing flexibility on EU emissions rules and on tariffs.”

Ells industry includes the ceramics industry amongst others, employing around 600,000 people and contributing £52Bn to the UK economy.

The Government will continue to pay compensation to EII’s, a total of £160M to date since 2013 – of which over £60M has been paid to the steel industry to reduce their energy costs.

The Manufacturers’ organisation EEF has warned that a permanent exemption is the only way to future proof EII’s and the UK economy as a whole. Chief Executive of EEF, Terry Scuoler, said: “A system of permanent exemption from energy policy costs is the only long term solution that can provide these sectors with that crucial sense of certainty that is so important for future investment decisions. This is something the current system of compensation payments will struggle to do to the same degree.”

A survey conducted by npower Business Solutions revealed that more than half of the 200 companies surveyed could see the benefits that the new legislation would introduce.

A total of 74% of respondents were unaware of the consultation into energy costs exemptions, revealing that the Government will need to do more to raise awareness of the changes.

ConQuest Estimating & Surveying Software Truly unique in capability, flexibility & stability 6

Smart motorway opens for drivers on M1 Tube upgrade chief to spearhead Digital Railway NETWORK Rail has announced that David Waboso, Capital Programmes Director at London Underground, will join the Company as Managing Director of Digital Railway.

David Waboso is an internationally renowned engineer and project manager with decades of experience in leading major infrastructure projects both in the UK and abroad. In his current role at London Underground, he is responsible for leading the £1.5Bn annual Tube Upgrade Programme to deliver better journeys for four million passengers each day.

David will lead Network Rail’s Digital Railway directorate, which includes the Digital Railway Programme – a cross-industry initiative funded and facilitated by Network Rail to boost the capacity of Britain’s rail network using digital signalling and train control technologies. A member of Network Rail’s executive committee, Mr Waboso will report to Chief Executive Mark Carne. He replaces Jerry England, who retires later this year.

Mark Carne, Network Rail Chief Executive said: “The single biggest challenge for Britain’s railway is how to provide the capacity we need for the future. Passenger numbers have doubled over the last twenty years and are set to double again over a similar period. Our Railway Upgrade Plan is making a huge difference for passengers, but we need to move further and faster to bring in the kinds of digital technologies that other industries have already shown can provide the capacity gains on existing infrastructure.

Britain’s congested network. I look forward to working with him and I know he will continue Jerry’s excellent work in making sure we have the plans and funding in place to deliver the railway Britain needs for the future.”

David Waboso’s experience at London Underground, where he has led the upgrade of both trains and infrastructure to digital technology, will be hugely valuable as Network Rail makes the case for an accelerated programme to roll out similar technologies across Britain’s rail network.

Prior to joining London Underground in 2005, David was executive director at the Strategic Rail Authority where he was responsible for integrating engineering, safety and standards across the industry and led crossindustry national programmes for new signalling and communications systems. He has also worked for Bechtel and Nichols and played a leading role in the development and delivery of a number of key upgrades including the Thameslink Programme, Jubilee Line extension and Docklands Light Railway.

It is hoped that David will start at Network Rail in June, and that there will then be a handover period with Jerry England who has already announced that he will be retiring once the handover is complete.

THE final phase of a £205M upgrade to improve journey times and reduce congestion on a 20 mile section of the M1, spanning the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, is now live.

The Highways England scheme between junction 28 (Mansfield) and junction 31 (Worksop) is the first smart motorway in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, where the hard shoulder has been permanently converted to an extra lane.

Variable speed limits will also be used to keep vehicles moving, tackling the stop-start conditions many drivers have experienced in the past.

It is being delivered as part of a £15Bn government investment in motorways and major A roads by 2021.

Roads Minister Andrew Jones said: “The completion of the smart motorway on this section of the M1 will make a real difference to people travelling between Mansfield, Chesterfield and Worksop, delivering better and smoother journeys, helping businesses and boosting the local economy.”

Contractors for Highways England have worked 1.75 million combined hours to complete the scheme, which will improve journeys for more than 95,000 drivers a day using this stretch.

A similar scheme on the M25, which opened just over a year ago, has seen the busiest journey times being halved and the number of collisions reduced by a fifth.

“Attracting someone of David’s talent highlights the progress we have made and our determination to use technology to unlock capacity on

7

EXPERTS IN BROWNFIELD CONTRACTING AND HAZARDOUS WASTE TREATMENT

DELIVERING COST EFFECTIVE AND INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR MORETHAN 20YEARS CALL US TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR IN-HOUSE NATIONWIDE NETWORK OF SOIL TREATMENT FACILITIES

www.celtic-ltd.com

0118 916 7340

www.biogenie.co.uk

EXPERTS EXPERTS ININ BROWNFIELD BROWNFIELD CONTRACTING CONTRACTING AND AND HAZARDOUS HAZARDOUS WASTE WASTE TREATMENT TREATMENT Celtic have recently successfully completed a Thermal Conductive Heating (TCH) enhanced Dual Phase Vacuum Extraction (DPVE) contract, targeting hydrocarbons and chlorinated compounds at an active manufacturing plant in the UK. Working for a major international consultancy, who characterised the plume and designed the thermal remediation strategy, Celtic designed, constructed and operated the system, which was constructed to ATEX requirements due to potential explosive concentrations of the contaminants of concern.

Logistical difficulties of operating within an active factory environment with significant space constraints were overcome through detailed in-house system design and continuous dialogue with the client throughout the design process.

DELIVERING DELIVERING COST COSTEFFECTIVE EFFECTIVEAND AND INNOVATIVE INNOVATIVESOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS FOR FORMORE MORE THAN THAN2020 YEARS YEARS Thermal conductive heating was used to mobilise contamination within the target zone and accelerate the removal of contaminants via the extraction system. Following 60 days of heating and 30 additional days of DPVE system operation, significant contaminant mass had been removed and system operation had exceeded 98% uptime, exceeding the client’s target of 95%. Continuous monitoring of temperature, pressure, vapour concentrations and mass recovery within the system, with data fed to a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), ensured that the system could be run without supervision, with telemetry notification in the event of system shutdown. Dilution valves controlled by PLC helped to achieve the uptime target, by allowing fresh dilution air into the system, rather than shutting down, should monitoring parameters be momentarily exceeded.

CALL CALL US TO US FIND TO FIND OUTOUT

MORE MORE ABOUT ABOUT OUR OUR

The extraction system included both dewatering and vapour extraction elements, with both IN-HOUSE NATIONWIDE NATIONWIDE streams passing through heat exchanger systems prior toIN-HOUSE entry to the water and vapour treatment systems.

NETWORK NETWORK OF SOIL OF SOIL

TREATMENT TREATMENT FACILITIES FACILITIES

Celtic’s system design and operation enabled the client to achieve its project objectives in a timely manner, and to be able to present the project outcomes to the regulator with confidence.

www.celtic-ltd.com www.celtic-ltd.com

0118 0118 916 916 7340 7340

www.biogenie.co.uk www.biogenie.co.uk

£32M anaerobic digestion plant underway in Dagenham REFOOD - a leading UK-based food waste recycler - has commenced construction of a brand new £32M anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Dagenham. The culmination of a long-term investment programme, the state-of-the-art gas to grid (G2G) facility will help to boost the local economy by creating up to 60 new jobs.

Capable of recycling 160,000 tonnes of food waste each year, ReFood Dagenham will generate more than 2,000 m3/hr of methane gas. G2G technology will enable ReFood to upgrade the resulting methane to reflect the qualities of natural gas, allowing it to be injected directly into the national grid and used to power more than 10,000 households across the region.

Expected to open in summer 2017, the facility will be sited on London Sustainable Industries Park (SIP) in Dagenham Dock. Jobs will be created across the logistics, sales and operations fields.

Philip Simpson, Commercial Director for ReFood, said: “Starting construction on our new site in Dagenham is truly a landmark achievement. In London and the surrounding areas, a significant volume of food waste is generated every year and ReFood Dagenham will play a crucial role in recycling this waste. Thus, helping businesses to lower their operational costs, become more sustainable and, most importantly, divert a highly valuable resource away from landfill.”

Heathrow announce client partners for future expansion HEATHROW has announced the four winning bidders that will assist in expanding the airport.

Following a competitive process Arup, CH2M, MACE and Turner & Townsend have been chosen to work alongside Heathrow Airport Limited to deliver Heathrow’s expansion as partners in the Programme Client.

Last July the Government’s independent Airports Commission unanimously and unambiguously recommended the expansion of Heathrow and said that it could be done within environmental limits. With the programme’s client partners now on board, Heathrow is ready to begin the process of expansion as soon as the Government gives the go-ahead.

Heathrow’s expansion programme

Ian Ballentine, Heathrow Director of Procurement, said: “I’m delighted that our client partners are now on board and I look forward to working with them to give the UK a truly world-class, sustainable hub airport. This privately financed £16Bn project will benefit the whole UK as we work to widen the supply chain right across the nation.”

Leicester mill a catalyst for waterside regeneration A restored 18th century mill complex in Leicester is acting as a catalyst for ambitious plans to regenerate the city’s waterside over the next ten years.

Friars Mill, on the banks of the River Soar, has been transformed from a derelict site of empty industrial buildings into a collection of modern workspaces for growing businesses.

The £7.1M ERDF-backed redevelopment

Join the many thousands of estimators & surveyors who have made the switch to ConQuest 10

will focus on creating a world-class, sustainable hub airport, which is commercially attractive to both Heathrow’s shareholders and the airlines.

It will be tasked with developing a skilled, nationwide supply chain that can expand the airport on-time, on-budget, to world-class standards whilst spreading the benefits right across the country. The client partners have been tasked with ensuring the programme is delivered to the highest industry standards in planning, innovation and quality.

project has helped preserve Leicester’s oldest surviving factory building, which was nearly lost to fire on 2012.

City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “The project has helped preserve a fascinating chapter in the city’s industrial heritage by creating really attractive, modern workspaces where businesses can grow and build a prosperous future.”

“This is an amazing opportunity to create a civic beacon for Tower Hamlets, and we look forward to the challenge”

Award-winning Architect to design £77M Civic Centre IN the next major step towards redeveloping the Old Royal London Hospital into a new Civic Centre, Tower Hamlets Council has appointed the internationally renowned architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) as lead consultant and designer for the £77M scheme.

Last November, the Council approved the creation of a new town hall on the site of the Grade II listed former Old Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

The scheme also includes the major refurbishment of John Onslow House in Roman Road which AHMM will also manage as lead design consultants.

AHMM is one of the country’s leading architectural practices with experience of building large scale office, civic, education, healthcare and arts buildings. They have won a number of respected industry design awards including the RIBA Stirling Prize 2015 for Burntwood School in Wandsworth.

The Council’s Civic Centre is a major part of the wider regeneration of Whitechapel which includes the opening of Crossrail in 2018, alongside

3,500 new homes, 5,000 jobs, new retail opportunities and new public spaces to be delivered over the next ten years.

The appointment of AHMM follows a highly competitive process which began with more than 100 expressions of interests. These were then reduced to 23 bids at the next Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) stage, before being reduced further to six strong final bids which were invited to tender.

The successful bid had to demonstrate expertise and experience in a number of areas, including working on new building and refurbishment projects of a similar complexity and scale.

Will Tuckley, Chief Executive at Tower Hamlets Council said: “I am pleased to announce that the experienced AHMM team have been appointed to lead the architectural design and consultation stage of our ambitious plans to create a new Civic Centre in the heart of Whitechapel.

“The Civic Centre will be instrumental in our vision for transforming services.

The Council is keen to introduce new

and more efficient ways of working whilst, together with our partners, delivering excellent front line services.

“Whitechapel as a whole is undergoing massive changes and the Civic Centre will be a key building contributing to the regeneration of the area and securing the future of a building of heritage importance for the borough.”

Paul Monaghan, Director of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) said: “This is an amazing opportunity to create a civic beacon for Tower Hamlets, and we look forward to the challenge of working with new and old to make a new type of town hall at the heart of the community. One of the most exciting aspects of the project will involve bringing the 18th century Royal London Hospital back to life as a public building open to the borough.”

The contract will cover all the key consultant, design and planning management milestones including the appointment of contractors and the work taking place on site. The building is earmarked for completion by the end of 2021.

11

Unit 3, Stag Business Park, 164-166 Christchurch Rd, Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 3AS Tel: 01425 489600 Fax: 01425 489606 E: sales@cmp.uk.com W: www.cmp.uk.com Commercial Marine and Piling Ltd (CMP) have worked in the land and marine piling sector for more than 24 years. In that time we have gone from strength to strength, enabling us to diversify our portfolio of capability and increase the complexity of the services we deliver.

We have successfully made our mark on the marine sector with flagship projects such as the Lee Tunnel Outfall design & build, the largest outfall pipeline in the UK. We have developed new and innovative piling methods, such as the sand socketed combi-wall solution designed and installed for Canary Wharf.

Lee Tunnel Outfall Cofferdam

Canary Wharf sand socketed combi-pile cofferdam

However our primary focus and the core of the business remains the land sheet piling capability. Following our recent acquisition of Kim Barker Construction Ltd, we are pleased to announce our presence in the North East of England. With this acquisition comes the increased and improved ability to offer all types of driven piling on land and over water.

We can offer piling services to any project, large or small and values from £10,000 to £10m, domestic or commercial using the following methods: • Silent and Vibration Free - where neigbouring structures are at risk • Movax Excavator Mounted - where space is limited, height is restricted and speed is important • Telescopic Leader Rig - for sheet, timber, concrete and tubular piles up to 20 metres long • Crane Suspended Hammers - for all types of pile, up to 2.5 metres diameter driven in single lengths up to 40 metres

CMP’s Still Worker silently installing piles for a housing developer in Market Weighton

CMP’s Movax rig installing canal walls

CMP’s Leader rig installing piles for M25 widening

CMP’s SL30 impact hammer getting final depth on Rye Harbour quay walls

During 2015 our geographical operations throughout the north of England have ranged from coastal defence work for Balfour Beatty in Blackpool, river flood defence for Galliford Try in Norwich, sheet pile retaining walls for Linden Homes in Harrogate, the A1 widening in Gateshead, construction of a fish pass for Northumberland Council in Hexham and piling for Meldrum Construction in Hartlepool Docks.

To the east we have installed a series of cofferdams for Murphy’s to allow the onshore connection of export cables for Race Bank offshore wind farm and we have carried out emergency river bank stabilisation work for Jackson Civil Engineering (and Environment Agency) in Suffolk.

2016 will see a flying start with continuation of projects for BAM Nuttall in Hampstead Heath, rail bank stabilisation for Costain and the London City Island project for Ballymore, all thanks to our collaborative approach to forging lasting team relationships. We have dedicated ourselves to nurturing client relationships and promoting early contractor involvement, particularly in our specialist fields of flood prevention and over water environments.

We now look forward to the many significant and prestigious projects due to commence in 2016, with offices in the northeast, southeast and south of England to support our clients with project success.

Recent Case Studies Project: Hampstead Heath Ponds Dewatering Dams Description: Silent installation of interlocking steel sheet piles to create dividing dams. These dams enabled dewatering of the ponds for access to the original earth dams.

Use of a modular barge system allowed piling to continue over the water while the silent approach avoided public nuisance.

Project: Abbey Wharf River Walls Description: Crane suspended hammer installation of new river walls to replace the falling existing wall.

The wall consisted of a combination of driven I beams with intermediate interlocking sheet piles to complete the continuous retaining wall structure.

CMP’s in-house design team developed the complicated temporary pile support gate system, which allowed accurate installation of the piles with minimal disruption to the existing site operations.

Project: Boston Seahaven Flood Defences Description: Leader rig installation of new interlocking sheet pile flood defence walls. Due to limited land access the piles were installed from CMP’s jack-up barge working in the river.

The pile line required pre-auger to break the ground ahead of piling.

This enabled complete installation with the rig and avoided impact driving nuisance to local residents.

We also removed 12 sunken fishing vessels to clear the riverbed ahead of the piling.

Project: Rossall Coastal Defences Description: Leader rig installation of new interlocking sheet pile sea defence walls. The project required tidal working in the exposed coastal location.

Following the successful Phase 1 works, we were able to forge a collaborative working relationship with Balfour Beatty to move into the Phase 2 works.

Project: Race Bank Offshore Windfarm Substation Description: Installation of new interlocking sheet piles for the new marine export cable to substation connection. Two piling methods were used to complete the sensitive project.

CMP’s Movax system was successfully used to installed piles below high voltage overhead cables.

CMP’s rig with Hydropress silent and vibration free system was used to install piles around sensitive structures.

CPA unveil strategic objectives and new logo JOHN Sinfield, the Construction Products Association (CPA) Chairman has revealed the CPA’s strategic objectives for 2016 and a new logo.

Speaking at the CPA’s annual Spring Lunch, which was attended by 500 senior industry leaders and government officials, Mr Sinfield, Managing Director of Knauf Insulation for Northern Europe, outlined three strategic objectives for 2016: increasing recognition for the Industry; growing the market; and reducing regulatory risk.

Mr Sinfield said that the first job of the CPA was to be the “voice” of the construction industry and had a “clear mandate” from its members and a responsibility to increase recognition for the sector and its businesses.

He said: “While we may not be as sexy as the makers of F1 cars or the latest fighter jet, manufacturers of construction products are just as innovative and employ more people in the UK than automotive and aerospace manufacturers combined.

“To the government’s credit, they have been willing to listen to us and their support, for example, of the Construction Leadership Council bodes well for a productive working relationship with the construction supply chain.”

Mr Sinfield said that the CPA’s ambition to grow the market for its members’ construction companies had been met with scepticism in some quarters but he expressed confidence that the

Association could achieve this target.

This could be achieved by raising awareness of the areas vital to the industry’s success through the CPA’s economic forecasts and surveys. He said: “Our members tell us that this information is indispensable to business development and strategies, offering highly accurate insight into market data, growth opportunities and risks.”

In an effort to combat the skills shortage impacting the industry, the CPA has begun a pilot project in collaboration with the CITB and small number of CPA member companies to place ‘product-user training’ on a more formal standing with nationally recognised qualifications.

Mr Sinfield said that the digitalisation of the construction industry would also be a crucial area in determining growth in the sector, following on the from BIM Level 2 government mandate that came into force at the beginning of April. He said: “The CPA has been leading on behalf of manufacturers and distributors to prepare for this, and we are now working to develop the next steps to BIM Level 3. We lobbied hard for government’s continued support to Level 3, and so were very pleased to see the recent Budget commitment.

“But more broadly, digitalisation, with

its demand for collaboration and innovation, plays to our strengths as an industry. As the year progresses, you will hear more about some potentially game-changing developments which the CPA is driving, including Project Data Templates and Digital Object Identifiers.”

The third major strategy highlighted at the CPA Spring Lunch by Mr Sinfield was reducing regulatory risk. He said: “Not long ago the CPA published a report which studied the factors underpinning investment in our industry. Our research identified 132 current and pending UK and EU policies and regulations impacting our business, not even counting health and safety, human resources, finance or transportation.

“The sheer number and complexity of these policies and regulations is a risk in itself to business. Added to this are the growing complications arising from the need to harmonise regulations both with the EU and the increasingly influential devolved regions in the UK.” The CPA’s logo change is the first in over a decade and is seen as reflective of the realignment of the Association’s targets and approach. Mr Sinfield said: “The change is more than skin deep as there has been significant effort put in behind the scenes to rethink and refocus the CPA’s objectives and strategy. More than ever these are clearly centred on responding to the needs of you, the members, and helping your business to succeed.”

ConQuest Estimating & Surveying Software Truly unique in capability, flexibility & stability 14

Historical Bristol building transformed into new student hub BEACON House, a Grade II Listed building which was constructed in the 1850s, was unveiled this week, after undergoing a £12M transformation.

The house was previously a Habitat store, which closed in 2011.

flexible group learning groups.

A large reception area will provide a focal point for all visitors of the university, with a cafe which will be open to members of the public seven days a week.

The transformation was unveiled by the University of Bristol in April, in an investment which will give the building a new lease of life.

Professor Judith Squires, Pro ViceChancellor at the University of Bristol, said: “Beacon House is a really exciting addition to the University as the building is in such a prime position.

Construction group Midas have been working on the 2,643sq m facility, which is on the corner of Queens Avenue and the Triangle for eight months. The flagship investment is now home to a study centre, complete with 388 study seats, 66 computers, social study spaces, a study area and

“It will accommodate, energise and inspire students in a welcoming and flexible environment, and showcase the best of the University to our visitors.

As a site that promotes and celebrates learning we hope that it will become central to the University’s engagement with its students and the wider city.”

Located between the Students’ Union and the central campus, the building has easily moving furniture to accommodate the needs of students who need flexible study space in addition to traditional libraries. The house has sound-insulated booths to ensure quiet study, along with wireless mobile phone charging points.

The project is part of a £525M capital investment programme by the University in teaching and research facilities.

Beacon House was formerly the Queens Hotel before being used for retail purposes – Gardiners in the 1930s, Debenhams after the war and more recently Habitat.

Government investigate untapped housing potential THE redevelopment of railway stations and their surrounding land will deliver thousands of new homes and jobs, and significantly boost local growth, the Communities Secretary has announced.

A new agreement between Network Rail and the Homes and Communities Agency will see them working with local councils to trailblaze development opportunities across England’s railway stations for homes and businesses.

The ambitious initiative could deliver up to 10,000 new properties on sites

around stations in the coming years.

The Government wants to hear from at least 20 local authorities to take the scheme forward however.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark said: “We’re determined to fire up communities and back local business so they build much needed housing and create thousands of jobs. Rail stations are a hub of communities, connectivity and commerce and should be making the most of their unique potential to attract investment and opportunities.

“With record numbers of people travelling by train, it makes sense to bring people closer to stations and develop sites that have space for thousands of new homes and offices.

“This new initiative will bring about a step change in development and ensure we go further and faster in putting these rail sites to good use.”

The Homes and Communities Agency and Network Rail will now work with councils to explore how the Government can support them to deliver locally-led regeneration and development schemes quickly.

15

Is this what the “Tax Man” means by a level playing field in the construction industry?

It has been going on for years!

HMRC have been talking about the need to create a level playing field in the construction industry for years and every so often they come up with yet another piece of legislation, supposedly designed to do that.

CIS payroll service schemes, where the worker was supplied to the construction company by the scheme provider, who paid the worker on a self-employed basis, worked well for many years, providing certainty to the construction company. However, the practice became so widespread, and across other market sectors (where self-employment of the worker could not really be justified), that legislation had to be introduced. The ‘false self-employment legislation’ was introduced in April 2014 to stop what HMRC considered was giving an unfair advantage to those using that arrangement.

Restriction on Travel and subsistence expenses The Budget 2016 introduced a restriction on travel and subsistence expenses where the worker operates through an intermediary.

Again this is stated as being part of HMRCs attempt to create a level playing field in this case between an employee and someone who ‘looks like an employee’.

How level is the playing field now?

A genuinely self-employed contractor working direct for a construction company will pay tax on a self-employed basis (with no employers’ National Insurance payable) and will obtain tax relief for their travel expenses to site. However, if the worker does the same work for the same construction company, but through an intermediary (including a temporary staffing agency), then they are taxed like an employee and, if there is supervision, direction or control, will be denied tax relief on travel and subsistence expenses. That doesn’t seem like a level playing field, though to be fair to HMRC, it is difficult to word the legislation in such a way that it taxes the genuine situations properly but stops people from creating a position to gain a tax advantage.

Making things simple 1 South House,Bond Avenue, Bletchley,Milton Keynes MK1 1SW Nopalaver Umbrella: 01908 370452 HMRC said they were trying to level the playing field—but have they?

Email: cis@nopalaverumbrella.co.uk www.nopalavergroup.com

Case study XYZ Building Company Ltd have 20 subcontractors on a regular basis. By any normal definition, all of these are “self-employed”.

XYZ have, for many years, contract-ed with ABC Ltd, a CIS payroll services provider to supply the workers. However, for all of these workers, there is an element of supervision (as to the manner in which they undertake the work).

As a result, the payroll service scheme provider ABC has, quite rightly, ruled that they cannot be paid by them on a self-employed basis.

Instead, they have put them through an Umbrella Company.

These 20 workers are becoming increasing disgruntled as their take home pay has gone down from £600pw to less than £520 pw.

They cannot understand why, when they are genuinely self-employed, their net pay should have gone down so much.

The workers have heard that JKL Building Company Ltd are taking on workers on a self-employed basis and realise they will be much better off working for them.

XYZ are not aware that they are about to lose a substantial part of their workforce!

CIS Payroll Schemes have limited application CIS Payroll schemes, where the construction company pays the scheme provider and the provider pays the worker, now only work where there is no supervision, direction or control of the worker. However, there are many situations where a genuinely self-employed worker will be subject to some element of supervision, direction or control.

Paying them through a CIS Payroll provider, is more expensive than contracting with them direct, due mainly to the employer’s national insurance payable and the scheme providers fee. (See the case study on this page.)

Declarations that there is no SDC don’t work and are risky Declarations that there is no (nor any right to) supervision, direction or control will largely be ignored by HMRC, who will focus on the facts of the case. Indeed, providing such a declaration, fraudulently, can result in the liability for tax, that should have been accounted for, falling on the construction company. Where large numbers of contractors are concerned, this could be a sizeable liability.

Further complications CIS Payroll providers may have switched workers who ARE supervised directed or controlled into an Umbrella Company model. They are worse off under that model, and recent budget changes limiting tax relief on travel and subsistence expenses, makes them even worse off. Subcontractors are looking for other solutions.

Simple no, or low cost, solutions with Nopalaver Nopalaver can advise on alternative payment solutions for contractors, including contracting direct with the worker, via a strong self-employed contract (one off cost of contract), workers operating through their own limited company, or using the little known exemption of the construction company’s own intermediary.

£37M revamp for Windsor Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse THE Royal Collection Trust, who manage the Royal Collection of the Sovereign of the UK, have announced tourist areas at Windsor Castle in Berkshire and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, are to undergo a £37M revamp to improve visitor facilities.

Architectural practice, Purcell has been appointed lead designer for the Future Programme at Windsor Castle, where the original entrance will be reinstated, with improved access to the ground flood state apartments introduced.

A new cafe will be built in the 14th Century medieval undercroft at Windsor Castle, which was an area originally used for the storage of wine

and other provisions. There will also be a visitor centre with facilities for schoolchildren.

Burd Haward Architects will deliver the project at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where £10M has been allocated for the renovation work.

The outside space – including Holyrood Abbey, the grounds and forecourt – will be redeveloped in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland.

The Abbey Strand buildings will be restored to a house learning centre just outside the palace gates.

Jonathan Marsden – Director of the

Royal Collection Trust, which is funding the work – said: “People have been visiting Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse for centuries and now more than 1.5M do so every year.

“We want everybody to have a proper sense of arrival, to be able to make choices about how they go about their visits.

“We will interpret the palaces and collections in new ways, open up new spaces to the public and we’re going to create two purpose-built learning centres.”

The work is due to commence early next year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.

Defence budget increases for first time in six years COMMITMENTS from the Government, made in last summer’s budget for defence, have come into effect, with defence spending increasing by 0.5% above inflation every year until 2020.

The core defence budget is increasing by £800M from the 2015/16 baseline of £34.3Bn to £35.1Bn, with the Ministry of Defence receiving £2.1Bn from the Joint Security Fund by the end of this Parliament. This means the Defence budget will increase by near £5Bn to £39.7Bn in 2020/21.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “Nothing is more important than defending our country and protecting our people. With increasing threats to our security, we have chosen to

18

increase defence spending and give our Armed Forces what they need to keep Britain safe.”

The UK has the second largest budget in NATO, the largest in the EU, and the fifth largest in the world. It is one of only five countries that meets the

NATO guideline to spend 2% of GDP on Defence.

The MOD will use the increased budget to invest in stronger defence with more ships, more planes, more troops at readiness, better equipment for Special Forces and more for cyber.

The Army will remain above 82,000, with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force increased by 700 personnel.

By 2025, the MOD say they will have a highly capable expeditionary force of around 50,000 (up from around 30,000 planned in Future Force 2020).

Over the next decade MOD will spend over £178Bn on equipment and equipment support, £12Bn more than in plans prior to the 2015 SDSR.

£82.5M F-35 contract awarded

by BAE Systems ‘Prime London’ sees residential property rise THE number of ‘prime’ homes due to be constructed in London over the coming ten years has hit over 35,000 - a 40% increase on 2014 - Arcadis has identified. The combined sales value of these properties is estimated at over £77Bn and, when combined, the total floor area of these homes amounts to over 40Msq ft - far greater than that of the entire City of London (30.7M sq ft).

In its analysis Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, identified 196 sites that span the breadth of the capital. The number of homes planned in these locations comes in at 35,055.

This significant growth on the previous year demonstrates the extent to which the capital’s high-end residential market is still viewed favourably in spite of the rapidly evolving UK housing market.

Rising construction costs and growing land values have seen input costs rise, while a softening in demand due to successive stamp duty reform, combined with economic slowdown in countries such as China, has seen buyer interest ease. As a consequence, some investors may eventually reposition these assets away from ‘prime’ housing and into premium office space, mixed-use or even a greater number of smaller homes as they look to markets that offer a

greater margin.

Mark Cleverly, Arcadis Head of Commercial Development, said: “Since around 2009, the value of prime residential property in central London has seen dramatic rises, making it one of the hottest markets in recent memory. So, it is hardly surprising that we have seen ongoing interest from investors all over the world. What is interesting, though, is the continuous geographical spread we are seeing.

Prime housing is springing up around regeneration areas and on the outskirts of the financial district, suggesting the days of the West End dominating the high-end property market may be over.

“That said, things are changing. It remains to be seen how the market responds to the new set of challenges being thrown at it. Land, materials and labour are growing in price, meaning the costs involved in actually building these homes is growing significantly.

This, coupled with a recent gradual easing off of buyer demand could affect margins and mean investors opt to convert their developments to target the more buoyant office and commercial markets. With no obvious end in sight to the unpredictability of the global economy this approach could soon become the norm.”

BALFOUR Beatty has been selected by BAE Systems to deliver an £82.5M contract to build engineering and training facilities at RAF Marham, Norfolk, in readiness for the arrival of the UK’s first F-35 Lightning II aircraft in 2018.

In March 2013, the Secretary of State for Defence confirmed that RAF Marham would become the main operating station for the UK’s fleet of F-35 Lightning II jets.

Balfour Beatty will construct three new facilities on behalf of BAE Systems to support the arrival of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft in 2018 - an Integrated Training Centre, a Logistics Operations Centre and a Maintenance and Finishing Facility.

Dean Banks, Balfour Beatty Managing Director UK Construction Services, said: “We are committed to making this exciting development a success and extending the excellent track record BAE Systems and Balfour Beatty have for delivering defence projects in the UK. “Our proven expertise in defence and aviation means that we have developed technically advanced delivery solutions that will help to ensure that RAF Marham’s operational capability is maintained throughout our construction activities on base.”

Works are scheduled to commence in the coming weeks with completion scheduled for summer 2018, ready for the arrival of the F-35 Lightning II fleet later that year.

ConQuest Estimating & Surveying Software Truly unique in capability, flexibility & stability 19

ving a vision, a h t u o b a ll a is r an “Being a Leade ision only you c v a ’s it s e m ti e er and som ip is getting oth h rs e d a e L f o rt see. The A it - and then in e v e li e b it e e people to s deliver it.”

E Knightsbridge CB f o y d ra B ss e n Baro

TELL ME MORE For full programme details, click here.

Every Construction project needs a workforce who are skilled, enthusiastic and reliably turn up for work. Whether or not this occurs however, is down to the leadership of the managers and professionals to whom they report. The very best leaders know that there are 3 specific skillsets – Secrets - that are not often talked about but make the difference.

new project or team starts with somebody having the thought that it can be done. One of the key distinctions between a leader and a manager is that a good leader not only believes passionately in what they are doing and where they are going, but they hold a Vision for it and they have the ability to inspire people to want to be a part of it.

SECRET 1 WORK/LIFE BALANCE Good Leadership is all about managing people’s Hearts and Minds: the mind is about communication and the heart is about giving people the passion, respect and desire to want to come to work. Even in the robust world of Construction, organisations that are the most successful have leaders with that ethos right now.

This is what generates a workforce who are flooded with an energy of self-sustained loyalty, motivation and engagement, for whom stress is a thing of the past and discretionary effort is a given.

Just think of the difference that would make.

Leaders do this best when they themselves are in all-round good shape, well trained, well supported and able to contribute. But no one has it all and sadly, the last person on the list for support and encouragement is often the leader him or herself.

And it’s not only work we’re talking about!

LEADERS TEND NOT TO COMPLAIN – THEY CRUISE SILENTLY TO BURNOUT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN? Pressure of the job, family sickness, Deadlines to meet, parent-teacher evenings, Contracts to negotiate, elderly parents with health issues…!

Even where leaders can successfully switch between the two, over time it can take a toll and leave them out of Flow [i.e. stressed]. This is the first thing we address.

SECRET 2 GOOD LEADERS HAVE VISION Every new enterprise, every new service, every

SECRET 3 GOOD LEADERS BUILD TRUST TRUST is a major factor in both performance delivery and attendance levels and a leader who enjoys Trust within their team will excel in these areas. Trust can be earned and it can also be lost. The most reliable way of earning and maintaining Trust is by being consistent.

The degree to which people TRUST their leader consistently to do the following is key: INNOVATION: Come up with creative solutions and plans, COMMUNICATION: Share information and listen effectively, SERVICE: Look after partners and team members, MEASUREMENT: Measure and refine their own performance, RESILIENCE: Remain resilient and positive.

SECRETS OF LEADERSHIP SUCCESS is a leadership coaching programme that covers all these areas and more. Our aim it to empower managers and professionals to be the leaders who inspire people to deliver only the best results.

And just think of the difference that would make.

BRE launch new Chinese venture SPECIAL Envoy for Sustainable Urbanisation to China, Sir Michael Bear, officially launched BRE China at a ceremony in the city of Shenzhen, attended by key figureheads in the Chinese built environment.

The new venture represents a natural progression for UK based building science centre BRE, which has been working on a number of projects in the country for several years, including: the creation of an Innovation Park in Gu’ian, the sustainable development of the international shipping centre marina project in Shanghai, and a joint built environment research partnership with China’s top university Tsinghua and developer Evergrande.

BRE’s flagship buildings and communities sustainability standard BREEAM has also been applied to several key developments across the country.

Speaking at the launch, Sir Michael said: “I’m delighted to be here today to participate in the opening of BRE China - it represents a very important development in our UK China bilateral trade relationship which is currently in ‘a golden era’. Mutual benefit is at the heart of our relations - we focus on bringing the best of China to the UK and the best of the UK to China - and BRE is a very tangible example of this. I look forward to seeing it progress.”

BRE China is based in the new Qianhai District of Shenzhen City and will initially be located in the headquarters of the Shenzhen municipal government. BRE has been working with the city’s leaders to help them realise their ambition of making Shenzhen the most sustainable Tier 1 city in China.

22

President of BRE China, Jaya Skandamoorthy, explains: “Developing green, low carbon buildings and infrastructure is at the heart of China’s 13th Five Year Plan and its New Urbanisation Plan. BRE China’s mission is to support the delivery of this plan with a range of collaborative initiatives and development programmes on research, training and standards’.

Shenzhen’s Head of Department for the Housing Construction Bureau, Mr Yang Shengjun, said ‘BRE is one of the world’s leading building science centres so we are very pleased they have established their China headquarters in Shenzhen city. We signed a collaborative agreement with BRE in 2014 and will continue to support them to grow their business base here and across China. We would also like to welcome many more leading UK companies to come here and be part of the growing green building industry and innovation movement that Shenzhen is leading.’

Niall Trafford, Chief Operating Officer of BRE and Chairman of BRE China, concludes: “The seeds for creating BRE China were sown during the visit of Chinese Premier Li-Keqiang to our Innovation Park in 2011. He asked us to share the knowledge we’ve gathered over the past decades on sustainable development and collaborate more with Chinese partners. We look forward developing new Chinese partnerships that will help us continue with our mission to build a better world together.”

Vision 90 x 260_Layout 1 16/03/2016 16:04 Page 1

Winners announced for Architizer A+Awards

7-8 JUNE 2016

THE EVENT FOR ARCHITECTS, SPECIFIERS, CLIENTS AND SUPPLIERS. WWW.VISIONLONDON.COM

@VISIONLDN

THE winners of the fourth annual Architizer A+Awards have been announced, honouring the best architecture, spaces, and products from across the globe.

This year’s winners include Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s Apple store in Palo Alto; Rafael de Cárdenas LTD’s Black Ocean Firehouse in New York; Phaedrus Studio’s Odin Bar + Café in Toronto, Sage and Coombe Architects’ Ocean Breeze Track and Field House in Staten Island, and Zaha Hadid Architects’ Messner Mountain Museum Corones in Italy.

This year, the A+Awards received thousands of entries from more than 95 countries. A jury-selected winner and a popular choice winner were awarded for each of the 113 categories. Popular choice winners were determined by more than 400,000 public votes, cast from more than 100 countries and territories.

Over 400 luminaries from the worlds of architecture, art, and design will gather for the A+ Awards gala on May 12th at Highline Stages in New York City.

Architizer CEO Marc Kushner said: “The A+ gala is more than just a party. It represents a moment for us to stand up and champion our art, recognizing the transformational role that architecture plays in our lives, “This year we are expanding the fame, creating an even wider set of categories, celebrating the buildings and structures that impact our world, as well as the products and material used to create them.”

ATTEND VISION AND ACCESS: • Exhibition of hundreds of innovative solutions for the built environment • International Meeting Programme • Interactive Show Features • Networking Receptions • 100+ CPD Accredited seminar sessions covering: - Future Materials - Building Health & Wellness - Offsite Construction - Technology of Today - Innovations in Architecture & Design - Smart Buildings - Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Register for your FREE visitor pass today at www.visionlondon.com/register Sponsored by

New for 2016: 7th June Extended opening hours 1000 - 2100 23

Good Posture is Cost Effective

by Anthony Hill, Managing Director, Aalborg DK

“

Students frequently miss lectures when seating is

uncomfortable. They also need comfortable accommodation

with good and versatile seating.

”

Have YOU heard such comments?

Are they representative views, and if so what should be done to raise attendance and study?

Does the furniture you provide fit all sizes of both male and female students? E.g. 1.5m – 2.1m tall, and both thin and of varying width and weight.

UK is apparently surprised that many UK students prefer Dutch and other EU universities, which cost less and are more innovative. Scandinavian universities such as Aahus and Copenhagen have both understood and spent hugely on good and comfortable equipment to assist concentration and enjoyment.

Students ENJOY the company of like minded colleagues to learn and enjoy. Many look for a companion to share love/life/enjoyment, the better the environment and the background pleasures it brings the more likely is the recommendation that university gives out.

Active students from Loughborough University pound past my door each day. Young, sweaty, energetic and want to be a Paula Radcliff or a male equivalent. Some overdo it and spend time at Loughborough Clinics after injury. Some spend time in the same clinic after too much time not studying and trying to cram three years into three months at a badly designed desk.

Many of us have become used to poor seating, much related to school desks and chairs. Children as young as five years old are now complaining of back ache.

Slouching on soggy chairs at home using laptops or watching TV and too little exercise doesn’t help.

Badly designed school desks and chairs make matters

worse and only recently have school and college bursars begun to understand that well made postural furniture reduces discomfort and shuffling aiding students achieve better grades. It’s now medically accepted that students should both stand and sit.

Ergonomically correct furniture must relate to both the person and the task.

Many have not a notion of how good furniture should work to suit the wide range of shapes and sizes we cover. If a college lecture lasts an hour or more it’s essential that pain doesn’t prevent learning.

We all need inspiring with good habits and it’s a disgrace that over 40% of later workplace absenteeism is the consequence of back pain. No matter how expensive the adjustable chair, if the desk height is the bog standard 720mm then discomfort is guaranteed!

Sit/stand desks have been the norm in Scandinavia for over thirty years, here some are even claiming it’s a new idea!

Alongside is some idea of how we should be sitting, much higher than at present, which with electric lift desks, the ability to also stand. Architects mostly use high stools, Churchill did much of his writing at a high desk. My company produces a large range of desks and chairs, available in many shapes and finishes, together with saddle stools which allow high seated comfort, especially useful for IT work in a busy environment.

Sitting should be a pleasure not a pain. Learning ditto!

NEW FOR 2016...

We’re introducing a number of height adjustable chairs and desks... and there’s an exciting movable storage w all in the pipeline too. Find out more about the developing A alborg range, or join our mailing list online at...

www.aalborgdk.com

t: +44 (0)1509 264112 | e: info@aalborgdk.com

Shell Chair

Desk

Tip ‘n’ Store 2015’s Best Seller!

Because it effortlessly - and in minutes! - transforms a room into a dining hall or classroom.

Saddle Stool

Workstation

New products... A long time in the making Aalborg products are carefully conceived using 40 years of research by a team comprising engineers, industrial designers, ergonomists and surgeons.This work has led to the creation of products which not only benefit the people using them, but also the establishments in which they are employed.

Fixed height, 2 pupil desk with bookstorage shelf.

Shown with our best-selling saddle stolls.

In development...

A working protoytype of our modular, movablestorage wall.

Adjustable classroom chairs.

Electrically height adjustable desk.

Sit, stand and work in total comfort.

w w w.aalborgdk.com t: +44 (0)1509 264112 |

e: info@aalborgdk.com

Adjustable gas lift chairs.

Supplied with or without foot rests.

Celtic Manor convention centre approved THE Welsh Government has agreed in principle to form a joint venture partnership with Wesley Clover, the parent company of The Celtic Manor Resort, so proposals can move forward to construct a large International Convention Centre at Celtic Manor in Newport, Economy Minister Edwina Hart has announced.

The proposed £80M facility would be capable of accommodating up to 5,000 delegates with total floor space exceeding 20,000sq m. It is expected that the new International Convention Centre could be

completed and ready for use in 2019.

Minister for Economy, Science and Transport Edwina Hart said: “The new Convention Centre would provide a considerable economic boost to Wales.

The 2014 NATO Summit and the 2010 Ryder Cup demonstrated that Wales and the Celtic Manor have the ability to host events on a global scale. We need a world-class convention centre in order to capitalise on Wales’ growing reputation in this area, to host international events and conferences on a regular basis.”

Sir Terry Matthews, the Wesley Clover Chairman, said: “I am delighted that we have reached agreement in principle with the Welsh Government. I am confident the new Convention Centre and the joint venture company will be a financial success.”

Discussions are under way between the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council to drive forward plans for a unique Wellness and Life Science Village at Delta Lakes, Llanelli.

£43M to improve Wales’ primary care services £43M will be invested over the next year to improve access to primary care and continue to move more services out of hospitals and into local communities, Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

Primary care services are the first point of contact for the majority of people in Wales - as much as 90% of patient care in the Welsh NHS is provided by primary care services in local communities.

The Welsh Government’s primary care plan, which was published in 2014, sets out a vision for enhancing primary care services across Wales so that more care is planned and provided in the community, closer to people’s homes.

Some £10M is being made available

28

to Wales’ 64 primary care clusters groups of GPs, working with other healthcare professionals.

This investment - a marked increase on the £6M allocated last year - will allow clusters to develop further, building on work already achieved to bring together skilled, multi-disciplinary teams of professionals to deliver care in or close to people’s homes.

Professor Drakeford said: “Our vision for primary care is for more services to be delivered in local communities, closer to people’s homes, with care being delivered by a range of skilled healthcare professionals working together as a team.

“The £43M primary care fund for 2016-17 builds on the significant multimillion pound investment we have made in recent years. It will focus on service sustainability, improving access and to moving more services out of hospitals into primary care.

“I am particularly pleased to be able to make £10M - an extra £4M this year - which will be allocated directly to Wales’ 64 primary care clusters, to support their development and boost local primary care services.”

Llandudno lifeboat station on site EU project announced for Welsh & Irish water industry FINANCE and Government Business Minister, Jane Hutt, has announced a £2.5M EU-backed project for the water industry in Wales & Ireland.

Designed to improve the long-term sustainability of water supply and distribution in both countries, as well improving efficiency, the project also aims to create Dŵr Uisce – will help to develop new low carbon energy-saving technology, including micro-hydropower turbines.

These new technologies will be tested in Ireland and Wales before being released commercially.

The project also aims to build the capacity for innovation in the water industry by investigating how new practices can meet the challenges faced in Wales and Ireland due to environmental and climate change.

Trinity College Dublin and Bangor University will work in partnership on the five year project which has been financed by £2M of EU funding through the EU’s Ireland-Wales cooperation programme.

Aiming to strengthen economic links between Wales and Ireland, the Cooperation programme has a £75M fund to support cross border initiatives including around climate change, natural resources, innovation, heritage and tourism.

The Dŵr Uisce project is the first to be funded under the new Ireland-Wales programme, which will benefit people and communities within the southeast region of Ireland and the north and west of Wales. Dŵr Uisce are the Welsh and Irish words for ‘water.’

Finance Minister, Jane Hutt, said: “The Ireland Wales programme is a unique

partnership between both our nations that provides an excellent platform to do business and address common challenges and opportunities which cut across our sea border.

“The programme is also another valuable source of EU investment, and I’m delighted that £2M of EU funds will enable Trinity College Dublin and Bangor University to take forward a project with such important potential for our water industry.”

Stephen Blair, Director of Ireland’s Southern Regional Assembly, said: “The Dŵr Uisce project is an excellent example of a collaborative cross border project that will deliver positive economic and environmental impacts in both Ireland and Wales.”

Dr Prysor Williams, from Bangor University, said: “The work within the Dŵr Uisce project will help achieve those environmental and economic ‘win–wins’ that are so important for Wales to meet its ambitious targets in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Securing this EU funding is excellent news, and we are looking forward to bringing our expertise to a project that will have significant benefits for Welsh industries, consumers, and the wider environment.”

Dr Aonghus McNabola, from Trinity College Dublin, said: “The water industry in Ireland and Wales is the fourth most energy intensive sector in both countries and contributes heavily to carbon emissions.

CONSTRUCTION of a new £2.6M lifeboat station has begun in Llandudno. The modern boathouse will house the station’s new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, which is expected to be delivered in 2017, replacing the existing Mersey class lifeboat, Andy Pearce.

The new facility at Craig-y-Don will replace the current boathouse located in Lloyd Street. The town centre location of the existing boathouse is not suitable for the lifeboat crews, while the facilities also need to be updated.

Divisional Operations Manager for RNLI North Wales, Lee Firman, said: “The RNLI charity has been committed to saving lives at sea at Llandudno since a lifeboat service was established in the town in 1861. We are delighted to see work getting underway to see this much needed facility being introduced which will enable Llandudno to be home to an all-weather lifeboat for many more years to come.”

The project, which has been awarded to local firm, Wynne Construction, is expected to take 14 months to complete.

Chris Wynne, managing director of Wynne Construction, said: “As with all of our projects, we’ll be using a supply chain of businesses from across North Wales, who will also benefit from the contracts.

“The Llandudno lifeboat station project is an extremely prestigious contract to win, with the town having had a lifeboat stationed there for more than 150 years. We’re thrilled to help the charity continue its proud tradition of operating in Llandudno with a modern, contemporary lifeboat station.

“The Dŵr Uisce project will make significant advances in improving energy efficiency in this sector and will have important environmental and economic impacts on the region.”

29

MOBILDEICH GmbH is the leading German flood defence company that builds flooding protection out of water filled tubes. The system is developed by Dr. -Ing. Walter Wagenhuber and main parts are manufactured in Norfolk, UK. Our dykes have proven their value in a hundred missions during flooding and construction site drainage since 2004. MOBILDEICH supplies private, commercial and public clients a full package of flood defence service, which includes an individual analyse of the location, assessment of surface, reasonable quantity of dykes and costs. As soon as these parameters are discussed, MOBILDEICH will deliver the matching product to site and organise a trial running with involved future workers.

online www.mobildeich.com email info@mobildeich.com

PRODUCT MOBILDEICH modules are assembled of 2 or 3 individual, water filled tubes, which are manufactured from 10m to 50m in length. Protection heights are from 0.45m up to 2,6m. The ready-to-use dyke-modules are delivered and stored being rolled up on an axle. In case of a sudden flood, reel wheels are plugged into the axle and the modules can be rolled out by 2 or 4 persons within a few minutes. Only water has to be filled into the tubes after unrolling. 4 people build up 100m of 1m high flood protection within one hour. For long and high protection lines, more speed and less handwork, the modules can be stored on hose reels which are rolled out from a trailer behind a car. Using machine power 200m of dyke per hour with a height up to 2,6m can be erected.

the tubes strong but flexible together. The netting gives protection against driftwood impact and better friction on the ground, like a skid chain. This ensures reliability in any situation, even in many heavy duty construction site uses, where water up to a height of 2m was held back over month.

The third component MOBILDEICH uses to approach any situation with confidence is our bright orange coloured sealing membrane, which is laid over the dyke body and on the waterside ground 2m in front of the dyke. The waterside edge is pressed to the ground by an encased steel-chain. The floodwater is running onto the membrane, pressing it to the ground like a sealing lip. This prevents water-pressure underneath the tubes and leads to a significant difference in-between MOBILDEICH and other tube systems in flood defence: The ability to control overtopping.

Due to this unique three-component-safety-system MOBILDEICH clients have a reliable product that can be used for more than 20 years and in various edge conditions such as: slopes with small radius, obstacles and stairs. MOBILDEICH will work on many surfaces like sand, gravel, grass, asphalt, concrete and cobblestone.

Even in flowing water MOBILDEICH can be erected.

CONCLUSION The system’s principal object is a save, easy and quick flood-defence for cities, industrial areas and properties, but it also offers a diverse range of solutions to many problems within water management.

MOBILDEICH have been sold or rented out for construction site drainage within 2m deep rivers to enable construction work behind the dyke, for dam up shallow rivers up to 1,2m height to get more water depth for big pumps, or impounding artificial lakes for commercial clients, who need huge amounts of water within short time.

The tubes have no weldseam between each other, they are encased in a robust, durable netting, which is prestressed by the water-pressure inside the tubes and ties

We trust our versatile dykes in extraordinary situations, so the MOBILDEICH team encourages anyone to get in touch with us to discuss any challenges in search for resourceful solutions.

Japanese Architect tours V&A Dundee RENOWNED Japanese Architect Kengo Kuma has visited the site of the V&A Museum of Design, Dundee - marking a year since the £80.11M project began on the banks of the River Tay. Lord Provost Bob Duncan welcomed Kengo Kuma to the city to view the year’s progress in person.

Representatives from Dundee City Council and BAM Construction Ltd were also on hand to tour the site.

The Lord Provost said: “People can see from the outside that something really special is beginning to take shape on this site. I am delighted that Kengo Kuma can see how much has been achieved here in the space of a year.

We are delighted with the attention that this project is focusing on our city.

is designed to provide Dundee and Scotland with a world-class museum, which will help to provide jobs and wider economic benefits.”

Kengo Kuma said: “We are delighted that our vision for the V&A Dundee building, which was originally inspired by the beautiful River Tay setting, is now starting to take physical shape.

Great progress is being made with the construction and already you can see the connection between the waterfront and the city is so much stronger.

“I am very proud to be part of this exciting development for the city of Dundee and Scotland and to be creating a museum that will inspire people to visit from the UK and beyond.”

“The aspirational V&A Dundee project

Philip Long - Director of V&A Museum of Design, Dundee - said: “V&A Dundee will be Scotland’s first museum dedicated to design, telling the inspirational story of Scotland’s design heritage and bringing the most important international exhibitions from the V&A to Scotland. The building itself will be part of that story, an inspiring place to visit and enjoy. It is hugely exciting to see it develop day by day as we start to realise Kengo Kuma’s remarkable design.

“The V&A Dundee team feels privileged to be part of the transformation of this beautiful city, reconnecting it to the waterfront and creating a flagship museum that will show people the power of design to change lives.”

The V&A Museum of Design, Dundee is due to be completed in 2018.

Former Zoo Nightclub to make way for affordable homes PERTH’S Zoo Nightclub will soon be consigned to history when the building is demolished to make way for 32 affordable homes.

Robertson Partnership Homes is razing the current site to the ground as part of a £3M project awarded by Fairfield Housing Co-operative, with construction due to begin later in the month.

Commenting on the demolition process, Robertson Partnership Homes’ Managing Director, Stewart Shearer, said: “Our work over the next few weeks will include removing the current build piece-by-piece. This process is understandably delicate and will take approximately four to five

32

weeks. We then plan to start laying the new foundations early in the spring.”

Zoo Nightclub closed in August 2015 after the dilapidated building was deemed no longer fit for purpose.

Revised plans for the 32 apartment development were submitted to Perth

and Kinross Council by site owners, Perthshire Glazing Company, in early December. The finished product will comprise three-storeys of oneand two-bedroom apartments, complete with open planning living arrangements, modern fitted kitchens and bathrooms, and outdoor cycle storage, all contributing to an energy efficient development.

Derek Petterson, CEO of Perthshire Glazing Company, said: “The addition of 32 apartments at the site means more people will be living and working in the city centre. This is an important milestone in the regeneration of a very busy street in Perth and it is a project we are delighted to be involved with.”

1,500 full time jobs longer term, while also generating £586M in salaries over a 25 year period and GVA of £1.56Bn.

£150M transformation of Blackdog a step closer PLANS for a new £150M mixed-use development that will create a new town centre alongside housing, retail, leisure and business facilities at Blackdog, five miles north of Aberdeen, have been lodged with Aberdeenshire Council.

The development will include residential, office and industrial accommodation, a regional food hall, supermarket, petrol station, hotel, cinema, shops and other leisure outlets, and a park and ride facility.

If successful the development will create significant new jobs for local people including 1,200 during construction and 1,500 full time jobs longer term, while also generating £586M in salaries over a 25 year period and GVA of £1.56Bn.

In total, 600 new homes - including 150 affordable properties - have been proposed to accommodate around 2,100 new residents and generate around £1.5M in council tax every year.

Developers Ashfield Land and Kirkwood Homes have been refining the proposals since last autumn, following a wide ranging community consultation with local residents and community representatives, which has helped to shape the final plans.

The site was allocated for future development in the 2012 Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan (LDP). The application will deliver the ambitions of the Blackdog Masterplan, approved by the Council in 2013, which called for a new town centre with business space and a substantial housing offer.

Speaking on behalf of the Blackdog partners, Steven McGarva of Ashfield Land said: “Our plans for Blackdog will deliver substantial benefits for people living in Aberdeenshire and beyond.

“Its prime gateway location takes advantage of the new Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and will help to consolidate Aberdeenshire as one of the world’s major energy centres, complementing the Energetica Corridor strategy, while ensuring that key areas of diversification in food and drink, tourism and life science are also considered and catered for.

We’ve listened and responded by implementing a number of changes to the configuration of the development which I’m confident will offer a wide range of opportunities for local people.”

Now that the application is lodged with Aberdeenshire Council, the public can make formal representations on the proposals during the statutory consultation period.

Subject to planning permission being granted, the work will get underway in early 2017 and will be delivered in partnership with key stakeholders including Aberdeenshire Council and the local community.

Energetica Development Manager, James Welsh, concluded: “Blackdog is a key location within the Energetica corridor, right on the junction of the A90 and AWPR (Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route), and we hope that this development will offer new high quality space to live, visit, work and do business. We look forward to having the opportunity to comment further on the planning proposals in due course.”

“I would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation process.

33

Consent given for gas fired heat and power plant SCOTTISH Ministers have granted consent for the construction and operation of a gas fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant at BP Kinneil Terminal in Grangemouth.

The Kinneil Terminal is adjacent to the Grangemouth petrochemical complex and processes approximately 40% of the North Sea crude oil production, which is brought to the site via the Forties Pipeline System (FPS). The Kinneil Terminal requires steam for heat energy to drive the necessary oil separation processes and the proposed CHP Plant Project will meet those requirements.

As part of the Forties Pipeline System, the Kinneil Terminal is a strategic piece of oil and gas industry infrastructure and will provide long term security of service to the developers of new oil and gas fields who rely upon the FPS. The output of the plant is expected to be 159 MWe and up to 400 temporary jobs could be created during construction.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “This proposed development will provide welcome long-term security of service to developers of new oil and gas fields, at an otherwise challenging time for the wider oil and gas industry. There is consensus across stakeholders that we must retain critical infrastructure to ensure the longterm viability of the North Sea oil & gas industry.”

University of Glasgow take procession of former Western Infirmary site THE University of Glasgow has taken possession of the former Western Infirmary site: a significant milestone which will facilitate the proposed redevelopment of the Gilmorehill campus.

The masterplan for the former Western Infirmary site, which covers 14 acres, includes the creation of a Research and Innovation Hub; new buildings for Social Sciences, the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, and the College of Science and Engineering; and a range of commercial opportunities.

The campus project, one of the largest education developments in Scotland, will see an estimated investment of £1Bn over ten years higher than the public investment in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It is anticipated that 2,500 jobs will be created during the construction period.

There has been extensive consultation regarding proposals for the site and the views of the University and the West end communities have been taken into consideration in the development of the masterplan.

Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said: “Since the University moved to Gilmorehill in 1870, we have developed a number of iconic buildings, including, of course, the Gilbert Scott Building. The facilities we built during the late 19th and early

34

20th centuries provided a fantastic environment for University of Glasgow researchers, who won seven Nobel prizes and many other accolades. We hope to use the new site as a catalyst to attract and grow the very best academics, to attract the very best students and to ensure that Glasgow continues to be one of the top universities in the world.”

He added: “The first major development will be a Learning and Teaching Hub – situated not on the former Western Infirmary site but on University Avenue. It will provide spaces for 3,000 students at any one time, as well as state-of-the-art facilities, and will allow us to use the latest techniques in pedagogy.”

Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “I know that the University of Glasgow has been engaging strongly with local community groups and businesses in this part of the city and I hope to see a mutually beneficial relationship grow between ‘town and gown’ as this project develops.

“The University is an important contributor to the economic, social and cultural future of Glasgow. These are ambitious plans to make this area of the West End even more vibrant and I look forward to this site being transformed into one which enhances Glasgow’s international reputation.”

Transport Minister launches Scotland’s rail freight strategy TRANSPORT Minister, Derek MacKay, has launched the Scottish Government’s new rail freight strategy at Aberdeen Craiginches Freight Terminal.

The document, ‘Delivering the Goods’ outlines plans that will meet the demands of modern markets, creating a competitive and sustainable rail freight sector that will provide a boost to the industry and support economic and environmental targets.

The new vision supports the rail freight sector, entering new and growing markets through four key levers of innovation, facilitation, promotion and investment. It has a range of actions to inform its delivery and critical success factors against which progress can be tracked and measured.

Calling upon the industry and business sector across Scotland and the UK, Mr Mackay said: “What became clear

during this process is that there are growing challenges facing the industry, however it also revealed a definite desire to tackle them and a need to work together in order to put rail freight back onto a sustainable footing.

“By offering a range of concrete actions that will lead to increased innovation and collaboration across the industry, targeted investment in Scotland’s strategic freight network, and better promotion of the benefits of rail freight both to business and society, we can create the conditions that will allow the sector to prosper and grow.

“I am confident that this strategy will lay the necessary groundwork for creating a sustainable, high quality, highly efficient rail freight industry that Scotland needs, wants and deserves.”

The Transport Minister visited Tarmac’s depot at Aberdeen Craiginches rail

freight terminal where he saw firsthand operations which will transport concrete from Dunbar to Aberdeen for use in the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

The new rail freight strategy has been endorsed by the Rail Freight Group (RFG), which represents users and suppliers of rail freight throughout Britain.

RFG’s Scottish Representative, David Spaven, said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s strong support for the development of rail freight in Scotland. The industry is ready to rise to the challenge, working innovatively with government – at all levels – and with our customers, both existing and potential. The more freight we can move by rail, the greater the economic and environmental benefit for Scotland.”

Littlest local landmarks sought

by Scotland’s Urban Past TOWN and city dwellers are being asked to get hands-on with history by taking part in a nationwide initiative to record the littlest local landmarks in Scotland’s urban areas.

The initiative comes from Scotland’s Urban Past (SUP), a five-year community-engagement project from Historic Environment Scotland that puts local communities in charge of recording the history on their doorsteps, and is part of the celebrations for the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016.

Volunteers can become ‘Urban Detectives’ by submitting photographs and location coordinates of tiny buildings in Scotland’s towns and cities to the SUP website. Users are also invited to take measurements and sketches, all of which will become part of Canmore Scotland’s online record of architecture, archaeology and industry.

Chiara Ronchini, SUP Project Manager, said: “People throughout Scotland will be bringing our national collection to life by telling the big stories of our tiniest buildings.

“Our dedicated digital team have made it easy to contribute information to Canmore on mobiles and tablets, as well as PCs and Macs, so you can even add a snapshot of local landmarks such as police boxes, beach hurts and signal boxes on your way to work.

“Every contribution will be accessible to the wider public, helping to build a detailed and accessible history of our urban heritage by the people who live within it. It’s a great opportunity to help document your town or city, past and present, for generations to come.”

35

DON’T GAMBLE WITH YOUR FIRE PROTECTION

If you are the appointed ‘Responsible Person’ for your company’s fire policy you need to be sure that the contractors you use are competent. To find these competent providers, you need BAFE. By using third party certified BAFE approved companies, you can be confident you are using independently assessed skilled professionals for your requirements, which will help meet your obligations with UK fire legislation.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER MAINTENANCE // FIRE RISK ASSESSMENTS EMERGENCY LIGHTING // FIRE DETECTION AND ALARM SYSTEMS FIXED GASEOUS FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS Search FREE to find certified competent companies at

WWW.BAFE.ORG.UK

Promoting Quality in Fire Safety

DEDICATED TO KEEP CONSTRUCTION BUSINESSES MOVING Funding solutions that help drive growth As the market leader for construction finance, we understand the ins and outs of the industry.

Furthermore, our finance specialists are backed by quantity surveying and contract law teams, meaning you’ll always have a team of experts that can help you handle anything 2016 may throw at you.

Call one of our experts today to help free up your cashflow. And for more information on how to keep your business moving in 2016 download our guide at bibbyfs.co.uk/moving.

CALL US ON 0808 301 7941

VISIT BIBBYFS.CO.UK/MOVING

KEEPING BRITAIN’S BUSINESSES MOVING INVOICE FINANCE • ASSET FINANCE • TRADE FINANCE • FX

37

Belfast celebrates role of women in construction THE annual WOMEN’STEC awards took place in Belfast City Hall to celebrate and showcase the achievements and innovation of women in non-traditional skills training.

In the past year, 140 students have participated in the SPEC (Supporting People - Empowering Communities) programme run in partnership with Clanmil Housing Group and part funded by the Northern Ireland European Social Fund and the Department of Employment and Learning with support from Belfast City Council.

Participants gained 115 qualifications in courses such as plumbing, joinery, painting and decorating, tiling, horticulture, information technology and first aid. The programme has received support from the construction industry and is being backed by Gilbert-Ash and JMC Mechanical and Construction Ltd.

Lynn Carvill, Chief Executive of WOMEN’STEC, said: “It is with great pleasure that we recognise the hard work of our students. Many of these women have overcome considerable barriers to take part in our courses.

With the shortage of skills and the under-representation of women in the construction sector - with an industry average of only 13.4% - our training programmes are invaluable.

“Through the SPEC programme, part funded by the Northern Ireland European Social Fund 2014-2020 – Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme, the Department of Employment and Learning, Belfast City Council and private sector organisations, Gilbert-Ash Construction Group and JMC Mechanical and Construction Ltd, training schemes for more than 500 participants who face difficult barriers to employment and training are to be

created in the next three years thanks to our new programme.”

Clanmil Housing Group, Chief Executive, Clare McCarty said: “Through the SPEC programme, our tenants are gaining confidence, new skills and are developing new friendships with their neighbours – so important in creating sustainable communities. Tenants have been really enthusiastic about the courses and are finding them both enjoyable and rewarding.

“We’re pleased to be working in partnership with WOMEN’STEC and are already seeing positive results. It is lovely to celebrate successes with our tenants who are receiving accredited certificates.

We’re also delighted that a group of Clanmil residents have received the Community Award – recognising how they have used their SPEC course to give something back to their community.”

Consent given for further hotel developments BELFAST City Council’s Planning Committee has granted permission to another new hotel development - this time in the City Quays area of the city.

The 188-bedroom hotel by applicant, Belfast Harbour Commissioners, will be located on the east side of the River Lagan across from the Odyssey complex and the Titanic Quarter. The site was last used as part of the former Seacat ferry terminal.

The Planning Committee also gave approval to a planning application for a six-storey rear extension to Jury’s Hotel in Great Victoria Street, which will provide 80 additional bedrooms, an office suite and car parking.

The hotel planning applications follow

38

a number of others granted approval in recent months by the Committee.

These include planning permission for a new 63-bedroom hotel at the former War Memorial building in

Waring Street; a 179-bedroom new build hotel in Hope Street; hotels at the former Harland and Wolff headquarters building in Bedford Street and at the former Belfast Metropolitan College campus in Brunswick Street, as well as the ‘Grand Central’ hotel in the former Windsor House in Bedford Street.

The Planning Committee also gave approval to a planning application for a new purpose-built managed student accommodation development on the Dublin Road with 156 bedrooms.

Permission was also granted to a planning application for the demolition of an existing building at York Street to make way for a 12-storey mixeduse building with 407 student accommodation rooms.

Dublin Central Bank sets new standard for Irish office design THE Central Bank of Ireland’s new riverside headquarters has achieved a BREEAM Design Stage ‘Outstanding’ rating, making it the first office building in Ireland to do so.

The Central Bank of Ireland (CBOI) is relocating from its previous three city centre sites in Dublin to a new docklands location on the banks of the River Liffey. This consolidation of operations will enable the CBOI to meet its key sustainability goals in a purpose-built, energy efficient building with low operating costs and a healthy indoor environment.

Currently under construction, the 19,300sq m building gained the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification at Design Stage with an impressive 86.7% of the available credits. The project team - which includes architectural practice Henry J Lyons, main contractor Walls Construction and M&E engineer O’Connor Sutton Cronin - has adopted a fully collaborative approach to sustainability, which was rewarded with the project’s top score of 100% for Management.

The scheme received exemplary scores of 91.3% for Energy and 88.89% for Pollution, as a result of meeting the project’s goals on operational energy efficiency. Transport was also strongly rated at 88.89%. Key to this is the city centre location, excellent public transport links and the provision of cyclist facilities.

Several key elements within the building’s design have helped it become a pioneering sustainability project in Ireland’s commercial sector, saving 70% on energy compared with Irish Building Regulations. These include a mixed mode ventilation system to provide good quality air and reduce energy consumed.

Within predetermined temperature parameters, facade-mounted louvres will open allowing fresh air to enter the space, and the Building Management System will simultaneously reduce fresh air supply from HVAC units, saving energy.

In addition to a CHP plant, which will reduce the building’s CO2 emissions and energy costs in operation, extensive sub-metering for lighting,

small power and energy for heating will link to the Building Management System (BMS) and enable the end user to establish detailed information on energy consumption.

The BREEAM process helped the project team achieve key objectives on energy efficiency, resource consumption reduction and lower energy costs in operation, with the criteria under the assessment method’s Energy category enabling CBOI to focus on the main items to aid in achieving their aspirations.

Deirdre Quigley, Senior Programme Manager at Central Bank of Ireland commented on how BREEAM has helped to facilitate the design process so far: “BREEAM provided us with a methodology to independently measure our corporate goals to achieve a fully sustainable building and to improve the health and wellbeing of our staff. In addition it has enabled us to project a sustainable international image by providing respected third party verification of the building.”

The 19,300sq m building gained the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification at Design Stage with an impressive 86.7% of the available credits 39

BUCKINGHAM GROUP Buckingham Group have nearly 60 years experience in both the public and private sector, they provide a range of services in Building, Civil Engineering, Sport & Leisure, Rail and more. Buckingham are also moving their expertise into public sector work such as office blocks, schools & colleges.

As a family/Owner managed business they maintain a business ethos based on traditional family values, this mirrors the way that ConQuest also works as a business.

Capital Park Cambridge - D&B of a 3 storey 40,190 sq ft building featuring an impressive double height atrium within the reception area. Value £7m

Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd have substantial experience and understanding in the delivery of complex projects that embrace safe, sustainable and considerate construction.

Mark Davis has been with Buckingham Group for over 10 years and became Estimating Director 5 years ago focussing on the build/ stadia sectors of the business. Dave Stannage joined Buckingham Group 2 years ago as a senior estimator.

Mark and Dave each have over 25 years experience working for many

Caudwell - Design & Construction of a 54,300 sqft administration, assessment & training centre. Value - £10m base build with £10m fit out.

reputable companies pricing building, civils and refurbishment projects.

We talk to them both about the decision to buy ConQuest, the implementation process and what it does for them. Mark explains... ‘’Several main reasons, firstly I wanted to utilise a system that was familiar to most estimators, the type of estimating software we use is a typical conversation that takes place in all interviews I have conducted for potential estimating candidates.

Secondly, having the ability to send

ConQuest Ltd Derwent Suite, Paragon House, Paragon Business Park Chorley New Road, Horwich, Bolton BL6 6HG T 01204 669689 • F 01204 667689 • E sales@conquest.ltd.uk

out and manage enquiries within ConQuest means that we don’t have to use separate online portals any more. Also we are finding that most subcontractors are familiar with receiving enquiries through ConQuest, the live tracking updates are particularly useful providing us with an opportunity to make informed choices earlier in the tender process.

The third reason is that I wanted a system that was reliable and ConQuest has been around for some time. I previously used it some 12 years ago and remembered that it worked well but after seeing

www.conquest.ltd.uk

the latest version demonstrated I was convinced that it was time to implement ConQuest’’.

We asked Mark how ConQuest helps him as a Director and what he likes about the system in general:

‘’Training was good and setting this up was easy, whilst the training was not conducted within our office this actually has some benefits in that there are no distractions and the trainer can control the event keeping everyone learning at the same pace. Installation happened on the planned day and worked first time’’.

‘’For me, having confidence in the bid is important, ConQuest is an essential tool that helps my team provide me with this confidence, the software is simple to use, it is accurate and items can be found quickly and interrogated as necessary. ConQuest is a good solid estimating system, it is flexible enough to cater for complex bids without compromising on accuracy. I have used other estimating systems in the past and for tendering on build related projects ConQuest is the best package available in my opinion’’.

Dave Stannage tells us that the first job they ever priced on ConQuest (Capital Park – Pictured) they won: ‘’Capital Park in Cambridge was the first job we priced on ConQuest, I’m glad we had it.

It worked really well because there were a lot of late design adjustments, ConQuest made these really easy to deal with’’ Dave Continues: ‘’You can price anything on ConQuest, I price work from 50K through to £50 million and it is very flexible. I understand people who say you may as well price a smaller job in Excel but once you know ConQuest it just isn’t the same, you can’t get the same level of information out of Excel’’

We asked Dave the same question from a Senior Estimators point of view:

DP World - London Gateway Common User Facility CUF The New, BREEAM Very Good, 375,000ft2, Multi-Purpose specialist cargo handling centre will be fully integrated with the new deep-sea container port DP World London Gateway Value— £17.5m

‘’The thing is you could look at all the different parts of ConQuest individually; On Screen Take Off & Measurement, Estimating, Subcontractor & Supplier Comparisons / Enquiries and yes the comparisons module is a bit more detailed than other systems, and the enquires software is far superior to anything we have ever used but it is ConQuest as a whole integrated package that is great, it is just a really flexible & friendly management tool”

ConQuest is the leading supplier of Estimating & Surveying software in the UK & Ireland.

Specialists in Analytical Estimating/Surveying, Sending Enquiries, Subcontractor Quotation Comparisons, On Screen Taking Off and detailed analysis of all parts of your tender.

ConQuest Ltd Derwent Suite, Paragon House, Paragon Business Park Chorley New Road, Horwich, Bolton BL6 6HG T 01204 669689 • F 01204 667689 • E sales@conquest.ltd.uk

Orbit Slide—Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Design & construction of a slide at ArcelorMittal Orbit. Value—£2.5m

www.conquest.ltd.uk

£13.9M forensic laboratory officially opened JUSTICE Minister David Ford has officially opened a new £13.9M forensic laboratory - The Locard Building.

The new facility, named after the father of forensic science, Edmond Locard, provides state-of-the-art facilities to deliver high quality forensic science services to the criminal justice system. During the visit, children from Acorn Integrated Primary School in Carrickfergus joined the Minister in working through a mock crime scene using forensic techniques.

David Ford said: “When I became Minister of Justice in April 2010, I made it a priority to ensure that Northern Ireland had the best and most modern facilities to move with advances and keep us at the forefront of forensic science. Today is the culmination of a number of years work in developing and designing this laboratory.

“This building provides forensic facilities which set the standard for the avoidance of contamination; a crucial element of ‘trace’ forensic evidence, where minute levels of substances and materials are recovered, identified and interpreted. This is particularly important for today’s ultra-sensitive forensic techniques.”

Stan Brown, Chief Executive of FSNI, commented on the environmental attributes of the building. He said: “This new facility has been built to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards, a recognised measure of a building’s environmental performance. The building meets the very latest in sustainability and renewal standards, utilising rainwater harvesting, solar power and a combined heat and power unit for energy, heat capture and air management functions. Even the carpark is environmentally friendly, utilising porous tarmac and a sustainable urban drainage system that means there is no need for drains or underground pipes.”

42

ArcLabs expansion to drive economic growth WATERFORD Institute of Technology (WIT) has signed a €2.5M contract with Enterprise Ireland, which will fund a significant expansion of its incubation facilities in ArcLabs Waterford. The 1,000sq m extension on the Carriganore campus will enable the Institute to double its capacity to support technology start-ups in the south east region.

Established almost ten years ago, ArcLabs is known nationally and internationally for the unique incubation, research and enterprise support framework it provides to entrepreneurs and technology based start-ups. Home to more than 60 companies since its foundation, ArcLabs has been a key driver in the development of an ICT/mobile services cluster which has emerged in the region over the last decade.

This co-location of entrepreneurs and technology-based businesses provides a research and innovation hub of more than 250 scientists, engineers and technology professionals on one site.

This has proven to be a very powerful model in creating leading global Irish companies such as FeedHenry and NearForm as well as attracting in ICT based international companies into the region. Currently 27 companies are based in ArcLabs Waterford and Kilkenny employing more than 190 staff.

Kathryn Kiely, Manager of Industry Services at WIT and a member of the Arclabs Advisory Board, has been closely involved in the development of Arclabs over the last ten years and in the proposal development and contract negotiations with Enterprise Ireland.

She commented: “Through this €2.5M expansion we are doubling our capacity to attract entrepreneurs and start-ups to Waterford and the South East. At ArcLabs we support and develop the transformation of ideas and early stage technology into scalable, sustainable businesses. Over the past decade we have created an ideas, innovation and technology hub which offers an environment in which entrepreneurs, businesses and researchers can collaborate.”

Welcoming Enterprise Ireland’s investment WIT President, Professor Willie Donnelly spoke of the importance of ArcLabs as a critical driver of future economic growth.

“Globally the emergence of the Internet of Things as a platform for the next generation of ICT companies provides a major opportunity for the South East. Through the expansion of ArcLabs in Waterford and its presence in Kilkenny, the region will be better positioned to build on the existing mobile services cluster and to exploit new growth opportunities in areas such as Agri-tech. This success is an important next step in the Institute’s plans for establishing an entrepreneurial platform which will accelerate the regional economic development as a global leader in the digital economy.”

Commenting on the announcement, Declan Lyons - Manager of Technology Infrastructure Programmes in Enterprise Ireland acknowledged that the expansion of ArcLabs incubation facilities will significantly contribute to achieving the target of the 30% increase in the number of start-ups in the south east.

daa move forward with Dublin Airport expansion daa is progressing its plans to deliver a new runway for Dublin Airport.

The 3,110m runway will be built 1.6km north of the existing main runway and is expected to be delivered in 2020.

Dublin Airport is investing in the region of €320M in the multi-faceted project which will comprise multiple contracts and packages of works.

Dublin Airport received planning permission in August 2007 to build a new runway, but the plans were put on hold due to the economic downturn and subsequent fall in passenger numbers.

However, the recovery in passenger numbers, particularly in the past two years, has been significant. daa Chief Executive, Kevin Toland, explains: “Last year was the busiest year ever in the airport’s history with a record 25 million passengers travelling in 2015. Passenger numbers continue to grow strongly in 2016, with double digit growth recorded in the first two months of this year.”

The rapid recovery in passenger numbers is due to a combination of almost 50 new routes and services, significant additional capacity increases on a number of existing routes, and nine new airlines operating at Dublin Airport. Total long-haul connectivity has grown by more than 65% since T2 opened, while short-haul connectivity has increased by 16%.

Mr Toland added: “Driven by demand from airlines and passengers, Dublin Airport’s current runway infrastructure is at capacity during the peak hours and this must be addressed to enable future growth. The north runway will significantly improve Ireland’s connectivity which plays a critical role in growing passenger numbers and sustaining the future economic development of Ireland.”

Dublin Airport’s North Runway development has the potential to open up connectivity to a range of longhaul destinations, particularly in fast growing economies in Asia, Africa and South America. The delivery of a new runway could support a further 31,000

new jobs over the next two decades, contributing €2.2Bn to GDP. Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, welcomed the news saying that the runway project was a vital piece of infrastructure that would support Ireland’s continuing economic recovery.

The North Runway has featured in successive Local Area and County Development Plans since the 1970s.

As a result of years of careful planning, land for this development was safeguarded over 40 years ago, so the runway will be delivered within the airport’s existing land bank.

Enabling works are due to commence later this year with construction of the north runway scheduled to start in 2017. The project will support an approximate 1,200 jobs during its development as well as generating significant employment opportunities in the local supply chain for construction materials.

Funding announced for traditional farm buildings THE Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, has announced a new scheme to grant-aid the conservation of traditional farm buildings on GLAS farms.

GLAS is the new agri-environment scheme for Irish farmers, to which nearly 40,000 farmers have already signed-up. This latest development will help to ensure that small traditional farm buildings and other structures, which are of significant cultural and heritage value, are restored and conserved for renewed practical agricultural use.

The new scheme builds upon the

success of the Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme which operated under REPS 4 from 2007 to 2013, and which ensured that more than 350 traditional farm buildings throughout Ireland were conserved.

Minister Coveney said: “These building have been an integral part of our agricultural heritage for generations, and their contribution to the character and beauty of the Irish landscape cannot be overstated.

“This is not about creating museum pieces however. These buildings can and should play an ongoing role in the economic life of Irish farms, as well as

helping to enhance the landscape, the environment and local biodiversity.”

Grants will be made available to GLAS participants to carry out approved conservation works to traditional farm buildings, including roofs, outside surface of walls, windows and doors.

Grants will also be available for other related structures such as historic yard surfaces and landscape features around the farmyard such as walls, gate pillars and gates. To be eligible for the scheme, buildings and other related structure must have architectural or vernacular heritage character and make a contribution to their setting.

43

PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE

CONTRACTORS ALL RISKS

• Accidents can happen at any time and the costs of a potential claim could stack up

Speak to us about combined risks;

• Public Liability protects you and your business so if the worst should happen we’ve got you covered

• Own plant, tools & equipment

• Employer’s Liability cover also available

• Contract Works • Hired in plant • Temporary Buildings • Standard tools insurance also available

Why constructaquote.com?

• We’ve insured businesses like yours for over 25 years • We can insure over 170 different trades with a range of different covers • Quotes to suit your business needs, ensuring you get the right cover at the right price • We work with a trusted panel of UK insurers to compare rates across a range of insurance products

SPEAK TO ONE OF OUR EXPERTS ABOUT OUR RANGE OF INSURANCE COVERS INCLUDING PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY, COMMERICAL VEHICLE AND MORE.

02920 849 576

customerservice@constructaquote.com Mon-Thurs 8:30am-8pm, Fri 8:30am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm constructaquote.com is a trading name of Moorhouse Group Limited, Registered in England and Wales, Company number: 3825233 Registered office: 2-3 Sir Alfred Owen Way, Caerphilly CF83 3HU. Authorised and regulated by the FCA under Firm Reference Number 308035. This can be Financial Service Register at www.fca.org.uk/register.

Why every new home is getting a HUG

BY TOBY PHILLIPS, NHBC OPERATIONS MANAGER IN years gone by, when a homeowner moved into a new home, a builder would present them with a shiny set of house keys and a welcome pack.

The pack contained lots of information including manuals for appliances, boiler safety certificates, and customer satisfaction surveys.

It also contained information about NHBC’s Buildmark warranty and insurance policy.

Around 80% of newly built or converted homes in the UK are covered by a Buildmark policy. It offers homeowners protection for three stages of a home’s life: pre-completion insolvency cover, warranty for the first two years after moving in and insurance for parts of the home in years three to ten.

Builders and developers put a lot of effort into creating welcome packs for their purchasers, and these would initially be given pride of place on the kitchen worktop. After a few months though, the folders were generally retired to the largest of the kitchen draws where they’d sit alongside takeaway menus, manuals for defunct toasters and half-chewed pens.

Having the Buildmark details and other information about the new home hidden away in a draw of clutter wasn’t a problem. Until it was needed.

The homeowner would then have to scrabble around trying to find the right sheet of paper and then work out what information was still relevant. Usually they would end up calling the builder, who would then have to spend time finding their details and working out how, and if, they could help.

How can a HUG help?

That’s one of the reasons why NHBC,

46

the UK’s leading standard-setting body and provider of the Buildmark warranty and insurance policy, has worked with builders and homeowners to develop the secure, online Home User Guides (HUG) which are now issued to every new Buildmark policyholder.

A HUG provides information about a home’s Buildmark policy, including regularly updated contact details for use in the event of a claim. Manuals for white goods can also be stored on the site, so that if a homeowner wants to check how to programme the cooker, they don’t need to call the builder’s sales team, they can simply get to the information they need on their phone, tablet or computer. In many cases, builders furnish the HUG with information about the items that come with a home, but homeowners can add and replace manuals and details of the fixtures and finishes in their home as it evolves.

The system has been designed to be simple and intuitive, making it easy for builders to add, maintain and update information that’s relevant to homeowners.

Helping homeowners Information about fixtures and finishes can also be stored on the HUG. Again, in many cases the builder will add the name of a specific bathroom tile or the make and shade of the paint used in the living room, but homeowners can add to the information as they personalise their homes and quickly match and replace things that get worn out or damaged by everyday life.

Modern homes also have a fantastic array of integrated technology, but to keep systems working efficiently, sometimes homeowners need to carry out basic maintenance. HUGs have an

integrated suite of practical, easy-tounderstand guides to the operation and maintenance of ventilation systems, solar energy systems, heat pumps and heating controls so the homeowner can see the steps that they can take to keep the systems providing the most benefit for the house.

Helping builders HUG offers a lot of benefits for builders, not least of which is massively reducing the administration time and hard cost that goes into creating homeowner welcome packs.

Using HUG means that builders are providing homeowners with all the key information about their purchase in one easy to use place.

When customised to include a builder’s own company logo or even their full company livery, HUGs can even look like a continuation of a builders’ online presence. They can also simplify communications and make homeowner interactions more consistent, reducing the need for mail drops without taking away from ongoing contact with homeowners.

Combining this information securely online so that it can be found easily when it’s needed is bringing real benefits to both builders and homeowners. Freeing an entire kitchen draw is just one of them.

To see a short video that explains how HUG is helping builders, follow this link www.nhbc. co.uk/Productsandservices/ HomeUserGuide/].

If you’d like to talk to us about how HUG can help you improve your customers’ experience, please call us on 01908 746103 or email hug@nhbc. co.uk

BIM – be contract ready MICHELLE DIXON, ASSOCIATE SOLICITOR SPECIALISING IN CONSTRUCTION LAW AT HUMPHRIES KIRK LLP BUILDING Information Modelling (‘BIM’) is the process of creating, sharing and managing digital information during and after a construction project.

This co-ordinated method of working should reduce cost, give easy access to project information and is intended to improve communication, design and risk management.

BIM amendments. It is available in the public sector supplement.

What are the BIM ‘maturity’ levels?

• The Royal Institute of British Architects introduced a ‘Plan of Work’ online tool to help individuals organise projects.

Level 0: paper-based 2D CAD drawings.

Level 1: 2D/3D drawings on CAD systems and using a standardised approach to communicate design intent across all of the project team.

Level 2: All data including costing

and programming, presented in a standardised format, are shared and co-ordinated through BIM databases across the project team.

• The Construction Industry Council has released a BIM protocol, which the NEC3 contract incorporates.

• The CIOB Time and Cost Management contract contains a BIM clause.

• The AEC UK has also introduced protocols tailored for use with specific software packages .

• The Government has a Government Soft Landings Policy which applies to public sector projects and has now launched a new BIM Level 2 website.

• There is also the PAS 1192-2 which specifies required standards.

Level 3: All data, presented in a

standardised format, will be integrated into a web-based system that can be accessed and contributed to by all of the project team.

BIM Level 2 should now be achieved on all public sector projects. BIM Level 3 (introduced in phases) should be adopted by 2017 with an end goal of 2025.

Industry commentators accept that BIM is a positive step, but implementation is very slow.

BIM terms in the contract

There are currently a handful of BIM protocols and contract amendments available: • The Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) has released a practice note for its standard forms of contract. The new JCT 2016 suite is expected to publish

Below are key factors that you should consider when preparing tender/ contract and appointment documents: • Employer Requirements: On a BIM project there should be “Employer’s Information Requirements” (EIR).

Centrally funded government departments are now required to provide EIRs with all contracts.

• Sharing data risks: Contracting parties should consider who assumes risk for each element and for how long? If one element is changed, or an error is made, that has an impact on other contributor’s work, so who is responsible? Bespoke contract wording should be prepared to cover these risks, or at the very least incorporate a BIM protocol. Care should be taken to ensure that there is no conflict in terms - consider what terms take precedence.

• Insurance: Enquire whether existing Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) policies cover BIM working methods (at all levels). Consider single project insurance.

• Who has design responsibility? The UK Government envisages introducing a ‘BIM Co-ordinator/BIM Information Manager/Model Manager’ role to coordinate working methods and data format. In the contract, define the roles and its responsibilities eg: what are the appointment terms and who pays for it?

• Intellectual Property eg trademarks, copyright, patents etc: Who owns the data and the final model? Can the data be reused? Enter into a non-exclusive licence for the use of intellectual property and consider giving an indemnity in the event of infringement. Also, ensure collateral warranties extend to cover BIM. • Confidentiality: Include a confidentiality clause and consider the risk of cyber-crime; with web based BIM networks these will be susceptible.

• Who pays for mistakes?: Should the Employer bear the cost (and risk) or should the project team share the risk; consider creating a contingency fund.

• International projects/transitional period: Contracting parties may cross borders, or not be BIM ready. Consider the differing capability levels.

• Reasonable skill and care: Watch out for bespoke contracts including a higher standard than what is typically required and notify your PII insurer.

Industry professionals need to have the technology and know-how to be BIM ready - consider all contractual and practical implications of a BIM project in order to have the best protections in place.

47

Heritage properties and the best way to protect them JAMES KELLY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BSIA RENOVATION of a heritage building has always been a risky and complex experience. The issues faced in a new building are extremely different to the issues faced with heritage buildings.

This is also true when it comes to the security of a building; while new buildings are designed to integrate all manner of electrical equipment, heritage buildings have often been built before electricity was invented making it extremely difficult to apply basic security principles. James Kelly, Chief Executive of the British Security Industry Association, explores the best way to protect heritage buildings in the renovation phase.

Maintaining high levels of security is essential for listed properties for two reasons: firstly to protect the owner’s possessions and secondly because the very fabric of the property itself can be at risk, with the theft of original building materials such as lead, metal and copper piping continuing to rise.

When it comes to selecting the right security measures for a property, it’s always worth considering a ‘layered’ approach, which helps the property to spread the security features in an appropriate way and avoids relying too heavily on one solution alone.

One of the best ways to protect a building is by having more than one security solution. Employing multiple security solutions not only mitigates the risks but at the same time achieves a far better deterrent.

One of the best ways to protect a building is to install a first line of defence against potential criminal intruders. Fences, gates and railings present an immediate barrier for any criminal; it can also be easily adapted to suit the property’s appearance.

Other measures can also be employed on the exterior of the property, both to act as a deterrent and to enable detection should a crime take place.

For example, CCTV has always been popular in the construction industry, with its ability to provide round-theclock protection, and can be positioned discreetly enough to have minimum visual impact on the property’s appearance or overtly to act as a strong deterrent. Other considerations, such as the correct lighting and positioning of cameras, must be taken into consideration, while a reputable supplier will carry out the correct installation and ensure that the system is set up for optimal effectiveness.

Deterrence takes many forms. A

As most heritage buildings you

The first step any builder must take is to make an assessment of the risks they face, and the potential security measures that can be employed to help mitigate those risks. Close cooperation with important stakeholders – e.g. the local planning authority – must also begin at the earliest possible stage, to ensure that any problems or restrictions are identified sooner rather than later.

48

ramshackle property will appear easier to break into and may imply less protection. However, placing special attention on various security aspects would dramatically change this perception: the fitting of solid fencing, high quality locks, intruder alarms, CCTV or signs advertising guard patrols shows potential thieves that the owner takes the issue of security seriously and may convince them to go elsewhere.

are unable to make any physical changes to the property, sometimes overt protection will not be available because of standards and regulations. particularly effective form of covert security which is extremely handy considering that most heritage buildings includes heat and motion sensors that are hidden and connected to alarm systems. Known as Unattended Ground Systems (UGS), when activated they enable an early warning system, giving personnel time to respond effectively.

Security measures can also be employed on the inside of the property to protect valuable possessions or artefacts. The latest developments in property marking technology use DNA-style unique marking, which are invisible to the naked eye, yet leave an unmistakable method of identification on prized possessions. Property marking can deter opportunist thefts and also means that if a burglary does take place and possessions are recovered, they can be identified and returned to their rightful owner.

With so many products and services on the market – and the added restrictions imposed by heritage buildings – it’s often difficult to tell which ones represent the best quality, suitability and value for money. As the trade body representing over 70% of the UK’s security providers, British Security Industry Association members meet strict quality criteria and as such, the Association’s website is a great place to start when considering your next security investment. To locate a supplier in your area, or to find out more about the solutions mentioned in this article, visit www.bsia.co.uk

Creating skills for future industry needs GRAHAM NICHOLSON, CHAIR OF TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP CONSORTIUM THE construction industry is facing a skills shortage. There are not enough young people entering the profession to meet current employer’s requirements and counter the number of qualified engineers and engineering technicians who are retiring. This demand for skills has become particularly acute with the increasing use of digital technology used today to deliver design information. New skills are needed to make best use of the latest software and data management.

With this background it is vital that the industry attracts, recruits, trains and retains young people from all backgrounds to meet these demands.

Apprenticeship schemes, such as the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium, help companies to reach many more young people by using a collective and collaborative approach to promoting apprenticeships. The industry has a responsibility to develop the skills required for the future by employing young people now and training them now.

For some of the larger businesses it is perhaps easier for them to provide a resource dedicated to apprentices. For the smaller firms, and in particular the SME’s, the cost and time of developing relationships with colleges and recruiting apprentices is proportionately more significant. This is where the consortium really helps.

With each organisation contributing to the consortium the combined output is large and importantly, consistent.

The skill base developed is therefore appropriate for the industry as a whole and is not just tailored to one particular organisation. The colleges liaise with the consortium rather than with each and every organisation so they also benefit.

demonstrate to an apprentice how they can progress their careers. This adds motivation for their learning and keeps them informed on their next steps. The pathway can lead to the highest positions in a business and the achievement of professional qualifications. However, there will be many stepping off points along the way which can allow everyone to reach their aspirations and potential.

At Tony Gee we have found that apprentices become an important part of our design teams after a relatively short time. Tasks are set to match the apprentice’s ability and confidence levels. The work is done on real projects with real outputs, unlike the exercise work undertaken in the colleges. College work is important and provides the foundation for knowledge but working on active projects adds purpose and excitement. Support is given by the firms throughout. The apprentices know that others will rely on their work and that helps them to learn quickly.

There are some key elements to making an engineering apprenticeship successful.

The first is to recruit candidates who have a basic understanding of mathematics and who can communicate. The emphasis here is on the word basic. Software has removed the need for technicians to have complex mathematical ability but an understanding of geometry remains important.

A third and equally important element is for the employer to provide mentoring support. Learning from others is a crucial part of developing skills. The Technician Apprenticeship Consortium (TAC) provides its members with an expertly written mentoring guide so that best practice can be shared across the industry. Feedback from apprentices indicates that working in a challenging environment with supportive colleagues results in high job satisfaction.

Working with TAC has enabled firms to confidently employ apprentices knowing that they will receive a consistent and quality education from their day release at vetted colleges.

TAC has, though its relationships with the profession institutions developed pathways that lead to a professional qualification. The end product is that many young people can now embark upon an exciting and rewarding career in engineering without necessarily going to university. The apprenticeship route develops skills and knowledge whilst working in industry with the added benefit of earning a salary.

The second element is for the firm to have a clearly defined career path for any apprentice. This will

49

Making conscious choices in high-stakes environments

BY MICHELLE LABROSSE, CCPM, PMP®, PMI-ACP, CHIEF CHEETAH AND FOUNDER OF CHEETAH LEARNING EACH one of us starts with the best intentions, unfortunately, those good intentions don’t always translate into actually doing what we say we’ll do.

Why is this? In this article, we explore the answers to this question and how to consciously align our actions with our intentions. This is especially important for Project Managers in the Construction industry, who are responsible for making high-stakes choices on the job every day.

Often, impediments to our success come in the form of what we here at Cheetah Learning call “triggers” - these are the everyday disruptions that mentally or emotionally distract us from what we intend to accomplish. You’ve prepared for your project team meeting with a detailed agenda, and several team members show up late. You arrive at work with the intention of starting right away on your most important task, and you discover your email inbox flooded with “urgent” requests. You present a proposal for a new project, and unexpectedly come up against a lot of pushback from other stakeholders.

What is your typical response to these kinds of “triggers?” For many of us, triggers push us into making choices that aren’t fully conscious or intentional; that is, we react rather than act with purpose. You may lash out at a crew member, neglect other work you need to do, or making a rash decision.

Fortunately, reacting to triggering

50

events isn’t our only option. Here are some tips for making conscious choices in response to triggering events: 1. Identify what “triggers” you. We may often feel blindsided by triggering events, but if we step back from a minute, we can see that some of these triggers are fairly predictable and routine. There are likely people who you can always count on to be late.

Acknowledging the probability that these folks will show up late again to your next meeting is the first step in preparing to react to this triggering event more intentionally.

2. Recognise and accept that you are being “triggered.”

3. Breathe. Deep, calm breaths help us reach a state of calm focus that prepares us to make conscious choices about how to respond to triggers.

4. Identify others’ positive intentions. If the behaviour of someone else is the triggering event (and this is often the case), take a minute to acknowledge the other person’s positive intention that led up to their actions. As the saying goes, we often judge ourselves by our intentions but others by their actions. Judging others by their intentions opens up new possibilities for understanding and empathising with others whose actions trigger us.

5. Find a productive way to move forward. We don’t have control over all the triggering events that happen in our lives. We do, however, have control over how we respond.

After acknowledging that you are being triggered and recognising that others, like you, start out with good intentions, you are in a great position to decide which actions will produce the outcomes you ultimately hope for. In the case of your crew members showing up late to work, rather than chewing them out in front of everyone during the morning meeting, you might pause to ask yourself: what can I do right now to make this the most productive meeting anyway? How might I most effectively communicate with the late team members to let them know their tardiness is unacceptable?

When we act consciously rather than simply react when we find ourselves in triggering situations, we influence ourselves to act according our best intentions. This positive self-influence brings us a feeling of deep personal satisfaction and pride that is far more rewarding than the reactive behaviours we justify as a way to “let off steam.”

While these behaviours may feel good in the moment, they do not help us achieve the long-term, sustainable happiness and success in our work that comes from making conscious choices.

A PROFESSIONAL & COMPLETE SERVICE IS OUR BUSINESS. DON’T BE THE LAST TO FIND US. WWW.DERAAT.CO.UK

PRODUCTS

SERVICE

De Raat Security offers a comprehensive range of secure & fire resistant storage products including:

Expert advice and recommendations

Fire protection for: Documents • Storage media CDs, DVDs, tapes • USBs

Full after sales support & technical support

Experienced & knowledgeable staff Specialist deliveries & installations Established for 20 years in the UK Operating throughout Europe

Safes for all environments to protect cash & valuables: Home • Office • Retail • Public Sector

CONTACT US TODAY T 01691 626900 E sales@deraat.co.uk W www.deraat.co.uk

Termination – The rules of disengagement MARK CLINTON, PARTNER AT THOMAS EGGAR, RECENTLY MERGED WITH IRWIN MITCHELL LLP THE decision as to whether to take steps to terminate a contract is usually a difficult one. Get it wrong and it can backfire badly.

One way of terminating a contract is by accepting the repudiatory breach of the other party. Repudiatory breach is a breach of contract that gives the aggrieved party the right to choose either to bring the contract to an end or affirm it. In either case the aggrieved party may also claim damages.

Most contracts also contain carefully worded termination provisions.

Termination under such provisions but failing to adhere carefully to their requirements can put the offending party in repudiatory breach of contract, in an invalid and ineffective termination.

The “innocent” party to the contract would then, more than likely, have a claim for wrongful termination. The courts have long taken the view that any termination provisions need to be strictly adhered to.

The recent case of Vinergy International (PVT) v Richmond Mercantile Limited considered whether Richmond Mercantile had an unfettered common law right to terminate an agreement by reason of repudiatory breach of contract and thereby completely circumvent the notice provisions and remedy requirements in the termination clause set out in the contract between the parties.

Briefly the facts were as follows.

Richmond Mercantile entered into a long term supply agreement with Vinergy International. It was supposed to be an exclusive relationship and Vinergy was not supposed to purchase supplies from a third party. The contract had been in existence for 4 years when Richmond Mercantile discovered that Vinergy had

52

used an alternative supplier, thereby breaching the exclusivity clause in the contract. Vinergy had also failed to pay an invoice and other contractual charges. Richmond Mercantile sought to terminate the contract on common law grounds stating that Vinergy’s actions were a repudiatory breach of contract, striking at the very heart of the contract and entitling Richmond Mercantile to bring the contract to an end. The termination provisions in the contract afforded Vinergy the opportunity to remedy any of its breaches of contract prior to Richmond Mercantile’s terminating the contract. Richmond Mercantile ignored the termination provisions and simply relied on their common law right to terminate. Vinergy countered by saying that Richmond Mercantile’s stance was unlawful and amounted to wrongful termination.

The termination clause in the contract stated:“Either party may terminate this Agreement immediately upon (i) failure of the other party to observe any of the terms herein and to remedy the same where it is capable of being remedied within the period specified in the notice given by the aggrieved party to the party in default, calling for the remedy, being a period not less than twenty (20) days…”

The contract contained an arbitration clause and so Vinergy commenced arbitration proceedings. The arbitrator found for Richmond Mercantile.

Vinergy appealed the arbitrator’s award to the High Court. The High Court found for Richmond Mercantile again, upheld the arbitrator’s award and dismissed Vinergy’s appeal.

The High Court had to decide whether Richmond Mercantile was able to rely

on an unhindered common law right to terminate the contract by reason of repudiatory breach. The requirement to allow Vinergy an opportunity to put right the breach did not apply where the termination was at common law for repudiatory breach. Richmond were therefore able to completely bypass the notice and remedy requirements found in the termination clause.

The relationship between express termination clauses and common law rights to terminate for repudiatory breach is a complex one. The express grounds for termination stated in the contract are likely to be taken into account when the court considers whether a breach is repudiatory. That provides a degree of alignment between the grounds for termination under the two different routes. When drafting contracts, one should therefore consider whether the grounds stated are intended to be the only grounds for termination and whether any right to remedy the breach before termination is intended to apply to common law termination.

One’s intentions then need to be clearly spelled out in the contract.

Terminating contracts will probably always keep the courts busy. If one wants to bring a contract to an end one would be very well advised follow the termination clause procedure to the letter, even if terminating at common law. Further, when deciding whether to terminate the contract at common law one needs to consider whether the breaches go to the very heart of the contract - are they material breaches. A prudent approach for termination at common law would be to strictly follow the contractual termination provisions whilst making it clear that the termination is at common law.

How to read a contract, part 2: Implied terms revisited

BY PETER SHERIDAN, PARTNER, SHERIDAN GOLD LLP IN an article last year, “How to read a contract”, I explained on the basis of the leading cases on construing express terms and the then leading case on implied terms, the Privy Council decision in Attorney General of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd (2009) that there was no real difference between the construction of express terms and analysing whether there are implied terms. There was a single test to be applied, which was the ascertainment of the meaning which the document would convey to a reasonable person having all the relevant background knowledge which would reasonably have been available to the parties in the situation in which they were at the time of the contract.

This single test effectively replaced the old tests for implied terms, such as obvious, unexpressed intention of the parties and necessary to give business efficacy. These tests were not wrong, but they were merely another way of expressing the same concept as the single test.

This simplification of the analysis of implied terms was to be welcomed.

However, the Supreme Court has recently performed a volte face in the shape of what is now the leading case on implied terms, Marks and Spencer PLC v BNP Paribas Securities Services Trust Company (Jersey) Ltd (2015).

In essence, what the Supreme Court has done is to go back to the position before Attorney General of Belize.

There have been various formulations of that position, which Lord Neuberger reviewed in the Marks and Spencer case, but in summary an implied term should reflect the obvious unexpressed intention of the parties, objectively

judged (their actual or subjective intentions being irrelevant) or be necessary (not merely desirable or reasonable) to give business efficacy to the contract. An implied term must be consistent with the express terms.

One difficulty Lord Neuberger had with Lord Hoffmann’s approach in Attorney General of Belize was that it might be interpreted as suggesting that reasonableness was a sufficient ground for implying a term. However, the writer does not see how that interpretation could sensibly be placed on Lord Hoffmann’s speech taken as a whole (as opposed to taking a summarising phrase), from which it is clear, as pointed out by both Lord Clarke and Lord Carnworth in the Marks and Spencer case, that the requirement of necessity was not being watered down. The interpretation referred to by Lord Neuberger seems to confuse the concept of a reasonable reader of the contract, which is a construct for what everyone agrees is an objective test, with the different concept of a reasonable term.

A second difficulty Lord Neuberger had with Lord Hoffmann’s analysis is that, in Lord Neuberger’s view, a sequential approach is needed whereby the express terms are construed first, and one then considers whether there are implied terms; otherwise how can one test whether the implied terms are consistent with the express terms?

On Lord Hoffmann’s approach, there is only a single approach. According to Lord Neuberger, the two processes are different and governed by different rules. However, Lord Neuberger accepted that in both processes, the words used in the contract, the surrounding circumstances known at

the time of the contract, commercial common sense and the reasonable reader are to be taken into account.

Once that concession is made, Lord Neuberger’s objection to Lord Hoffmann’s formulation loses any significance. Theoretical constructs such as obvious, unexpressed intention, business efficacy or officious bystander do not add anything to what is described in the last sentence of the previous paragraph; they are merely attempts in previous case law to say the same thing.

It is true that there is a distinction between construing what the parties are taken to have meant by an express term which is ambiguous and deciding what they would have provided for a situation which they did not address at all in the contract. But it is a distinction without a significant difference once it is accepted that the means of arriving at the answer in each case involves reference to the same factors, ie: the words used in the contract, the surrounding circumstances, commercial common sense and the reasonable reader.

It is regrettable that the highest court should change its position on such an important issue after such a short time, particularly where the analysis in the earlier case was the more compelling one (Lord Carnworth’s well reasoned speech a worthy exception on this issue).

For more information, contact Peter Sheridan Partner at Sheridan Gold LLP T: 01737 735088 E: psheridan@sheridangold.co.uk www.sheridangold.co.uk

53

Equal pay: Construction industry DAVID HESSION, EMPLOYMENT LAW SOLICITOR AT SIMPSON MILLAR THE government is set to introduce mandatory gender pay gap reporting for organisations with 250 or more employees. The regulations are due to come into force on 1st October and employers are advised to familiarise themselves with any requirements in advance of this date.

The new regulations will apply to employees’ rates of pay that exist on 30th April 2017 and the first set of data must be available for inspection by April 2018 at the latest. At that point, builders and contractors with high gender pay gaps could attract high levels of negative publicity.

The Government’s own research suggests that only a limited number of employers have so far taken action to close the gender pay gap. Maledominated sectors that fail to meet basic equal pay standards could come in for public criticism unless they launch a pre-emptive strike and get their house in order before the regulations come into play.

Of course some construction companies already actively promote an equality agenda – evidenced through their policies and procedures, and appropriate staff training. There are also certain cases where there may well be genuine reasons as to why a gender pay gap is significant, such as where a significant number of employees are on maternity pay arrangements.

However, many will have a good reason to be anxious about having to publish their gender pay details.

According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), women make up just 11.2% of the construction workforce.

The sector also boasts a higher than average gender pay gap.

The good news is that there is time to act. Businesses that do not already have a diversity policy in place should implement one as a matter

54

of urgency. The next step will be to carry out a full equal pay audit. This involves identifying where in the organisation men and women are doing the same or broadly similar work and then comparing their salaries.

Not all differences in pay will be considered unlawful but action will be needed where the reason for the pay differential is connected to gender in any way.

Undertaking job evaluations is another sensible step which essentially involves analysing and quantifying the value or grade of a particular role. This helps to ensure that female or male dominated roles are not paid at a disproportionate or unfair rate. By building a job profile and matching that to a pay scale, it is easy to see who in the organisations falls below or above it, and where there are obvious gender pay gaps.

The pay should match the job, not the individual employee and there are plenty of useful toolkits available for undertaking equal pay audits.

Another step that employers in the building sector could take now is to foster flexible working arrangements for employees with child care commitments. Undoubtedly, female employees often have to balance these commitments more so than their male counterparts, and where possible these requests should be accommodated. This could also apply to female employees currently working part-time who may wish to increase their hours due to reduced child care commitments.

There are numerous ways and tools available to tackle a gender pay gap. Of course, the most obvious is to increase pay for employees who do the same job as a colleague of the opposite sex but are paid less. Introducing a clear and transparent pay structure with measurable targets helps employees understand what to expect as their career progresses.

Inventive remuneration packages can add real value to an otherwise predetermined pay scheme. Offering a mix of employee benefits that appeal to both sexes and a variety of family and individual circumstances is a great way to attract the best talent. Plus it helps to dispose of any gender related bias.

Employers and managers in the construction sector would be well advised to take action before they are forced to publish the first set of gender pay data. The government has already indicated that it will adopt a ‘name and shame’ approach in respect of those who fail to comply with the new regulations. Those who take action now to close the gender pay gap, and to promote equality will be less at risk of public shaming. Over time, the government could introduce civil enforcement mechanisms such as fines as a means of ensuring that employers comply with the regulations.

But instead of viewing the regulations as a time-consuming and complex process, instilling a culture of pay transparency can have significant benefits for any organisation. If approached and communicated effectively, the result could lead to increased staff morale and prove a real selling point in attracting the best industry talent. It can also help to project an overall positive image with company stakeholders.

A final word of caution: although measures should be to be taken if a gender pay gap is identified, employers are wise to avoid taking overtly drastic actions to rectifying the problem. Succeeding under these new regulations is about striking a sensible balance between promoting equality without discriminating against particular groups of employees. For employers, this can often prove an extremely difficult exercise and not one that should not be carried out lastminute.

Building your reputation via Social Media BENJAMIN DYER OF POWERED NOW TALKS ABOUT MAKING SMART USE OF YOUR RESOURCES WHEN RUNNING YOUR TRADE BUSINESS. THERE is a lot of fuss made about social media. It’s a pretty common sight to see young people with their heads buried in their mobiles, mostly using Facebook, Twitter et al. Benjamin Dyer of Powered Now looks at the opportunity that social media offers to UK construction businesses and whether it’s all worth the bother.

Here is something to consider, just 16 years ago at the turn of the millennium we listened to music on analogue tapes or CDs. Your average laptop weighed about the same as a small family car. And if you had the internet you probably accessed it through dial-up, not your phone. As for social networking, that happened at pubs and night outs, not online.

While this seems remarkable to anyone that remembers what I fondly recall as the ‘dark times’, the truth is anybody who is younger barely notices – the internet has always been there and they are native users of mobile technology. Where it’s a challenge is with the over 45s.

What has this to do with the UK construction industry? Let’s dissect the facts.

Potential customers While it’s not just young people that use social networks, the statistics are clear, the younger you are the more likely you are to be part of these online communities. When I’ve spoken to people in the construction industry about social networks this fact is generally always bought up, comments such as “it’s for kids” is fairly common.

In many ways I understand that, after all these ‘kids’ generally don’t own homes or commission construction work!

56

My company Powered Now does a lot of online advertising and the demographics are fascinating. Our users are less likely to be under 25 because they generally don’t run construction companies, however people under 45 are much more likely to become customers than those over 45.

homeowners. Matty Stephenson of The Landscape Company says this: “We received a few jobs through twitter when we were posting regularly. In fact, we built up quite a following.

However, a lot of these followers were other landscaping companies and if anything that was a disadvantage”.

And this is the challenge with social networks, the question is can they work for my business?

Youtube is an interesting one, but comments here pretty much reflect what was said about Facebook. It’s the second largest search engine in the world but getting found by your local prospects is a big challenge.

Facebook is the 800 pound gorilla of the social media world. Not everyone is on Facebook but increasing numbers of the older demographic (that is, real prospects) are. Although Facebook is vast, there is only one way of targeting widely, and that is by paying Facebook.

The good news is that Facebook knows so much about their users that you can choose to target people by age, sex and even find people similar to existing customers. However, this is a mass market tool and takes quite a bit of mastering, so in reality it’s only of practical use for large national companies.

The best approach is to create a Facebook page for your company, which is free. Then put up some great examples of your work, some quotes from satisfied customers and your contact details. That way, anyone searching on Facebook can find you and get a positive impression.

Facebook also has some fantastic communication tools making it easy for your customers to reach out to you.

Twitter has made its name in the UK with celebrity tweeting and TV showing hashtags to encourage participation. But it’s of limited use to any trade company selling to

Snapchat is the new kid on the block and has rapidly gained a massive following. At this point in time it’s much more of a closed network so it probably has less to offer companies selling building services but things change fast, so keep your eyes on it.

Conclusions Social Media presents a dilemma to construction companies. Although its influence is vast and growing daily, today’s users are disproportionately those who won’t be placing orders anytime soon. It’s not easy to reach prospects but every ambitious construction company should at least create a company Facebook page so that they can be found.

If you are looking for leads, investigating advertising directly on Google eg. for “Builder in Peterborough” and considering Rated People, My Builder and Checkatrade are likely to produce better results. Like everything in business, trying things and measuring the results leads to the most reward.

Contaminated Land We understand the time pressures of large scale Remediation and Brownfield projects and are a member of the AGS. Our Coventry laboratory utilises state of the art analytical equipment with the back-up of our sister laboratories across Europe to ensure that we deliver your projects on time every time.

Your Environmental Laboratory

Waste Management By working closely with some of the largest companies in this sector we are able to offer unrivalled analytical and administration services to ensure that your samples are processed swiftly and in line with the UKAS Deviating Sample Guidance.

Quality Providing customers with UKAS ISO 17025:2005, MCERTS and DWTS accredited data from our laboratories across the UK. We participate in a broad range of Proficiency Testing schemes and hold a DEFRA import licence for soils.

Did you know that?

We are able to provide a broad range of additional services to help with your sampling including: • Internal refrigerated and tracked courier network • National portfolio of drop-off locations • Pre-Registration of samples via our “Pre-Reg” system • Dedicated customer service advisor • Online reporting via our WebTrieve system

Legionella and Microbiology Being members of the Legionella Control Association (LCA) we understand the emphasis placed on laboratory analysis for the Control of Legionella.

With 3 methods for testing Legionella (including rapid PCR) and an understanding and appreciation the implications of ACoP L8, HSG 274 and HTM04-01 we are your ideal analytical partner for all of your water hygiene monitoring requirements.

Drinking Water We are one of only a handful of commercial laboratories to have a dedicated Drinking Water Testing Specification (DWTS) accredited laboratory, based in Wakefield, Yorkshire. We are able to supply analysis to the Public and Private Drinking Water Regulations.

UK and Ireland Locations

ALS Environmental Limited T +44 (0)24 7642 1213 F +44 (0)24 7685 6575 E info.ukenviro@alsglobal.com www.alsenvironmental.co.uk

Wakefield

Dublin Chester Coventry

Otterbourne ALS Locations ALS Environmental Locations

COMMUNITY

STAKEHOLDER

E-BOOKS

VIDEO

WHAT DOES THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ORGANISATION?

For more information please contact us on 01257 231900 or email enquiries@promarkmedia.co.uk

Orders are a process not an event BARRY ASHMORE IS MD AND CO FOUNDER OF STREETWISESUBBIE.COM WHICH PROVIDES BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS ONE of the key pieces of advice the team here at StreetwiseSubbie can give a Specialist Contractor is this: winning the order or getting the job is not just an event, it’s a process, and it’s one of the most difficult processes to get right!

If you remember just one thing this week, let it be that sentence.

The process usually starts with an enquiry, and if it’s from a Main Contractor it will no doubt say that you are ‘deemed’ to have read dozens of documents that you may never have seen and have allowed for their contents in your price and programme. Even at this early stage of the process the Contractor’s aim is to try and transfer as much responsibility as he can onto you without you even noticing. So, next piece of advice: don’t make it easy for him or her to stitch you up!

State your offer clearly This almost goes without saying, but you’d be surprised how many Specialist Contractors we work with who’ve tied themselves up in knots on their offer or tender document.

At the end of the day, you just don’t have time to check every document and the Contractor’s one-sided, onerous sub-contract terms and conditions, so in order to protect your interests you must qualify your tender to record precisely what you have included and, equally importantly, what you have excluded.

What’s the minimum I should do?

You should not simply make your offer on the Contractor’s terms and conditions. That’s what he wants, but you are under absolutely no obligation to do so! Either state that your tender is based on a standard sub-contract – such as the JCT standard building

sub-contract – or your own terms and conditions which you can outline and include if you wish to do so. As a very minimum, if you don’t refer to any terms you should state that the terms are “to be agreed”.

If you are uncomfortable about submitting qualified bids, or just don’t have the time to respond to every enquiry in detail, you should as an absolute minimum include a general qualification along the following lines: “Our offer is based generally on your enquiry but there are a number of commercial and contractual issues to discuss and agree before it is capable of acceptance or your order can be issued.” By adding a line such as this, it should allow you to negotiate with the contractor if your offer is otherwise of interest to him.

Remember: it’s a process, not an event I know I’ve already mentioned that but it’s so important I wanted to say it again to make sure it really sinks in!

When they ask you to go to the PreContract Meeting or send you the Order this is not necessarily cause for celebration! No I’m not a kill joy, and yes I do know that you need to win work to achieve your turnover etc. But, this is just the next step in the process and it needs to dealt with properly.

You must make sure that the basis on which you are entering into the contract is clearly understood, and accurately reflects what you have priced to do. Any amendments and qualifications that you have made must be properly incorporated into the contract and in order to dispel a common myth, you need to know that just having your tender as a “Numbered Document” is NOT good enough!

There are a whole host of onerous terms you need to watch out for so when it comes to orders so, if you spot anything and you’re in any doubt as to what it means, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Don’t simply think it will be alright because it probably won’t.

Some Contractors are out to get you…

What I tell my clients is that 40 years ago when I started working in the office and running jobs, most Contractors weren’t out to get you.

Sadly, times have changed, and now most Contractors are out to get you!

So, in order not to be caught out by onerous provisions you must make it perfectly clear, before you do any work, or design, or order any materials, that you are rejecting any Contractor’s onerous terms that you discover.

Notice I said” “rejecting their terms”, not rejecting their order.

There may, however, be times when you have to take a commercial decision to accept onerous terms and conditions of contract. If you ever find yourself in this situation, you need to be extremely clear about the risks you are running and manage them accordingly.

If, after reading this article, you have any specific questions about how to manage the order process or whether or not the terms and conditions of an order you’re currently looking at are onerous, you need to take professional advice.

StreetwiseSubbie has a nationwide network of consultants who are experts in helping you to deal with such matters. You can call us for initial free advice on 01773 712116 or email: info@streetwisesubbie.com

59

Adjudicating Two Disputes at the Same Time? – Unintended Consequences?

Paragraph 8(1) of The Scheme for Construction Contracts (England Wales) Regulations 1998 as amended by The Scheme for Construction Contracts (England Wales) Regulations 1998 (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2011 (“the Scheme”) says; “The adjudicator may, with the consent of all the parties to those disputes, adjudicate at the same time on more than one dispute under the same contract”. But

what exactly does this mean?

For many years adjudicators have had to wrestle with jurisdictional challenges where a Responding Party alleged that more than one dispute had been referred for a decision in contravention of paragraph 8(1).

If an adjudicator decided that more than one dispute had been referred to adjudication in the same adjudication then that was a problem. The practical answer, it was believed, was to

encourage the Parties to reach an agreement for the Adjudicator to proceed to decide the two or more separate disputes at the same time, usually in exchange for an extended period for submission of the Response. If agreement could not be reached then the Referring Party was forced to issue separate notices of adjudication in respect of those separate disputes. It was believed that there was nothing wrong with this approach as a way forward. That is, until now.

Regent House, Folds Point, Folds Road, Bolton BL1 2RZ t. 01204 362888 f. 01204 362808

tvp@vinden.co.uk www.vinden.co.uk

This is an important decision and there are some unwelcome implications that arise from this judgement which Parties will need to keep in mind for future possible adjudications.

The judgement handed down in Deluxe Art & Theme Ltd v Beck Interiors Limited [2016] EWHC 238 (TCC) now makes clear that paragraph 8(1) of the Scheme must be given a literal interpretation and an adjudicator cannot adjudicate two disputes at the same time, even if they are the subject of different notices and procedures, unless the Parties so agree.

This is an important decision and there are some unwelcome implications that arise from this judgement which Parties will need to keep in mind for future possible adjudications.

An Adjudicator Nominating Body (“ANB”) will usually look to appoint the same adjudicator in multiple disputes between the same Parties on the same contract. They do so because it is understood that an adjudicator that has already dealt with one dispute should be able to deal with further disputes between the same Parties on the same contract in a more timely and cost-efficient manner than a new adjudicator would. I am not

sure that approach will change.

However, as a result of this judgement, ANBs will have to take care not to nominate the same adjudicator where he or she is yet to issue a decision in a previous adjudication. It is noticeable that the ANBs have already started to amend their procedures for nominating adjudicators.

Although serial adjudications in which the same adjudicator is appointed are not prohibited, the reality is that they will have to be conducted “end on end” rather than simultaneously. In practice a Responding Party in one adjudication could prevent the same adjudicator being appointed in a follow-up adjudication by starting the follow-up adjudication prior to a decision being issued in the preceding case.

All this does is increase uncertainty and I can’t help but wonder if this is really what Parliament intended when drafting the Scheme. Perhaps an amendment is needed? We will have to wait and see if Parliament has an appetite for correcting the Scheme in order to address what appears to be an unintended consequence.

Peter Vinden is a practising Arbitrator, Adjudicator, Mediator and Expert. He is Managing Director of The Vinden Partnership and can be contacted by email at pvinden@vinden. co.uk. For similar articles please visit www.vinden.co.uk.

And what if the cases overlap?

An adjudicator is bound by the decision of a previous adjudicator.

Will this mean that Parties will rush to obtain a decision in order to gain a tactical advantage in another adjudication that is ongoing?

Regent House, Folds Point, Folds Road, Bolton BL1 2RZ t. 01204 362888 f. 01204362808

tvp@vinden.co.uk www.vinden.co.uk

HVAC – infrastructure for modern healthcare delivery and patient wellbeing

BY ALBERT QUEALY, BUSINESS DEVELOP MANAGER AT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC HOSPITALS are the second most energy-intensive buildings to run after restaurants. Globally, the cost of operating healthcare sites, including energy costs, are on the rise. Whether building a new hospital, or retrofitting an existing facility, hospitals are under mounting pressure to do more with less, while also complying with strict regulations, ever-changing technology, plus health and safety measures.

At the core of this efficiency problem are outdated and siloed processes, along with legacy systems. Fortunately, new advances in technology now make it possible to integrate traditionally separate facility systems together to form an “intelligent” hospital infrastructure. As a result, significant improvements in patient safety and outcomes and reductions in operational costs are possible. Through the use of intelligent infrastructure, hospitals can manage everything from HVAC to lighting to CCTV, patient journeys and valuable medical equipment assets. This improves both the environment of care and the bottom line. It’s vital that these

62

platforms are flexible, scalable and repeatable, whilst delivering the right information, to the right people, at the right time.

Acting as a central nervous system for the hospital an intelligent technology infrastructure integrates traditionally disparate systems. Power, building management, security and IT can be integrated to enable cross-system communication, as well as realtime monitoring, optimisation and automation. When a hospital’s systems can “talk” with each other without the need for complex interfaces, the resilience of the infrastructure as a whole is strengthened and provides access to greater information and intelligence, leading to more effective use of all resources. Additionally, actionable information and real insight is provided by tools like Schneider Electric’s Power Monitoring Expert help manage power quality performance, and improve financial performance, energy availability and patient safety in healthcare facilities. Constant power monitoring that provides real time status is vital to ensure network

recovery time is reduced in case of a fault. This includes identifying and focusing on the most sensitive parts of the network as well as ensuring that standby system is consistently and effectively tested, thereby reinforcing predictive maintenance.

Effectively managing heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions is the foundation for taking control of energy usage in a building, and optimising environments for enhanced performance and energy efficiency. In hospitals they are a vital part of the infrastructure and very high standards of design.

HVAC controls connect to and are controlled by Building Management Systems (BMS) and respond to environmental conditions such as temperature, moisture and CO2. In hospitals, certain types of rooms have specialist HVAC pressure requirements.

For example, operating rooms and ICUs may employ a positive pressure regime to help to reduce the risk of airborne infection, while isolation rooms may require negative pressure to prevent

the spread of airborne pathogens.

As HVAC is often responsible for over 40 per cent of energy usage in any given building, in hospitals particularly, it is one of the areas where the most savings can be made. These savings vary depending on the equipment being controlled as well as the existing state of energy conservation technologies. Experience suggests that savings of between 15-30 per cent are achievable in most cases.

Hospitals demand consistent and constantly available power to ensure safe, efficient and cost effective operations. Although the installation and management of critical power environments are both complicated and costly, losing the power supply simply isn’t an option when patients’ lives are on the line.

Hospitals are often directly connected to electricity sub-stations to minimise the risk of power cuts. Nonetheless, it’s vital that hospitals have a power outage solution in place, which monitors critical power availability, power quality and schedules in maintenance at the most appropriate time, along with performing real-time diagnostics in the case of a power failure.

Recent developments in Building Automation System open protocol communications technology allow all of the critical systems within a hospital, like HVAC, lighting, security

and electrical power to communicate with one another in a more intelligent way, both improving the healing environment for patients and allowing for more efficient facilities management.

Often a BMS is installed and commissioned, with predicted parameters that are suitable at that time. But, whilst hospitals are only built once, over time the use of the building and the services delivered within that building will inevitably change.

Additions to the building or changes in its configuration without major investment to upgrade environmental systems and controls at the same time will impact negatively upon the energy performance. Such changes can also result in lower employee productivity, higher energy bills and increased building maintenance costs.

However, re-commissioning, extending or upgrading a BMS which is designed to be flexible and scalable to meet with the activities of the hospital in the future, can change all of this.

The challenges faced by healthcare providers means that ensuring operational efficiency is vital. It is imperative that healthcare institutions get health check of their own as well.

This will allow them not only to check whether they are resilient and getting the most of out their infrastructure – but also to check whether they are compliant with the standards in operation. Consultants can help with resilience testing services to ensure

security and assurance, along with design and audit services to help with upgrading any systems and providing retrofits, as well as providing strategy and advice.

Understanding the condition and performance of a hospital’s systems and infrastructure is key to improving safety and efficiency. A successful and effective BMS system is at the core of the ability to do just this. The direct implications on health and wellbeing of patients, together with the need to ensure hygiene and cleanliness, and operational considerations make a BMS a significant factor in ensuring successful outcomes of patients.

Connected, intelligent controls and equipment can now deliver greater insight into the performance of hospital facilities and can provide a significant, measurable return on investment.

The opportunities for savings that exist cannot be accessed through the traditional building approach as this leads to a hospital infrastructure with disparate systems, duplication of infrastructure and inefficient communication.

A significant investment has been made over many years into developing solutions and technologies that can unlock savings, improve operational productivity and patient safety. These solutions are now a reality and are helping healthcare providers do more with less across the world.

63

Iconic Iron Bridge to be restored by English Heritage The world’s first iron bridge is to be renovated as part of a major £1.25M conservation project, English Heritage has announced.

THE iconic Iron Bridge, which spans the banks of the River Severn in Shropshire, dates back to 1779 and the height of the industrial revolution.

Construction of the single-span castiron structure marked a crucial turning point for British design and engineering.

Its completion heralded the use of castiron in bridge building and aqueduct construction, and forever changed long-established industry practice.

For more than 150 years Iron Bridge remained fully operational until finally, in 1934, the bridge was declared a Scheduled Ancient Monument and closed to all vehicles. Decades later, Iron Bridge Gorge would be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Today, the milestone bridge is in urgent need of repair however. Ground movement has, over centuries, strained the original ironwork to breaking point and a structural intervention is now essential if the monument’s future is to be assured.

64

In response, English Heritage has proposed a comprehensive conservation programme which will see each of the bridge’s separate elements - the iron radials and braces holding the bridge together, the deck plates and wedges, the main iron arch, and the stone abutments on either side of the River Severn - inspected and repaired as required.

Furthermore, the cast-iron pieces will be painstakingly cleaned and reinstated or replaced entirely where absolutely necessary, while the bridge itself will be invigorated with a fresh coat of paint.

The forthcoming restoration follows three years of investigative surveys and consultations. This concluded in February 2016 with a wide-ranging survey, which required engineering experts to abseil from the bridge to inspect its underwork.

Kate Mavor, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “Iron Bridge is one of the wonders of the modern world.

An iconic symbol of the Industrial Revolution, it is arguably the most important bridge ever built and without doubt, one of the most important sites in our care. This conservation project will ensure that both its revolutionary structure and the story those cast iron arches and beams tell, will continue to inspire us for generations to come.”

Having become an independent charity in April 2015, English Heritage is currently embarking on the largest conservation programme in the Organisation’s history. In restoring such sites and historic monuments as Iron Bridge, English Heritage is helping to preserve the country’s storied heritage and their newly-established in-house team of specialist craftspeople will look to safeguard these national landmarks for generations to come.

Work on Iron Bridge is expected to begin in January 2017.

THE TOTAL CDM 2015 SOLUTION

CDM:

Safely navigate

the legislation

the complete online CDM 2015 solution For construction projects large or small, it is built to provide the ultimate tool in CDM management and collaboration from concept to completion. It’s a Client’s Agent, a Contractor’s best friend, a Principal Designer’s dream!

Available for online demonstration now, Give us a call on 0845 544 2070 INCLUDES PROJECT FILE SHARING

See how Safer Sphere can make the process easier...

cdm.safersphere.co.uk

TRAINING & SUPPORT

USER FRIENDLY

Tel: 0845 544 2070 Fax: 0845 544 2071 support@safersphere.co.uk

Safer Site: Safer Sphere

When we cut through the whole of Level 2, it’s about sharing information collaboratively over a project lifecycle.

66 

Taking BIM to the next Level:

An exclusive interview with David Philp Speaking ahead of the April 4th BIM Level 2 mandate, David Philp – Head of BIM for the UK BIM Task Group – discusses the industries readiness, the challenges associated and the prospect of Level 3 BIM. How will you and the BIM Task Group be spending your time in the run up to the mandate?

Do you see that as a concern or it more of a case of companies just needing a helping hand?

We are busy working on many different fronts; we’re working especially with the British Standard Institute to put a wrapper around the Level 2 suite.

Some of that will involve making sure there is good coordination and guidance around about it as well.

I think you’re right on that one. There’s a huge pipeline of Level 2 projects going through at this moment in time and I think it’s fair to say that the work that’s out there, the industry has responded very well to it.

There will also be a new website - www.level2BIM.org - that will be on-hand to provide a great deal of guidance to people. This site and the guidance will grow through the currency of the year. There is also a lot of hard work going on in the BIM4 Communities to make sure that knowledge is being passed on and message of good practice, and collecting all the good case studies to make sure those lessons are distributed.

We are working hard with the relevant government departments in making sure they are on their journey and Level 2 artefacts are being embedded, and indeed by the 4th April, it’s all about putting out good quality employers’ information requirements.

The ECA BIM readiness survey suggested that BIM awareness in the industry was high but in terms of being BIM ready, only one in six described themselves as being ‘fully BIM ready’.

There is always that period as well between putting in your prequalification and actually starting a project. In the last four years, we have seen people get on the ramp and people are still on that journey towards Level 2. Our BIM4 groups have done a great job in terms of helping people to close that gap in terms of BIM. When we cut through the whole of Level 2, it’s about sharing information collaboratively over a project lifecycle.

It’s what we are doing or what we should be doing already - putting it in a digitised and consistent format.

Are you satisfied how the industry is currently positioned?

Yes, the industry is very well positioned.

Industry has a long tail but what we are seeing is those at the front are well placed and are supporting digital services already. Those that are coming up the curve are now delivering Level 2 projects. No doubt there is a long tail but people on that ramp are starting to

use the standards and are starting to embed Level 2 within their process.

I think it’s fair to say that within a few years, we will no longer talk about Level 2 BIM because hopefully it will be business as usual. We are starting to see that early adoptive departments such as the Ministry of Justice – it’s what they do now. It’s a digitised project management approach that they have got with BIM Level 2 embedded within it.

Are we far away from achieving the tipping point in terms of BIM adoption?

I think we have certainly reached that point of no return. We are seeing drivers on the different sides of the coin. On one side, we have mandates out there - we’ve got client requirements, EIRs, etc - but at the same time what we’re seeing on the other side is that the supply chain is realising there’s efficiency out there in terms of what they’re doing. It’s helping them drive more innovation, it’s de-risking the process for them and it’s helping them win work for added value.

I think to some extent for the larger organisations, they are seeing it as what’s what expected of them now.

At the same time, SME’s are quick to innovate and are doing great work to take this opportunity.

67

How are SMEs faring in comparison to the bigger companies?

I think in a lot of cases they have been quicker off the mark. They actually see the benefits of what it means for them and in a lot of cases they can compete with some of the bigger players as well. One of the great things about digitisation is that it becomes a great leveller in terms of what we’re doing.

We often use the term ‘early contractor engagement’ but one of the things we are seeing with Level 2 BIM is ‘specialist engagement’. BIM4SME is a great reference group and reference point.

What advice would you give to companies struggling to implement BIM?

I think there are a couple of things.

Number one, they are probably on the ramp already. We find that if we take the term BIM away, they are probably doing information management or some other component.

A company in this position should try and assess where they’re at now. Have a look in terms of the Level 2 suite, which are all free to download. Where are the gaps? Put together an action plan to try and solve this, maybe not across the whole business but on certain aspects.

Essentially, just go and do it - don’t be afraid of it! Let’s be honest, we’re essentially talking about information management mostly when we talk about Level 2 BIM - don’t be afraid of it. There are a lot of good resources out there - the BSI, the BIM Task Group website, B1M. Have a look at it and get ready. Also, make sure you’ve got people working in your business who are excited about it and get people to engage with it.

There have been a number of people in the industry calling for a recognised government backed training scheme RICS for example have their ICS certified BIM management qualification - do you think this is something that might and needs to happen?

I think in terms of accreditation UKAS will make a decision of whether or not

68

there is a need for it but undoubtedly there is a need for consistency. There are some good tools out there just now for the clients to use - PAS 91 has prequalification questions in there. However, we have to be very careful that we don’t add yet another layer of accreditation when we are actually trying to make some things more efficient. This is should be something that is actually embedded within an organisation’s business management systems.

Where are we in terms of the private sector driving the use of BIM?

We’re seeing great examples out there at the moment. We saw some early adopter private sector clients such as Great Portland Estates really driving it as well. We’ve got the BIM4privateclients working group with lots of private sector clients on it and they are starting to uptake elements of Level 2, working their way through to a full Level 2 project.

What we are seeing in the private sector is a much more consistent execution of Employers Information Requirements (EIR) and indeed, it’s not just putting an EIR out but they are actually well informed in terms of organisation information and asset information model requirements. We are also now talking more about soft landings, asset models. Four or five years ago we wouldn’t be having such a mature Totex conversation.

Following from Level 2’s implementation, how do see you Level 3 developing?

What we always have to remember about Level 3 is that it is going to be a progressive journey. It’s not an analogue zero to one from Level 2 to Level 3. It will be 3a, 3b 3c and 3d. We are still on a journey but Level 3 will undoubtedly be the paradigm shift where we are starting to think about moving from outputs to outcomes and potentially seeing construction as a service.

We will have all this performance data from sensory networks that could

potentially be the real paradigm shift, as we will move from collaboration to integration and optimisation of performance outcomes.

Do Level 3 and future Levels become more easily achievable?

The mandate has helped to get clients and organisations onto the digitisation ramp, starting with BS1192:2007 then onward to Level 2, which is staging post towards a Digital Built Britain. Level 3 will require a lot of hard work and commitment but the reward will be well worth it - the holy grail of integrated digital working is a real paradigm shift.

What we have been trying to do with Level 2 is think about information exchanges and collaborative domainbased environment. As we move to Level 3, we start to think about integrated forms of contract and outcome based delivery and what that looks like. Level 2 was constrained often by the commercial model more than anything.

Do you see the European Public Procurement Directive eventually leading to a European-wide BIM mandate?

I don’t think there will be a Europeanwide BIM mandate but we will definitely see much more harmonisation in terms of what we’re doing. The new EU BIM Task Group - www.eubim.eu - will start to foster a world-class digital open competitive European public works and construction sector.

We’ll probably start to hear more focus towards an optimisation for the full cycle of public works and hopefully it will improve efficiency and effectiveness and indeed ultimately better value for public money. The EU BIM Task Group is about bringing a European public approach together and bringing National BIM efforts to a common European approach.

What we always have to remember about Level 3 is that it is going to be a progressive journey.

69

IT’S COMING - READY OR NOT More than a month on from April’s BIM mandate for all publically procured projects and the 2016 NBS National BIM Survey has revealed that the construction industry is not yet ready to embrace collaborative working.

Despite showing an increase in the number of businesses who have adopted BIM, and highlighting almost universal awareness among professionals (96%), just 10% of more than 1000 respondents confidently stated they were ‘BIM ready’.

Encouragingly, almost three quarters of those who took part in the survey said they saw BIM as the future of industry project information and 63% agreed that BIM would deliver the target of reducing initial construction costs and whole life-cycle expenditure for built assets. Of those respondents already using BIM, an impressive 64% felt it had given them a competitive advantage and 70% of them said they anticipated a significant increase in client demand. However, more than a quarter felt they currently lacked sufficient skills and knowledge, describing themselves as ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ confident in all things BIM. LEAPING THE HURDLES One of quickest, most reliable and failsafe ways for businesses to break the BIM barrier is to buy-in BIM expertise and services. In ensuring firms are fully equipped at each and every stage of each BIM project journey, acquiring third party services means no contract is ever unwinnable. Whether you’re operation is small, medium or large, outsourcing is also exceptionally cost

70

effective. In allowing companies to bid for bigger and more profitable contracts ROI is exceptionally rapid.

For businesses with no existing BIM capability, buying-in means they’re not among the 55% of NBS survey respondents who expressed concerns about being left behind in the evolving construction market. For those with an existing but modest team of BIM practitioners in-house, purchasing add-ons as needed means winning larger and more lucrative projects is no problem.

Whether you’re looking for a 3D model evaluation service, 3D modelling services, 3D laser scanning services or 3D modelling from Point Cloud service, you will benefit from the trust and expertise to be expected of a leading firm in the global MEP Services market.

MISSION, VISION, REALISATION Our mission is to help MEP contractors maximise efficiencies and reap additional profits through the provision of fast and seamless integrated construction services solutions. Trimble’s reputation for reliability, expertise and specific MEP sector knowledge means our services are attuned to your precise and individual needs.

In addition to putting you ahead of the game in terms of BIM capabilities, buying in Trimble MEP services enables you to make savings just where you need them throughout every stage of the process.

To find out more, click here or call our team to find out how we can work with you to ensure rapid ROI and seamless simplicity to your next project.

The £15M investment over three years is designed to maintain the UK’s global leadership in the use of this technology

72

BIM Task Group: Mandate is an “unparalleled achievement” THE successful delivery of the Government Construction Strategy (GCS) Level 2 BIM objectives represents “an internationally unparalleled achievement on the journey towards the digitalisation of the built environment sector”, says BIM Task Group Chairman Mark Bew MBE. Published by the Cabinet Office on 31st May 2011, the GCS - as well as the Low Carbon Construction Innovation & Growth Team: Final Report by Paul Morrell - outlined the key target of reducing the cost of Government construction projects by 15-20%.

Critical to reaching these targets ahead of the 4th April 2016 deadline was that all central government departments achieved the milestone and now require tendering suppliers to demonstrate collaborative 3D Level 2 BIM maturity through defined and compliant information and data on projects.

With Government departments now committed to achieving BIM maturity - the outcome of the BIM Task Group’s four-year collaboration with industry, Government client departments, private sector, institutions and academia - BIM is driving greater value at home and significant growth opportunities overseas, through improved delivery and operation of built assets.

Achievement of the mandate has allowed the BIM Task Group, together with the Government Construction

Board and the Client BIM Delivery Group, to reaffirm its commitment to encouraging, supporting and enabling full BIM adoption across the industry.

This has been supported in the recent Budget which announced the development of the next generation of digital standards for the construction sector – Level 3 BIM – under the ‘Digital Built Britain’ Programme.

The £15M investment over three years is designed to maintain the UK’s global leadership in the use of this technology and will save owners of built assets billions of pounds per year in unnecessary costs as well as setting the infrastructure for the Smart Built economy.

Reflecting the industry’s ongoing transition from mobilisation for Level 2 BIM to creating “business as usual”, the BIM Task Group has also unveiled a new online bim-level2.org website.

Hosted and developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI), the site will continue to evolve from launch, providing a common and clear point of reference for BIM documentation, standards and guidance created in partnership with the BIM Task Group.

These documents will continue to be available free-of-charge in order to encourage all businesses however large or small to take part.

Mark Bew MBE commented: “To look at how far we have come in four short

years is to understand how far we can and need to go in the next four and beyond.

“From a standing start, the UK is now leading the global race towards digitalisation of the construction industry and we will not let it slip. The hard work starts here.

“BIM is now very much business as usual. Our Level 2 programme is driving efficiency and creating a competitive supply sector with our businesses in demand internationally.

“BIM will become a required UK standard across the entire built environment and our message to all stakeholders is: join us and grasp this incredible opportunity to reduce cost and waste while driving productivity and competitiveness.

“We have demonstrated that a partnership between Government and industry can deliver dramatic changes in the sector. This has been made possible by having a clear shared plan and commitment – the challenge now is to embed these techniques across the whole of the market to grow capacity and become business as usual.

“We have, at Level 2, improved the industry. Level 3 BIM and the realisation of Digital Built Britain will create a new industry to service the challenges of the future.”

73

METSEC’S BIM EXPERTISE BENEFITS NEW MONEYPENNY HEADQUARTERS In June 2015, main contractor Pochin Construction appointed light gauge structural steel specialist voestalpine Metsec plc to provide its Steel Framing (SFS) products for a major new office headquarters in Wrexham. Metsec’s BIM capability and engineering expertise has since proven invaluable on the project, allowing its teams to design bespoke solutions, collaborate effectively and deliver the highest calibre of structural integrity.

THE CLIENT REQUIREMENTS The new development is home to leading UK telephone answering service and outsourced switchboard company, Moneypenny. Scheduled for completion summer 2016, the £15 million, 91,000 square feet scheme is being built to accommodate increased staff, with plans to expand from 400 to more than 1,000 employees. The development will consist of high-quality employee-focused spaces, and will boast a treehouse, a village pub, an impressive 8,000 square feet atrium with a restaurant and stadium seating. Once complete, the campus will be one of the most environmentally sustainable projects in the country, and almost entirely self-sufficient. In terms of construction, the client required a building that delivered on all aspects of sustainability, aesthetic appeal and structural performance.

A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO CONSTRUCTION As market-leaders in the provision of lightweight steel solutions, designed to the very latest specification requirements, Metsec was brought on board by Pochin Construction to ensure Moneypenny’s new headquarters benefitted from an outstanding level of building design. Metsec’s role was to provide SFS continuous and infill walling across all three floors of the new office block, with Pochin Construction responsible for the installation works.

To help de-risk the construction process and ensure a more financially secure, fluent and technically

sound operation, Metsec was included in the project from its early stages of conceptualisation. Its design teams analysed the external build programme and produced construction principles in Revit software (BIM) to share with Pochin Construction.

After reviewing the structural external wall options, Metsec created specially made dead load cleats for the first floor level to support a continuous external SFS walling system - helping to maximise the internal floor area.

Infill walling was then used on the ground floor areas to allow the SFS walling system to be installed from the inside of the building. Metsec completed the design in Revit and provided a quick turnaround on the drawings.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES ON-SITE Due to the extensive M&E services required for the development in its initial stages, the ground floor slab was not installed at the beginning of the project. Typically, Metsec’s continuous external walling solution is installed from the ground floor up. However, for the Moneypenny headquarters it was uniquely implemented from the first floor up by using the bespoke dead load cleats. The infill walling was then used as a solution to bring together the ground floor and first floor.

SUCCESSFUL PROJECT DELIVERY Jon Pochin, Managing Director of Pochin Construction, commented: “Moneypenny wanted a bespoke office build that reflected the growth and technical advancements of its business, which is why all aspects of the build need to be of a high standard.

We wanted Metsec to be part of this project, as the team has the knowledge and expertise to handle the challenges that the structure of the new building presented. The Metsec team were quickly able to provide us with a solution when working around the slab, which meant that the development of the project was not impacted or delayed.”

“It’s been great working on a project that is set to deliver a bespoke office space fit to rival those occupied by the likes of Google and Apple, which only further reflects the quality of the building that is being created,” concluded Stephen Ginger, Managing Director of Metsec Purlins & Framing.

“Being involved at the earliest design stages of this project meant that we were able to work collaboratively with the project partners to provide an effective design solution within the time frame required.”

The development of the Moneypenny headquarters is a clear example of what quality planning, design and building materials can achieve. Metsec has been using BIM to control the design, detailing, manufacture and cost of products for over 20 years.

This along with 80 years of experience allows Metsec to add value for its clients through technical excellence and design capability.

For more information please visit: www.metsec.com. Alternatively, connect with Metsec via @MetsecUK or facebook.com/ MetsecUK.

Exclusive Interview: BIM4FM In an exclusive interview, UK Construction Excellence speaks to Geoff Prudence Chair of CIBSE Facilities Management, the BIM4FM cross industry workgroup and BIFM Building Services - about Building Information Modelling, its implementation and the ramifications for facilities managers industry-wide.

Could you provide our readers with an introduction to BIM4FM? What would you identify as being the Organisation’s remit?

BIM4FM is one of several ‘BIM4’ organisations feeding into the BIM Task Group, with a view to delivering on the Government’s drive to implement Building Information Modelling.

What’s really unique about BIM4FM is that we have all the interested parties in the industry - the established Institutions and Associations - around the table. This includes CIBSE FM, RICS, RIBA, BIFM, CIOB, BSA, BSRIA and B&ES, (formerly HVCA). Everybody interested in BIM from an FM perspective is collaborating, which is quite unique. Normally, when bringing any organisations or areas together, there are always tensions and varied views, but it’s been very good so far.

How did you come to work with BIM4FM?

There was a need for a built environment

76

approach for FM and, because of my passion for driving things forward in the industry and my views on impartiality, I was asked to get BIM4FM off the ground and lead the Group for a couple of years.

My professional background is as a Chartered Engineer in Building Services. I have progressed FM in a number of areas and more recently the private and public sector, but my heart is still in engineering and building related design, risk and operations.

This was an ideal opportunity to bring together a view for the industry.

When did you first become aware of the concept of BIM?

I’d heard of BIM previously - people had told me that it was about information but the first real detail came from Tim Dwyer, a forward thinking academic in the building services industry. I saw a presentation of Tim’s in 2011 and, by coincidence, he was one of the first people I heard talk about how BIM could really benefit the industry.

How is BIM uptake in the FM industry progressing currently?

It’s interesting. A lot of the leading design consultants and construction practices are embracing it. In December however, the BIM4FM Group hosted a breakfast seminar - ‘BIM Level 2 - ready, willing and able?’ - in the City of London, which was very well attended. We found mixed views. During a straw pole at the end of event, only a handful of people openly felt that were ‘Ready’ for BIM. Generally, there hasn’t been a great uptake in most sectors. There are those who see it as a market opportunity, but there’s also a feeling of ‘who’s going to pay for it’. Really, it’s about effective management right the way through the process rather than ‘buying BIM’, but there’s certainly mixed feelings and a lot of my colleagues are saying the same.

BIM Level 2 is now a requirement for all government contracts but, with respect, how much is the Government actually going to be

Looking at it end to end; it really is the opportunity to be there from the beginning, to influence the design, and to hold and capture the right information.

building?

There are lots more public and private sector contracts, and BIM is only going to stick when the intelligent clients ask for it, specify it and be exact on what they’re after. That’s what will really drive it.

Does BIM implementation require a change in business culture?

On the FM side, certainly. At the end of the day, it’s about driving cost. As I said; who’s going to pay for it? But a lot of the bigger FM companies – certainly those with a construction arm – are seeing BIM as the smart move and are altering their business models accordingly.

They are the minority rather than the majority however. Many are still in denial, which is why BIM4FM is trying to explain the opportunities, where the impact is, and why facilities managers need to get involved sooner rather than later. There’s a lot of uncertainty and people are afraid to ask, but these sessions will hopefully engage with them. People have to realise it is an opportunity, not a threat.

How is BIM adoption able to benefit FM?

Looking at it end to end; it really is the opportunity to be there from the beginning, to influence the design, and to hold and capture the right information. There are key elements that facilities managers need to be asking for - the asset list and the types of maintenance, equipment and communication - and, if built into

the design, these will make handover much easier and more effective. That’s the benefit from an FM perspective.

Life Cycle considerations are more evident and BIM can only enhance that area. I have continued to promote that ’a building is for life - not just for commissioning’.

How is BIM4FM engaging with facilities managers to demonstrate that benefit?

It’s been about four years since BIM4FM’s inception. We’ve held events, web communication and published guidance to help get the message out there. That message has remained consistent throughout each separate Institution and Association involved, which is something that I’m really proud of. We’re all pushing a single unified message to our own member companies.

We have to make people aware however. At the event in December, it was a common light-hearted point but, even now, if we went around a room and asked ‘what does BIM mean to you?’, 3D modelling and software would always come up. There are certain reoccurring themes but no consistent approach.

For us as BIM4FM, there’s an obvious design/operation gap which has always been an issue in practice.

BIM4FM was also set up to engage impartial Institutions and Associations, but we agreed under the terms of reference that we would allow specific manufactures to be brought in for a meeting or to get a view for a paper.

The challenge then has been keeping BIM4FM impartial. A lot of the people who really have a story to tell naturally have a commercial interest as well – be they a consultant, software or FM provider.

That doesn’t mean they want something out of it commercially; but it does mean that naturally they sense an opportunity through their own lens – whereas we’re trying to remain impartial and to say what’s best for FM in the construction, design and operation loop.

For more information on BIM4FM please visit: www.bimtaskgroup.org/ bim4fm-group/

BIM isn’t the physical building information; it’s about building information through the process rather than handholding or baton changing.

That’s where the real opportunity is.

Where have the greatest challenges for BIM4FM come from?

77

Network with your peers.

Share best practices.

Join us at CONNECTION Event Birmingham – 30 September 2016

Discover the advantages of The CONNECT Edition Join us at this CONNECTION Event in Birmingham, United Kingdom on 30 September 2016. It is the event for infrastructure professionals like you. We will show you how to connect people, processes, and projects for comprehensive project delivery.

Increase your ability to deliver the best performing buildings, roads, power plants, utility networks and more.

Executive Keynotes

|

CONNECTION Seminars

|

Network with Infrastructure Leaders

Reserve your spot today. www.bentley.com/connection16

© 2016 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley and the “B” Bentley logo are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. CS6898 04/16

Comprehensive Project Delivery “With ProjectWise, we completed a complex project 50 percent faster – on time and under budget.”

– Larry Ehlers, Project Manager AECOM

“ProjectWise securely managed 1.5 million documents, with 4.8 terabytes of data accessed by more than 2,000 users in 50 global locations – saving us 23,000 hours locating data, AUD 1 million controlling documents, 260 weeks updating drawings, and AUD 3.6 million in travel expenses.”

– Mark Patis, Technical Executive, Design Parsons Brinckerhoff

Reduce Project Delivery Risk with ProjectWise ®

Improve the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of design and construction documentation in a controlled, collaborative environment. Eliminate redesigns and reduce the risk of error. Discover how ProjectWise’s industry proven project delivery capabilities will help your team make great decisions, effectively use resources, increase productivity, and improve performance.

www.bentley.com/ProjectWise © 2016 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley, the “B” Bentley logo, and ProjectWise are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

“ProjectWise gives us a centralized environment for sharing information – allowing the design and permitting teams to quickly and confidently respond to requests and direction.”

– Mark Williams, Senior Vice President Tetra Tech, Inc.

Exclusive Interview: BIM4SME Raj Chawla, Vice Chair of BIM4SME, discusses BIM from the SME perspective, the digital2all initiative, and the prospect of BIM Level 3 and beyond.

With Building Information Modelling (BIM), the lead tends to come from the larger companies within the industry so providing support to SMEs regarding BIM Level 2 is extremely important. Could you give us a brief outline in how BIM4SME goes about this?

There are two aspects to the SME: One, the SME is it is never going to do end-to-end Level 2. That will reside with the client and the Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors. What the SME has to do is learn to interact with Tier 1 and the client. It needs to understand when to enter a particular stage and when to exit a particular stage of the process.

Most important is that the SME needs to understand its obligations when it

80 

enters the process and what they have to supply in terms of information for their goods or services. When they exit the process, they need to ensure that the information they are supplying is complete, accurate and in the correct format.

As far as the PAS documents are concerned, they need to know how the framework standards work. The SME has to distil how the processes fit into their daily business. This guidance is desperately missing and BIM4SME is attempting to plug the gap.

Are you satisfied with the state of readiness of SMEs within the industry?

The understanding needs to be clear.

The function of the BIM Task Group has been to take political intent via government strategy and deploy this. The BIM Regions Group are the awareness campaign to get critical mass so that the whole industry is engaged, while the BIM4 are intertwined within industry dealing with the mechanics of implementing and using BIM. This is the premise that BIM4SME has been predicated on. There is some support from institutes and others, but is anchored to individuals from such groups.

For the SMEs that we have touched, I am happy that they will be capable of participating in Level 2 type of work.

However, if you’re talking about the entire country then I am afraid that out of the 2.5 million people employed

There is huge value and collateral being generated by various groups and campaigns in this journey.

in the construction industry, maybe just 5-6% know what Level 2 is about and that is the biggest problem we are facing at the moment.

The issue is that we need to get to a critical mass of something like 700,000 people in the industry actually practicing and working with BIM at Level 2. Only then will that critical mass engage and move forward. Even the Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors are not fully conversant with Level 2. It is only a small group of people within these large organisations that are becoming BIM-ready purely for the purposes for bidding on contracts.

It scares me sometimes thinking that the industry is not ready and that it’s going to start to crumble. It’s a negative thing, but it is the reality I’m afraid.

That’s what we’re trying to bridge the gap at moment - to get the word out as much as possible and let everybody know what BIM and Level 2 is all about.

What advice would you give to any companies struggling to be ready for the introduction of the BIM?

Most SMEs struggle because of poor or mixed messages. When the message is explained, as it is meant to be, it becomes less daunting. When we interact with an SME, we try and not focus on the term ‘BIM’. Typically for the manufacturing and product supply chain, we simply advise that the information that they have is more than likely all present. It is structuring the information in a format that that is required.

As an example, our practice simply

asks for the information by providing a template to fill in. This is usually a spread sheet. We ask suppliers to provide it in this exact format as we know they have the information; it’s just it’s not assembled in the correct way.

That’s the thing that we’re trying to preach at the moment throughout the SMEs – you have the information, you know what to do as far as your job is concerned, but you need to assemble the information in a certain way. This means that when the information is handled and passed to the next level, they don’t need to reassemble or check the information again. It can be passed on to the client directly without the need for it to be constantly reassembled and checked at each stage.

That’s what we are trying to teach the SMEs - whatever information they pass on should be accurate and complete.

So you don’t bog the SMEs down too much with the bigger picture and focus on the individual steps?

You can describe the bigger picture, but as far as the nuts and bolts are concerned, you really just tell them exactly what they need to do. The companies are very capable of doing it. They don’t need to spend huge amounts of money. Architectural practices and other professionals had a lot of concern about software tools costing too much money, but in fact it doesn’t - you can rent the use of software it on a month-by-month basis.

It is the learning of the software that is the problem and nobody can force the learning on anybody. This is an initiative that the SME have to take up themselves

and make sure they understand and keep up with the latest tools.

For me, as far as Level 2 is concerned, the supply chain can transact with 2D drawings and a spreadsheet. It is developing and delivering information for a projects in a consistent and structured way.

There is a further issue that need to be managed - a consistent way the information from manufacturers and suppliers is structured. The reason is that there is no formative standard that allows this structured approach.

Can you tell us about the background to digital2all?

digital2all is here to harvest value from Digital Built Britain - the construction strategy, professional strategy, smart cities strategy - which in turn starts to connect to the digital economy. The construction industry needs to become a slick industry like the retail or food industry. If you look at these industries, these people are really well organised in terms of their logistics. We can order something from a supermarket and it can be delivered later that afternoon.

There is a digital map that has been set; everything is connected digitally.

That is what we want to see in the construction industry.

The idea behind digital2all is to discover and engage with technologies that are suitable for the supply chain and start to connect directly to the construction economy and the wider digital economy.

For me the SMEs are the engine of

For me the SMEs are the engine of the economy.

the economy. They need to be fully engaged within the digital agenda and this is the first step that we have taken to make it a wider berth which includes not just architects, designers and contractors, but also lawyers, procurement, manufacturers and operations. They all need to understand that when something is built, it is built for a very long time.

We can service and engage with it in an economical and quick way if everything is digitally connected. This is the initial step towards that agenda.

The second reason for the digital2all is a little more current and very important. There is huge value and collateral being generated by various groups and campaigns in this journey.

Some groups are ahead of the learning curve while others are starting. What is very visible is that there is little or no connect in sharing this collateral.

Each group and campaign are facing the same problems and are reinventing what has already been done. The digital2all initiative is to allow for this sharing to be facilitated.

The connected supply chain is often described as the Holy Grail; is digital2all the stepping-stone to achieving it?

Undoubtedly, it is the Holy Grail. As a simplistic example, if we take Amazon or Alibaba; they are well connected that people can buy or subscribe as sellers and go on to the website and

82

sell their products. These processes are regulated. This ensures buyers receive their items and sellers don’t sell rubbish.

It is all digitally enabled. digital2all intends to support a technology channel. This will allow new and existing digital technologies to be showcased, but more importantly to reveal their connectivity potential, analytics potential and show how the digital technologies can support the construction industry by enabling seamless transactions. That is indeed the Holy Grail.

Presumably moving from Level 2 to Level 3 brings a completely different set of issues from preparing the industry for Level 2. How will digital2all tackle this?

Of course. One thing that is really outside of our control is the advancement of technology - the manufacture of sensors, cameras and measuring equipment is all advancing at a rate of knots. What we have to do is make sure that we understand how fast they’re moving and move closely behind them so that we can actually use and adopt that technology.

What we don’t want to do is try and invent something that is not achievable.

We’re trying to assemble a built environment, but we want to make sure that we can successfully integrate digital knowhow very easily and the connectivity needs to be very simple.

So it’s a push-button type connectivity rather than write thousands and thousands of lines of code so two things can connect. That is the problem today. If I have to connect two things together then that’s a lot of very difficult work. With the Level 3 proposal, all this should become seamless with the connectivity becoming simple.

What we have to do is educate the people going from Level 2 to Level 3 that both levels can be very similar in terms of when you transact information - it’s just that the information is going to be transacted not semi-manually. It will be transacted completely digitally. We need to make sure that they learn that you have to understand that whatever you do within the construction industry is treated like a transaction and you have to make sure that you fulfil this transaction completely.

The jump from Level 2 to Level 3 is about educating the masses in the construction sector that everything is now going to become a digital transaction and you’re to make sure that this digital transaction remains very pure. Whether the information is coming from the client down or whether it’s going up to the client, it is a transaction and no matter what you do, it must be complete.

That’s the mantra behind the jump from Level 2 to 3.

w w w. r a p i d 5 d . c o m

BIM

CONSULTING TRAINING

software

SUPPORT

INTEGRATED

HOSTING

Trimble Connect supports the deployment and compliance of PAS1192 and COBie reporting within a collaborative 3D Project environment. With its easy to use interface, and rapid deployment of projects that can be configured to meet the employers/ project requirements. Trimble Connect incorporates, 3D/2D Document management & viewers, change control, issue management, clash detection and team collaboration whether over the internet, mobile device or PC with automatic synchronisation options.

Trimble Modelogix is a cost modelling application that produces conceptual estimates based on historical data quickly and accurately. Modelogix unlocks hidden value in your historical data and benchmarking enabling more predictable capital and project planning.

Trimble Vico Office used for much more than visualisation, extending your current planning and estimating opportunity and enabling you to import bills of quantities. With both 2D and 3D BIM model take off as well as hybrid 2D and 3D tracking change.

Constructability analysis and coordination, 4D location-based scheduling and production control. 5D estimating and package management - all in a single, integrated solution.

Trimble Prolog gives you the flexibility to access construction project data through a variety of interfaces and devices, so that your project teams get critical information when and where they need it. Our Desktop, Web and Mobile solutions allow contractors and their teams to work online or offline, in the office or out in the field. With Prolog, you can work from anywhere, anytime.

CONTACT US Email: info@rapid5d.com Tel: +44 (0) 1245 809131 3rd Floor, Ford House 31-34 Railway Street Chelmsford Essex, CM1 1QS United Kingdom

RapidFiveD @Rapid5D Rapid5D

FREE CONSTRUCTION WEBINARS REGISTER NOW 83

The BRE Academy is committed to closely scrutinising the market’s needs to identify how it can offer support in the future.”

BRE Academy survey exposes BIM shortfall THE UK construction industry needs to do more to tackle a lack of key skills from BIM to subcontractors and a lack of gender diversity from ‘boardroom to building site’, according to a report by the BRE Academy.

Based on a survey of 300 industry professionals, the report finds that sustainability and environmental skills - as well as trades such as plastering, electrical and plumbing - were in short supply across construction. However, of greater concern was that BIM and management skills - key to future development - were seen as lacking on a wider industry, as well as an individual company or organisation, basis.

The survey, whose respondents ranged from leaders to subcontractors, will help the industry to understand which skills are in short supply and which are needed now and in the future. It also highlighted a continued image problem for construction, with 91% of respondents saying that people outside the industry have a different perspective of the industry than those within it.

The survey found there is a lack of gender diversity at all levels, with 61% of

84

respondents saying the industry needed to do more to promote diversity. A need was identified to establish clear and appealing career pathways for young entrants to the industry, with 74% of respondents saying that these should be ‘actively promoted’ and 67% saying that there should be more focus on promoting construction’s hi-tech and digital aspects.

In addition, the industry should be promoted more to academically minded students as well as those aiming for vocational qualifications, and greater use should be made of high-profile projects in promotional efforts. The survey concluded that Government should work more closely with colleges and schools to promote apprenticeships and show a stronger commitment to financially supporting SMEs in offering training in such disciplines as BIM. Lastly, industry professional bodies should take the lead in promoting technical training.

BRE Academy Director Pauline Traetto said: “Construction currently contributes £92Bn a year to the UK economy with a workforce of three million people. In order to support future growth in the UK as well as rapid

expansion in developing countries a talented, engaged workforce is critical. Only by grappling with the skills shortage highlighted in this report in areas like sustainability and digital design will the industry be able to deliver a low carbon, high performance future.

“With future challenges including scarce land and resources balanced against an increasing population and climate change issues, as well as the move towards digital construction and BIM, staff right across the sector need to upskill to keep pace with the changes. The BRE Academy is committed to closely scrutinising the market’s needs to identify how it can offer support in the future.”

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan commented: “Surveys like this one help us in designing effective policies.

We remain committed to creating three million more apprenticeships in this Parliament many of which will be in the construction sector and we are particularly keen to increase the sector’s diversity and help encourage more women to participate.”

Advanced 100% waterproof formula designed for metal roofs: • Exclusive formula • Seals in one coat • Coats rust with no priming • 100% Waterproof formula • Outstanding adhesion • Revolutionary Performance • Environmentally friendly

QUARTZDEK has been developed from proven technology used extensively for over 25 years for the renovation of balconies and terraces.

• Prevents damage and deterioration • Highly durable and abrasive • Transparent resin base • Can be applied to concrete, cement, asphalt, new plywood ramps/decking

Tel: 01925 213655 • Fax: 01925 213656

Email: info@acrypolproducts.co.uk • www.acrypolproducts.co.uk Acrypol Products Ltd 4 Asher Court, Lyncastle Way, Barleycastle Lane, Appleton, Warrington WA4 4ST

We need the right scale for technologies such as cloud computing, data-driven science and the Internet of Things to reach their full potential.

European Commission prepares for digital revolution DELIVERING on its strategy to create a Digital Single Market, the European Commission has unveiled plans to help European industry, SMEs, researchers and public authorities to make the most of new technologies.

The Commission recently presented a set of measures to support and link up national initiatives for the digitisation of industry and related services across all sectors, and to boost investment through strategic partnerships and networks.

The Commission has also proposed concrete measures to speed up the development of common standards in priority areas, such as 5G communication networks or cybersecurity, and to modernise public services.

As part of these plans, the Commission will set up a European cloud that, as a first objective, will give Europe’s 1.7 million researchers and 70 million science and technology professionals a virtual environment to store, manage, analyse and re-use large amounts of data.

86

Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said: “The industrial revolution of our time is digital. We need the right scale for technologies such as cloud computing, data-driven science and the Internet of Things to reach their full potential. As companies aim to scale up across the single market, public e-services should also meet today’s needs: be digital, open and cross-border by design.

The EU is the right scale for the digital times.”

Günther H Oettinger, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, said: “Europe has a very competitive industrial base and is a global leader in important sectors. But Europe will only be able to maintain its leading role if the digitisation of its industry is successful and reached fast. Our proposals aim to ensure that this happens. It requires a joint effort across Europe to attract the investments we need for growth in the digital economy.”

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said: “The digital economy merges with the real economy. We need leadership and

investment in digital technologies in areas like advanced manufacturing, smart energy, automated driving or e-health.”

While many parts of the economy have been quick to take up digital technologies and processes, European industry - across all sectors and regardless of company size - must make full use digital opportunities if it is to remain globally competitive.

Traditional sectors - such as construction, agro-food, textiles or steel - and SMEs are particularly lagging behind in their digital transformation.

Recent studies estimate that the digitisation of products and services will add more than €110Bn of revenue for industry per year in Europe in the next five years.

Several EU Member States have already launched strategies to support the digitisation of industry. But a comprehensive approach at European level is needed to avoid fragmented markets and to reap the benefits of digital evolutions such as the internet of things.

Your Construction Solution CONSUMPTION of Design & Engineering Data Bringing together key design, modelling and analysis technologies

CO’ORDINATION of Design Data Enables project teams to integrate, co-ordinate and collaborate in one environment

CONSUMPTION

CO’ORDINATION

COLLABORATION

COMPLIANCE

of Design & Engineering Data

of Design Data

COLLABORATION of Design & Project Data Delivery of On Server – On premise and Cloud based collaboration tools

COMPLIANCE (BIM level 2 Delivery) Providing a compliant BIM L2 Common Data Environment (CDE)

Book your FREE Business Discovery Meeting

of Design & Project Data

Book a free Business Discovery Meeting to see how the team can help you by calling us on 01784 419922 or complete a brief online form.

Autodesk Building & Infrastructure User Conference 2016 WHY ATTEND? • BIM Leadership breakfast meeting – what are your Level 2 deliverables?

• LIVE Technical presentation of a compliant Building and Infrastructure BIM level 2 project using Autodesk 2017 tools

(BIM level 2 Delivery)

Powered by

DATES & VENUES: Sheraton Grand Hotel, Edinburgh – 23rd June 2016 Etc.venues, St Pauls – 29th June 2016 Radisson Blu, Manchester – 5th July 2016

• Receive half a day of free product training with 3 x Technical Masterclasses • Full supporting technical documentation provided • Autodesk product tips and tricks • Great networking opportunities • Hands on Solutions Technology center

FIND OUT MORE & REGISTER NOW: www.cadline.co.uk/UserConference2016

BIM and CDM 2015 Regulations examined at HBIM workshop THE University of Salford recently played host to the Level 2 BIM and Emerging Technologies: Heritage & Transportation Infrastructure conference.

The HBIM (Heritage and Highways BIM) workshop was structured around Building Information Modelling, Visualization Technologies, Augmented Reality, GIS and Laser Scanning technologies and Big Data in Smart City Context.

The workshop examined how the use of BIM can be expanded beyond its current role, such as heritage and highways maintenance with the help of emerging technologies.

One of the topics covered was how Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) and Health and Safety objectives can be incorporated within the BIM process.

Dave Carr, Managing Director of Callsafe Services Limited, spoke about how the CDM 2015 regulations included the broad principles of people involved in construction projects to “coordinate, cooperate and communicate”.

Mr Carr said that these principles are shared in both management and the BIM process. He commented: “BIM is about getting the right information to the right people at the right times. CDM regulations require exactly the same thing.”

88

Those attending the workshop were taken through various aspects of the CDM 2015 regulations that could successfully implement Building Information Modelling.

These included the provision of relevant and accurate pre-construction information (PCI), which contains Health and Safety information required designers and contractors either bidding to work or those already appointed and also the principal designer and principal contractor.

The Pre-construction Information (PCI) Register also contains information such as the planning and management of the project and health and safety hazards on the site, which would benefit from the collaborative and sharing functions of BIM. Mr Carr also spoke of how BIM could help deal with the “perennial problem” of Design Interfaces, with the number of different organisations on construction projects only requiring the information relevant to them.

BIM will be able to provide the focus needed to identify and deal with issues on a construction project and document and share them simply and effectively.

Another aspect that can be fitted into the BIM model is the Designer Duties process. This addresses and assesses risks associated with designs, with the designer having a legal obligation to provide this information.

Dave Carr then examined how the Construction Phase Plan, which contains the health and safety arrangements for the construction phase; site rules and specific measures regarding high risk work, could see the Principal Contractor being able to plan the work using the BIM model and plan the sequence of events in building the project in a safe way.

The Health and Safety File was also identified for use with BIM and contains information that will be required to ensure Health and Safety during construction work, including maintenance, repair, refurbishment and dismantling.

It contains a brief description of the work undertaken, any hazards that haven’t been eliminated through design and construction processes, and how they have been dealt with.

Key structural principles and hazardous materials used will also be recorded.

Whilst the BIM process can play a key part in delivering CDM 2015 regulations, Mr Carr warned against over-complicating the process with technology that was too complex.

He said: “Whatever we do in this process it’s got to simple, it’s got to be clear and everybody working on the project needs to gain access to this information. If it gets to complex, we won’t use it. As a user, it’s got to be user-friendly.”

Union Square: A simple solution to BIM integration IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, UNION SQUARE DISCUSS BIM INTEGRATION, THEIR WORK WITH THE OPEN BIM ALLIANCE, AND THE INDUSTRY’S MOVEMENT TOWARDS FULL BIM COMPLIANCE. For the uninitiated, could you provide our readers with an introduction to Union Square and the services available?

Union Square are a construction specific software provider delivering a browser and mobile based solution that helps organisations manage business and project information better. It connects directors, project teams and business support people to the information they need to do their job when and where needed. The system helps to create, manage and control all of the structured data (clients, enquiries and project details) and unstructured content (emails, drawings and documents) across departments, and through the processes of winning and delivering project work. Since 2000, we have supported architects, engineers, consultants, contractors and trade contractors to manage their transition from paper to digital, and enhance their day-to-day project working processes.

With Building Information Modelling (BIM) high on the industry’s agenda, how is Union Square able to support businesses looking to integrate data between BIM models and other operational systems?

Union Square offers a range of productivity tools, which allow the integration of data between BIM

models and other operational systems.

This includes Revit but also increasingly features the utilisation of IFC to share and repurpose data. At a practical level, Union Square support our clients by: • Providing a framework to control information approval and flows through Governance gateways.

• Delivering a Common Data Environment (CDE) to manage the secure and controlled exchange of model and design data.

• Supporting design team productivity by integrating Revit with design management workflows for approval and issue.

• Ticking the box on compliance by tracking all project communications in a robust, secure and auditable way.

In 2015, Union Square joined the Open BIM Alliance. Could you explain the rationale behind this? How is the Alliance benefitting Union Square’s clients?

Union Square are proud to be part of a collective and a contributing voice driving Open Standard BIM exchange.

Since 2000, we have helped to support change in traditional working methods as technologies like email, mobile and more recently file sharing software have changed the means for working. BIM is another game changer for the industry, representing a maturing of project procurement and delivery processes.

History tells us that complimentary and competing industry bodies and software

vendors will define their own agendas if left unattended. Being an active part of the OBA is a clear indication that Union Square actively promotes the adoption of open standards and is proud to support any initiative that will increase awareness of the need to adopt BIM strategies, drive efficiency and remove waste from within the construction industry.

From Union Square’s perspective, how are companies coping with the transition to BIM Level 2?

Are businesses receiving enough support?

The reality of BIM adoption and Level 2 compliance ‘on the ground’ is somewhat different from industry media coverage and government messaging. In summary, it’s a real mixed bag. Tier 1 contractors and consultants are most invested in BIM L2 adoption, and they are starting to educate and support their supply chain get up to speed. Interestingly, some of the best innovation in our client base is being driven in the supply chain through trade contractors (like Caunton and Lakesmere). They have been using modelling technologies and robust data management policies with the structural designers for a decade or more. Within the regional SME market, there are clusters of organisations, and small pockets of BIM brilliance to be found, that are delivering exemplar projects and positive project outcomes.

Depressingly though there are still too many businesses with their heads down, underinvested in training and technology that haven’t caught up or don’t want to get aboard the train!

More information is available on the Union Square website: www.unionsquaresoftware.com

89

COMMUNITY

STAKEHOLDER

E-BOOKS

VIDEO

WHAT DOES THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ORGANISATION?

For more information please contact us on 01257 231900 or email enquiries@promarkmedia.co.uk

From construction to demolition, the life cycle of a building can be monitored, maintained and improved

The benefits of using BIM to plan life safety systems THE adoption of BIM for central government funded construction projects will soon become a necessity rather than an option. In light of this, Tony Obadipe, London Sales Manager for Hochiki Europe, discusses BIM in the healthcare sector, how it can be used and the benefit it brings.

When we think about healthcare, we think about safety, care, and diagnostics - characteristics that are all well matched to the benefits and processes of BIM. In a sector built on the use of electronic records - such as patient information, pharmacy stock and treatment paths - you could say that the healthcare environment is already using a collaborative data framework to improve efficiency and maintain top level safety standards for its industry.

It seems only fitting then that healthcare providers like hospitals, doctors surgeries and pharmacies be treated much like patients themselves. If a doctor would not offer a treatment proven to be ineffective, why would an architect design a building using techniques recognised as unfit for purpose? Or why would a contractor use a building material with a documented history for being unreliable in certain environments?

This begs the question – how can we use BIM in the healthcare sector to keep patient care and safety a priority, while staying practical and keeping

costs down?

KEEP IN LINE

DESIGN IN DIGITAL

As part of the recently updated Construction, Design and Management regulations (CDM), which covers the actual construction of a project, reducing and controlling any risks to the health and safety of construction workers on site is a requirement. Using BIM modelling helps to foresee any potential hazards, and as such actively manages this risk. BIM modelling can also help installers plan systems more effectively, to ensure they are complaint with legislation.

For a life safety system to work effectively, it needs to be tried and tested. Using product information, thermal performance data and fire resistance information, building designers can create an accurate BIM model that depicts exactly how a fire might move through a building. This model helps inform the decisions on which products to use and where to use them in order to produce an efficient fire detection or emergency lighting network that minimises risk to building users.

START TO FINISH It isn’t just building design where BIM can be beneficial. A BIM model will prove its worth for a lifetime, as it can gather data from building components and put it together against external factors to provide comprehensive aftercare plans and maintenance proposals. From construction to demolition, the life cycle of a building can be monitored, maintained and improved to keep the healthcare environment working to the highest standards of care and safety at all times. Long term, there is a huge cost saving implication here, because facilities managers know exactly when to check, repair and replace life safety systems.

SPACE SAVVY One of the most hotly debated topics in the healthcare sector is access to care, specifically how many people can be treated at any one time. Whether a hospital is at full or half capacity, emergency lighting systems and life safety solutions need to be positioned effectively. To figure out how best to do this, designers can use BIM models to cross check coverage requirements with Lux level specifications, making sure evacuation routes are appropriately lit, and compliant with legislation.

Whether healthcare or otherwise, if the industry is to move forward, and meet targets, it’s essential that any construction project should be equipped with an effective life safety solution that is safe, compliant and cost effective.

91

Rage against the Machine ALL too often, we hear the adage that BIM is 10% technology and 90% sociology but what does this really mean if so many construction industry stakeholders still remain sceptical about the benefits to them? Stephan Jones, Segment Manager of Trimble MEP, examines how best those headingup the BIM vanguard can help other more cynical businesses on-board.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he determines, it’s collaboration and not elitism that’s the key.

The UK deadline for BIM level 2 compliance, on the 1st of April 2016, and the construction community is rapidly being divided into the haves and have nots. The haves can be split into two subgroups, those that have made the grade through the enablement of their technology providers and those that are now fighting spreadsheets and who are probably questioning the sanity of all that extra work.

Among the ‘have nots’ group, it is easy to be disparaging and level accusations of Luddism but is that fair? And what are the reasons behind what will soon become non-compliance? Also, should those of us sitting comfortably on the bandwagon get off and understand their perspectives and challenges?

The first question that needs to be asked is whether BIM will benefit everyone equally and have Government and, particularly, system providers done enough to cleanly and justifiably scoff and dismiss any and all sob stories?

The UK BIM Task Group has done sterling work in producing the PAS’s (1192-1/2/3/4 and 5), they’ve been out in the wild for some time and best of all free to consume courtesy of the UK Government licensing deal.

They have, however, been slightly

92

schizophrenically pitched between technical experts in the construction software industry and so-called experts. As a result, they have arguably not reached the wider audience needed for the take up and realisation of benefits.

Beyond the PAS’s (which this commentator has read, appreciated and valued) are the software solutions; there are those that are inherently BIM based on the quality of the information they drive their users to define intrinsically through their use and those that more strictly adhere to BIM through the provision of a COBie out facility being the most specific of the requirements in the UK BIM level 2 mandate. These software implementation standards and approaches are not mutually exclusive but they don’t necessarily support each other as well as they could either and the purveyors’ claims may well obfuscate the right and the wrong of one solution or another. This can result in message and focus dilution and general befuddlement of the target customers.

For subcontractors especially, they are often dependent on the demands of the general contractor; this demand has been written into contracts without the detail or process to either back it up or render it effective, clash detection is significant tool in the armoury of good coordination yet the downstream matching of installation to plan through the use of laser setting out (consistently across trades) often results in delivery coordination issues seemingly negating all that upstream investment. Even when best practice is followed the functional coordination is often overlooked leading to inaccessible access panels, dampers that can’t be serviced and maintained and Air handling unit filters that can’t be

replaced. To ease BIM engagement the what, when and probably why need to be contextualised for each trade and commitments made to ensure that discipline is maintained otherwise the benefits for each and all will be diluted by the failure of a single project participant. Subcontractors need to feel the benefit to both commit and then invest in BIM. A recent discussion with a leading US M&E contractor showed that good practice backed up by clear engagement requirements that included penalty clauses for failure to deliver the right information to the right quality at the right time has catapulted their business forward, all driven by BIM-esque principals.

Other constraints include the sheer cost of mounting a campaign to adopt BIM. It’s not just buying a single new piece of software; that software will likely link in with other point solutions and each will require extensive training, a shift in job scope and a differently skilled/capable worker. All this adds up to significant cost which due to the nature of the industry is traditionally allocated against the project cost centre. This is reasonable when the BIM level of engagement repeats on subsequent projects, but more difficult when you are a medium tier contractor whose work portfolio is not 100% populated by BIM projects! In instances like this it’s valid to remember that buying-in BIM services and expertise can be of real value.

In conclusion, and in the hope that you will by now agree that Luddism is not an appropriate characterisation for those questioning or struggling with BIM, it’s clear that further effort is required by those in a position to do so to translate, condense, make real what is required, how to do it and probably a bit of support in investing in the capability.

Revolutionise your business information management and streamline project delievry Are your projects controlling you?

Are your IT systems reaching their limits?

Are your documents and drawings challenging your current filing system?

Union Square works with architects, engineers, consultants and contractors to streamline their information management processes and save time and money.

Join our spring roadshow and experience first-hand how integrated digital working can bring order to project delivery.

Hear how other AEC and construction professionals have taken control, tamed the technology, and created order where anarchy reigns.

Join us on the road 28 Apr - Oxford

WILIAMS F1 CONFERENCE CENTRE

11 May - London

GOLDSMITHS CENTRE

24 May - Glasgow

EMIRATES ARENA

15 Jun - Dublin

CARLTON HOTEL

Featuring seminars with:

23 Jun - Nottingham

CONFERENCE CENTRE

Colin Crawford Director

Rennie Chadwick Director

Brendan Magill Head of IT

To book your place visit: unionsquaresoftware.co.uk

Putting HS3 at the heart of a new High Speed North can help bring our great northern cities together and fire growth.

Chancellor Osborne congratulates National Infrastructure Commission on initial findings ESTABLISHED on an interim basis in October 2015, the National Infrastructure Commission is an independent body tasked with providing a comprehensive and unbiased appraisal of the UK’s longterm infrastructure needs.

These findings will form the basis of the Government’s progression towards efficient and effective national infrastructure, which in turn will help the UK to remain competitive on the world stage. Long-term decision making will also provide investors with greater certainty as to the security of their investment.

Lord Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport during Gordon Brown’s tenure as Prime Minister, currently heads the National Infrastructure Commission as interim Chair. The former Shadow Spokesperson, once described as a ‘moderate moderate’ by his peers, resigned from the Labour party shortly after his appointment to ensure an impartial assessment of the UK’s infrastructure needs.

In March, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, congratulated Lord Adonis on the release of the National Infrastructure Commission’s first three reports; Smart

94

Power, Transport for a World City, and High Speed North.

Each study examines how potential Government investment could be spent to improve key infrastructure, be it efficient energy provision, London’s public transport network, or connectivity between cities in the north of England.

HS3 - the proposed east to west rail link in northern England - and Crossrail 2 in particular are seen as essential to the ongoing development of the UK transport network, and the Commission has recommended immediate and significant investment in both with a view to future-proofing rail infrastructure nationwide.

Having received the Chancellor’s full support, Lord Adonis commented: “The National Infrastructure Commission was established to transform the way we plan and deliver major infrastructure projects. I am glad that the Government has accepted our first three reports.

“Putting HS3 at the heart of a new High Speed North can help bring our great northern cities together and fire growth, and Crossrail 2 is vital to keep more than ten million Londoners moving in the 2030s. A Smart Power revolution

across our energy sector - principally built around three innovations, Interconnection, Storage, and Demand Flexibility - could save consumers up to £8Bn a year by 2030, help the UK meet its 2050 carbon targets, and secure the UK’s energy supply for generations.”

The Chancellor has also charged the National Infrastructure Commission with two new studies. The first will look at the potential for the Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford corridor to become a single, knowledge-intensive and internationally renowned cluster.

The Commission will consider the priority infrastructure improvements needed, and assess the economic case for investment.

Secondly, the Organisation will advise the Government on how the UK can become a world leader in 5G infrastructure deployment, so that the country can take early advantage of the potential applications of 5G. Their recommendations will underpin the Government’s 5G strategy, to be announced in spring 2017.

In his spring Budget, Mr Osborne set out some of the ways in which the Government will be taking forward the work of the Commission. A fuller response is expected in the near future.

The success of our company and the innovation of our software has been recognized by the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce and North Notts Business Connections. TLS are proud winners of the prestigious North Notts Company of the Year award and have been Runners Up Proud to for the Doncaster Chamber’s innovation award support our for the success of our software and the large Armed Forces business of the year award!

“TLS have been named by our competitors as the leading supplier of traffic management labour in the UK. The online system named FastLane, delivers a simple and efficient way to confirm the client’s requirements, in turn helping the client save time when planning resources. Using Fastlane reduces the need for paper related communication and creates an environmentally friendly solution.

Fastlane has been developed for the client. It is user friendly and simple to use and no other system can match its superb delivery with such effortless use. This constructs a partnering atmosphere with clients that expect a better than average service. Using our bespoke service helps you to concentrate on winning business as we enhance your workforce which allows you to expand and grow.”

TLS Training Centre

Here at TLS LTD we provide a large selection of training courses and accreditation to enhance your labour force including City & Guilds and Lantra Awards accreditations.

Training

Labour

TLS Events

TMGB

TLS has the capability to offer a full-turn key Event management support from the planning stage all the way through to full implementation to a wide range of events of all sizes.

TMGB has the ability to carry out any type of provision that is required by the traffic management sector. Our accredited service is comprehensive and is delivered by a team of dedicated & experienced managers.

Specialist

Events

TMGB

FastLane

A large selection of TLS supply all A large selection of Speak to our Events A fully compliant, An online platform for Traffic types of Management Traffic comprehensive employees to keep Management Traffic section to see how details up-to-date and Management Traffic training courses Management we can help with training courses Management for clients to schedule and accreditations. labour. your events. their labour and accreditations. service. requirements

Runners Up

“In the last 2 years TLS’ ultimate goal was to develop a service that could offer a diverse product for all our clients. We have achieved this by engaging with our client base and understanding their needs. This helped us produce a bespoke software called Fastlane. This turnkey solution for any client means they have peace of mind that our service will be second to none.”

2016 began with the unveiling of 13 state-of-the-art school buildings, each funded through the Government’s £4.4Bn flagship rebuilding programme.

The Education State: School infrastructure for the 21st century With school buildings under increasing pressure, UK Construction Excellence considers the Government’s approach to improving education infrastructure nationwide.

TODAY, there are 1.4 million more children in ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ schools compared to 2010. Despite this, areas of uncertainty remain. The UK’s secondary school population is expected to swell to 3.3 million by 2024, and with it the pressure placed on existing school infrastructure and established teaching practices.

In anticipation of this strain, the Government has embarked upon a number of initiatives to help bolster education provision and opportunity across the country.

96

The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) - a centrally managed scheme set up to address the requirements of those schools most in need of urgent repair - is one such initiative. Through two separate phases, 537 schools will be rebuilt or have their condition needs met by the Education Funding Agency - the department responsible for distributing £54Bn of funding each year.

buildings are being rebuilt faster and cheaper than those erected during the previous school building initiative - Building Schools for the Future (BSF).

Under the BSF it typically took three years or more for construction work to begin. This figure has been slashed to a single year for the PSBP, with projects costing around a third less due to improved efficiencies and waste reductions.

The long-term benefit is already being felt. Thanks to the PSBP, school

2016 began with the unveiling of 13 state-of-the-art school buildings, each

funded through the Government’s £4.4Bn flagship rebuilding programme.

These latest schools opened following more than £100M of investment, with improvements including bright new classrooms, libraries and specialist arts facilities.

In praise of the PSBP, Nick Gibb Minister of State for Schools - said: “The Priority School Building Programme is allowing young people across the country to be taught in facilities fit for the 21st century, giving them the best possible chance to fulfil their potential.

“I was delighted to see this latest group of schools re-opening in outstanding new buildings - the staff, pupils and local community could not ask for a better start to the year.

able to decide upon their own term lengths and teacher wages - though they are still answerable to Ofsted.

Being ‘all-ability’ institutions, free schools are also prohibited from using an academic selection process.

In total, 74% of open mainstream free schools are located in areas where there is a need for more school places, and around half are situated in the most deprived communities in the country. Interestingly, free schools are more likely to be rated ‘Outstanding’

by Ofsted than state schools, and research has shown they are helping to raise standards in neighbouring schools by introducing fresh ideas and competition.

“As the programme continues, I look forward to seeing even more schools reopening in modern buildings as we continue to deliver educational excellence everywhere.”

In recognition of this as yet untapped potential, the Department for Education (DfE) is actively encouraging interested parties to submit their proposals for free schools, with a view to increasing autonomy throughout the education sector.

By transforming some of the most deprived schools in the country, the PSBP is helping young people to realise their potential, while also delivering on the Government’s commitment to ‘educational excellence everywhere’.

But what other alternatives are there for the communities most in need?

Nick Gibb explains further: “Since 2010, we have put teachers in the driving seat of our reforms to improve state education in England. We have given schools, and teachers, unprecedented freedom to teach as they see fit, without an overbearing education bureaucracy driving their actions.

Free schools are a relatively new concept, funded by the Government but operating without local authority management. These independent academies are set up by parents, teachers, charities, businesses, cultural and sporting bodies, and community groups, often in response to public demand. There might be a shortage of places in a given area for example, or dissatisfaction with the places currently on offer.

“To this end, we have removed 21,000 pages of unnecessary school guidance, reducing the volume by 75%. In addition, teachers who believe that they are able to create something better within the state education system than the status quo, are now empowered to do so through the free schools programme, which is providing outlets for idealism across the country.”

Crucially, as they are independently run, free schools are exempt from teaching the nation curriculum and

This notion of autonomy is fundamental to the Department’s aspirations for the future, as highlighted

by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan in a surprise announcement

last month. The DfE intends for all schools to become academies, or be in the process of converting to academy status, by the end of 2020 - a somewhat controversial decision but one that the Department hopes will raise standards sector-wide.

Additionally, as part of the new proposal, the majority of schools will work within multi-academy trusts which will enable them to pool resources, staff and expertise as required.

Underscoring the importance of independent thinking, Nick Gibb concluded: “This belief in autonomy explains why we have made academies and free schools a central component of our reform agenda. This government does not believe that all academies and free schools are necessarily better than maintained schools.

“But, through granting unprecedented freedom to individual schools, we are creating an educational eco-system in which new ideas can flourish. Be it the emphasis on Russell Group universities pioneered by the London Academy of Excellence; or the remarkable teaching at King Solomon Academy, school autonomy allows excellence to emerge. Such schools have startled the profession, setting new, higher expectations about what can be achieved within the state sector.”

The concept of free schools is not without its detractors however. Critics have claimed that the initiative will weaken existing schools, while local authorities are wary of a system that effectively strips them of power, leaving them with little or no say as to where new free schools are placed.

The truth of such statements remains to be seen, and only time will tell as to whether the Government can ready the education landscape for an uncertain future to come.

97

McAvoy employ offsite modular expertise for Goresbrook School development GORESBROOK School in Dagenham will this year take possession of a purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility for children of all ages. Delivery of the multimillion pound EFA funded education hub has been entrusted to offsite modular specialist, The McAvoy Group.

Oisin Milne, Quantity Surveyor for The McAvoy Group, discusses the development in detail, McAvoy’s multifaceted role, and the many benefits of offsite modular construction.

In your own words, could you provide our readers with an overview of McAvoy’s role within the project?

McAvoy was delighted to have been appointed as Principal Contractor for this important scheme. Our role was to take a conceptual design and progress this from RIBA Stage 2 to practical completion through to co-ordinating all activities from external consultants, planning consents and working collaboratively with the clients’ team to ensure a smooth transaction of all aspects of the build process including site operations. This is a role we perform for clients in all our operating sectors. We were awarded the project through the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Framework which was funded through the EFA. Why is modular construction a natural fit for Goresbrook School?

The remit was to deliver a high quality building, within a challenging timeframe and remain within the client’s budget. Therefore, offsite modular construction - using our ‘Think Smart. Build Smart.’ philosophy - was an ideal choice for the delivery of this project as the challenging

98

timeframe was mitigated by delivering 80% of the classroom build offsite.

Cost and programme certainty was aided by our ability to be working on manufacturing the modules whilst undertaking demolition and enabling works onsite in parallel. Overall our offsite approach enabled us to deliver the 10,381sq m school months faster than would have been the case using traditional construction methods.

How is McAvoy’s offsite approach beneficial to Goresbrook School and the education sector in general?

The knowledge McAvoy has in offsite modular construction has ensured that the conceptual designs have been transferred to making the delivery of this exciting project a reality by using our agility, professionalism and our ability to make our clients’ lives easier. We take the stress, uncertainty and project concerns off our clients’ shoulders.

By using a unique smart approach incorporating ‘Partnership, Collaboration and Engagement’, underpinned by market-leading experience and a top to bottom commitment to the highest health and safety standards, we have successfully ensured that programme and cost certainty have been delivered whilst ensuring the build quality is to the most exacting standards.

Within the education sector in general we have successfully demonstrated that the reduction of school build times by 50% is achievable. The speed at which we can co-ordinate and produce a bespoke solution tailored to suit any given environment is of particular benefit to the education sector.

Our smart buildings deliver lower carbon footprints and lower whole life costs than traditionally built alternatives and we were the first modular company in the UK to achieve the BIM Level 2 certification.

Over the past 40 years we’ve delivered more than three million square metres in modular structures, spanning the length and breadth of Britain and Ireland, and within the health, education, leisure and commercial sectors.

Given the significance of the scheme, where have the greatest challenges come from so far?

The greatest challenge for us was the complexity of the scheme, which included demolitions, alterations and the refurbishment of an existing leisure facility. It also involved the new build of a primary school and secondary school to each end of the existing building. Both new builds had a mixture of modular construction and traditional construction, which put great pressure on the delivery programme.

Overcoming the challenges required a huge amount of planning.

When is overall completion due?

Overall practical completion is on the 26th September 2016. However as this project is an ‘All Through’ school, we worked with the client to deliver sectional completion on Phase I (the primary aspect of the project) early to the client - thus ensuring early occupation and releasing aspects that allowed the Trust to install FFE and ICT systems and allowed sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the operational aspects. This was achieved within our contracted date.

COMMUNITY

STAKEHOLDER

E-BOOKS

VIDEO

WHAT DOES THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ORGANISATION?

For more information please contact us on 01257 231900 or email enquiries@promarkmedia.co.uk

“I would highly recommend an integrated accounting and job costing software package for any construction business.”

Computerisation key to contractor success

UK Construction Excellence speaks with Terry Wilkinson, Director of Cuttle Construction, about the Company’s effective uptake of accounting and job costing software.

ESTABLISHED by Terry Wilkinson and Michael Cuttle in 2000, Cuttle Construction is well-known for its industry expertise. The Edmontonbased contractor has consistently demonstrated its capability to deliver projects of all sizes on time and to budget - operating across the capital and throughout the residential, education and healthcare sectors, among others.

While Michael formerly owned a successful sub-contracting business, Terry came from a managerial background, having previously worked as part of a larger contractor. Their collective experience would greatly inform the development of Cuttle Construction and its progression towards computerisation.

100

This joined-up thinking was brought into Cuttle Construction, with a view to increasing efficiently when running payroll, delivering sub-contractor payments and supplier accounts, VAT reporting and producing job costing reports.

Terry explains: “As the Company has grown, computerisation has proved invaluable. Cuttle Construction moved to a new package in 2006, which has proved easy to operate, has very good support and backup, and has integrated the regulatory changes with regular updates into the package.”

From the beginning, there was a determination to establish the Business in a professional way and to expand, both into the private and government funded markets. This required a system to be put in place that could accommodate their aspirations and allow for future growth.

But is computerisation worth the financial investment required? Terry answers: “All computerised packages have their failings and I have yet to see the perfect system, but it is a judgment between cost and what you want the package to do. Without computerisation we would not be able to cope with the demands of a busy business and the regulatory requirements. The quicker you bite the bullet and make the change, the easier it will be.”

In the early 1980’s Terry identified the need for a computerised accounts package, having worked with cumbersome paper-based systems.

Terry’s final verdict? “I would highly recommend an integrated accounting and job costing software package for any construction business.”

For more information about Cuttle Construction please visit: www.cuttleconstruction.co.uk Terry Wilkinson’s Top Five Tips for Software Implementation 1. Be sure of the level support you will get. You do not want to have to wait a week to get assistance.

2. Identify what you want from the package e.g. can it produce a VAT report, will it deal with CIS issues, will it access HMRC, send reports and deal with sub-contractor verification, and what will your accountant want?

3. Is it idiot proof and easy to use? Can the business owner understand the package? Remember the old adage: **** in, **** out!

4. Can the information be interrogated easily?

5. The package must be able to do it all and be construction specific definitely not a bolt on to a standard accounting package!

Will your construction software support your company’s growth?

Are you confident your project costs are under control?

Would you like to be able to identify other areas to make savings?

Can you provide your commercial team with the project information they need to track progress?

Is it a challenge to track margin and cash flow throughout your project life cycles?

Would your mobile workforce benefit from access to your business systems on the go?

Does your software integrate with third party solutions?

With 30 years of software experience behind it, Constructa Dynamics is built on the Microsoft Dynamics™ platform and tailored to the construction supply chain.

Constructa Dynamics can streamline your business processes from job inception to project completion Book a demo at www.castle-cs.com or call us on 01698 844 600

Construction Software: A frontier for innovation Software is currently revolutionising not only the way in which buildings are conceived and constructed but also how they are operated and maintained.

THE lofty concept of Building Information Modelling (BIM), first endorsed by central government in May 2011, has brought about renewed interest in 3D modelling software and the possibilities it affords collaborative thinking throughout the construction process.

BIM is but one avenue however, and companies across the supply chain are now beginning to consider how the right software might benefit their business.

Just Housing Group (JHG), an east London-based housing and support services business, is one such organisation.

Working in partnership with the Derbyshire-based social landlord Futures Housing Group, JHG has implemented an extensive procurement system that will allow the social housing provider to make substantial efficiency savings, curtail unnecessary spend and avoid

102

potential pitfalls in the Group’s contract management programme.

The software management system integrates a full contracts register with supplier performance management and contract compliance monitoring - effectively managing the delivery of multiple contracts across a housing portfolio some 8,000 properties strong, while simultaneously creating opportunities for increased efficiency.

The results are undeniable. In recent months, Futures Housing Group has been hailed as a beacon for contract management delivery, having secured ‘Contract Management Initiative of the Year’ at the Government Opportunities (GO) Excellence in Public Procurement Awards and an ACA Annual Award for Innovation in Partnering.

John Thornhill, Procurement and Contracts Manager for Futures Housing Group, said: “We needed an uncomplicated system that would appeal to service users yet provide

a robust platform of recording and monitoring contracts that leaves service users able to get on with their day jobs.

“In the background, the JHG system keeps an eye on progress providing timely contractor surveys and assessments. It drives our procurement programme allowing my team to provide budget holders ample time to help us prepare for re-tender.”

Ian Hippach, Partner at Just Housing Group and Head of the Group’s Systems and Technology Division added: “We are delighted to have implemented a system that has transformed the way in which Futures Housing Group works with its contractors and as such has led the housing association to now be seen as an innovative and progressive leader in the supply chain.”

Elsewhere, Essential Living - a developer and operator of private

▶

Looking for choice in construction and contracting software?

Take a look at Eque2 construction-specific software We run a range of free web demos across our product portfolio.

Why not take a look at the software for yourself?

Register for a free demo ERP and Financial Contract Management Software • • • •

Better control of costs for on-budget completion Effective tracking of valuations, applications and retentions Real-time visibility and advanced, easy reporting Ensures compliance with HMRC legislation

• Easy integration with 3rd parties

House Building Software • Deal with every stage of the process; from site acquisition and land-bank development to build, sales and customer care • Enhance customer engagement with integrated sales and marketing tools • Precise reporting on margins and cash flow to avoid cost over-runs • Produce accurate cost comparisons

Estimating, Cost Planning and Post-Contract • • • •

Streamline pre- and post-contract processes Create fast, accurate and consistent tenders Take off from drawings using 2D, 3D and BIM Measure Intuitive to understand and easy to use

From managing simple estimating processes to full end-to-end construction projects, Eque2 partner with both Sage and Microsoft to deliver the breadth of solutions to meet your financial, estimating, resourcing and house building needs no matter what size of business.

www.eque2.co.uk

0845 080 4940

construction@eque2.com

rental homes in the UK - has employed similar methods to better manage its own portfolio, which includes a pipeline of 5,000 homes across London and the south east.

Sophisticated new procurement software is enabling Essential Living to track project spend against budget for greater control over costs and expenditure. The entire purchase to pay workflow cycle has been streamlined with a web portal for invoice approval by authorised personnel, while a range of comprehensive reports give an instant view of all business operations.

Intelligent Software Solutions

Intelligent software is, of course, a natural fit for asset management. As such, Highways England has piloted an innovative new asset tool, RedBite, to better monitor the condition of highway infrastructure, such as street lighting and drainage.

The trial forms part of Highways England’s £88.4M A160 Port of Immingham improvement programme, intended to upgrade access to one of the UK’s busiest ports.

Using RedBite, contractors are now able to ‘tag’ Highways England owned assets. Once tagged, data can be transmitted to a secure webpage where all information relating to that asset can be found.

This information is, in turn, providing Highways England with a fuller picture of their assets as Highways England’s Project Manager, Ben Ridgeon,

104

explains: “Managing and tagging assets using intelligent software has many benefits, not only in recording the location of that equipment but, more crucially, in monitoring that asset in the future.

“With such heavy usage on our assets, wear and tear is inevitable. By using a system where we can record and maintain a large amount of data on a range of different equipment, we can improve accuracy on the condition of those assets.”

Online innovation is also rationalising business process. Much has been made of cloud computing, for instance - an approach which employs a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.

Research indicates that 90% of all UK businesses are now using at least one cloud based service. For the construction industry, this could lead to improved efficiency, greater flexibility throughout the supply chain and truly collaborative working.

Pete Watson, CEO of Atlas Cloud - a UK firm of 3D virtualisation specialists - adds: “Cloud based software allows the site worker, the home worker, the worker on the move, and the worker at the international office to connect to a virtual workspace from everywhere.

It’s a strategic fit with the very nature of the work of the construction industry, where collaboration and communication are key.

“IT was once a central overhead for construction companies. But embracing cloud connectivity could allow firms to save money, working on cost-per-user basis, dependant on the number of people working on a project.”

Historically, the construction industry has been slow to embrace innovation, but these examples underscore the impact of construction software on business performance and process.

When implemented correctly, the right software can revolutionise the way in which companies do business and, in a highly competitive landscape, this may prove to be the deciding factor.

Conversely, if the software chosen is a poor fit for the business or implemented incorrectly, the results can be disastrous. Considerable investment is therefore critical - both financially and in terms of time, training and manpower.

Such costs can easily spiral out of control however. Companies are therefore urged to exercise caution when implementing new systems.

What are your requirements? What alternatives are there? Is the software being used to its fullest or is it an unnecessary drain on resources?

April’s BIM Level 2 mandate is the most recent milestone in the construction industry’s cultural shift towards digital integration. Increasingly, software is proving the differentiator, and those businesses that opt not to invest risk being left behind.

Job Cost Accounting & You Many contractors remain unaware of the benefit integrated construction accounting and job costing software brings. But the question remains; can the construction industry afford to ignore the importance of job cost accounting software?

FOR the uninitiated, job cost accounting is the process by which the expenses incurred during a project are tallied up against the revenue generated by that project. For those organisations that rely on a relatively low volume of high value projects – building contractors, subcontractors and architects, to name a few – job cost accounting is a necessity. It enables businesses to accurately predict their profitability well in advance of a projects conclusion – providing the system in place has been implemented correctly, that is.

Here, accountancy software is proving the differentiator. New technology is enabling businesses to monitor a multitude of factors and analyse the data collated to better inform the decision making process. Moreover, job cost reports are providing organisations with a fuller picture of their financial performance, while also helping to ensure that all costs are invoiced properly, to the appropriate client and at the appropriate time.

Carl Purbrick, Managing Director for CLiP IT Solution’s Construction Industry Accounts (CIA software), explains: “We have found that most of our users are more interested in day-to-day job costing than their accounts. It’s the jobs that make or lose money and that’s where they need up-to-date, reliable information. Having this trustworthy, current data enables companies to identify and address issues in an ongoing and timely manner, rather than when it’s too late to do anything about it at the end of the job.”

The prospect of introducing new

106

technology into established procedure is often intimidating however, and rightfully so. Poor implementation can have the reverse effect – negatively impacting performance throughout the business. As such, the choice of software is absolutely critical.

Carl continues: “Implementation, training and ongoing customer support are key to any new software rollout. We pride ourselves on the ease of implementation our customers report. When we launched in 2002, my mission was to produce a tool that met the construction market’s needs, backed up by unrivalled customer support; and from the feedback we regularly receive, that is what we continue to deliver – a simple to use system and first class support.”

The amalgamation of construction accounting and job costing software is significant as it removes the need for additional systems that ‘muddy the waters’ unnecessarily. Data need only be inputted once, meaning that discrepancies are far less likely to occur, while costing information comes from a single source, which ensures that all interested parties are working from the same page. Errors can be quickly identified, for instance, and adjusted accordingly before their impact is felt.

Carl comments: “Payment certificates, applications and retentions, main contractor discounts (MCD), certified values, verified subcontractors, CIS commitments – they are all part of the day-to-day accounting for construction firms. All of these are important, but the job costings and understanding profits and risks on a

live job are essential to understanding how the business is performing and any actions that need to be taken.

Live, single point data entry is the only sensible way to monitor and manage performance – multiple spreadsheets just multiple the risk of something getting missed or double entry.”

Crucially, job costing software is enabling organisations industrywide to better identify the areas of greatest and least profit, meaning that businesses can effectively ‘double down’ on the most profitable elements while refining those aspects that are deemed unproductive. Jobs can be quoted more accurately and staff managed more efficiently. This greater level of detail is where the true benefit of job cost accounting software lies.

According to Carl: “The desire for an accounting system that understands how the construction industry works and provides for crucial costing and applications processes, alongside the HMRC’s CIS requirements, means that specialised construction accounting software is gaining popularity against traditional ‘standard’ accounting software. People tailor so much of their business and personal technology – why not their accounting?”

Construction specific accounting and job costing software is effectively streamlining business process then.

Historically, the construction industry has often balked at innovation. The pivotal role that job cost accounting software plays in good business practice can no longer be ignored however.

The secret to winning lucrative construction contracts isn’t what you think…

The reality of the bidding process, even for seasoned construction suppliers, can often be daunting.

The Ultimate Guide to Winning Government Contracts is a free online resource that will reveal the secrets to successful tendering.

FIND – How to find the contracts that that are perfect for your business BID – How to create perfects bids for each of the tendering procedures WIN – How to put together a winning tender response

Find • Bid • Win

Read for FREE at

www.guides.bipsolutions.com Delivered by

Exclusive Interview: BIFM UK Construction Excellence speaks with Julie Kortens, Chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), about her aspirations for the Institute and the future of facilities management in the construction industry.

For the uninitiated, what would you identify as being the core aims and objectives of the BIFM?

At our heart is working with Facilities Management (FM) professionals to equip them with all they need to deliver exceptional FM for their organisation.

But hand-in-hand with that is to raise the profile of FM as a profession and educate business leaders and other professions about the value and impact that FM can make to operational performance, for the benefit of business, the economy and society.

What is your own professional history? How did you become Chairman of the BIFM?

Having spent several years working in HR, I took up my first role in facilities management in 1998 and have never looked back. It is an amazing profession, accessible to people from all cultures, all levels of experience and all academic backgrounds and I have been proud to play an active role in the development of the profession.

I have volunteered in many capacities for BIFM, chaired the Women in FM special interest group, acted as a NonExecutive Director and have had the

108 

privilege of being Chairman since 2014.

How is the BIFM able to support member companies?

We work with employers to develop their facilities management people. The FM professional standards framework maps out the competences required for FM professionals at every stage of their career and through membership, qualifications and training employers can build up true staff development programmes to help build up the skills and expertise of their employees to deliver for their business objectives. We have many group members and are working closely with several to develop true strategic partnerships, helping them tailor and adapt our framework to provide the professional rigour of our standards but also adapt to their corporate goals and priorities.

We also work with businesses operating in the FM space to raise the profile of key issues, conduct research and, as corporate members, they can work with our communities and share specialist knowledge through our special interest groups.

From architecture and interior design to maintenance and waste

management, the BIFM’s corporate membership spans a wide range of sectors. Are the fundamentals of facilities management the same irrespective of the industry? Is it at all difficult representing so many different sectors?

We have in our membership both the client and supply side of the profession, so for instance the FM professionals operating in businesses across the economy where the core purpose of the organisation might be anything from educating pupils, to discovering a cure for cancer or producing best in class products. On the supply side we also work with FM service providers and the range of specialist organisations that supply into the FM market, with organisations such as interior design, maintenance and waste management.

From my experience I can see that the core of successful FM is management expertise (financial, people and project) and as such many of these skills are transferable across sectors and specialisms. Similarly because of the range of responsibilities FM’s invariably have, there is an inherent need for excellent communication and interpersonal skills to be able to manage the expectations and needs of a range of different stakeholders.

In different sectors there are always different skills and challenges and, as with any profession, you take your core professional skills and adapt them to the environment you are operating in. FM is no different. For example a soft service, customer facing FM role will have different skills requirement than someone who has a building engineering based role.

With the support of an amazing volunteer network we are also able to support a range of specialisms and sector specific professionals. We have special interest groups focussing on core FM specialisms such as Health and Safety, Workplace or Risk and Business Continuity and also sector based communities for example in Retail and Education.

What do you see as being the current issues within facilities management?

What strategies are in place to address these issues?

I prefer to describe these as challenges rather than issues because facilities management has come such a long way in recent years. We are valued business partners in most organisations and our impact on overall business performance is increasingly recognised by the C-Suite. However, it is still apparent that in some sectors there continues to be a focus on costbased procurement processes which do not recognise that it is people, strong partnering relationships and knowledge that deliver the value.

Collaboration with our colleagues in human resources, IT and finance is still a priority for us all. Working together to embed values and business imperatives is essential and FM has a key role to play in this arena. Our BIFM annual conference, ThinkFM, has focused on collaboration and productivity over the past few years to emphasise the role that we can play to create competitive advantage in business and add impact on society.

on organisational performance and productivity, ultimately delivering value to the bottom line, has increased.

However as with any profession this varies across organisations depending on their understanding of how to leverage FM as part of their strategy. For example we see pioneering companies creating work environments built, sustained and managed with the sole purpose of helping create happy, healthy, empowered individuals. These environments have great workspaces fostering appropriate cultures and collaboration within their business.

However for others, this is not on top of their priority list perhaps due to other struggles or due to a lack of understanding of the difference FM can make. In businesses where the customer experience is fundamental to the organisations’ success you often see far more buy-in to the role and importance of FM. Obviously there is still work to be done recognising the full remit and opportunities that FM provides. But, as well as the institute engaging in cross industry groups, I think it’s so important that BIFM also helps equip FM professionals with the skills and knowledge to be able to champion the value of their teams and the services they provide within their own organisations.

What advice would you have for companies looking to implement a facilities management strategy?

many feel that the working practices promoted by BIM already exist, particularly on new build projects. That said it will be interesting to see how this pans out. The good news is that it will continue to raise the profile and understanding of FM as a profession with other construction professionals across the built environment.

Many believe that long-term increased usage of BIM will provide better opportunities for FMs to maintain and engage with asset data which will potentially help expand a building’s lifecycle and increase operational efficiencies. This should also provide metrics that can help record and demonstrate the value that FM offers.

How do you see the BIFM continuing to develop in the months and years to come?

In the immediate future we will be continuing our work with FM employers to develop strategic partnerships through the institute’s learning and development opportunities, and look at ways in which we can progress and advance the skills–base across the sector using our professional standards.

We’re also delighted to have been contacted by an increasing number of international FM professionals and employers, all seeking to take up training and development for their teams, raising standards across the globe and taking full advantage of the BIFM offering.

A facilities management strategy must link directly to and generally underpin the strategy of the business.

Understanding the values and needs of the business is essential. I think that it’s sometimes forgotten that the facilities management team is often the voice and face of the business, meeting and greeting clients and the public and providing the working environment which is the embodiment of the culture and values of the business.

In your experience, do people fully understand the concept of facilities management and the influence it has on work environment and efficiency?

How is the implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) impacting facilities management?

What advantages does BIM afford facilities managers industry-wide?

I think understanding has improved significantly over the past few years.

People talk about FM being a young industry, but the understanding of the impact and value that FM can have

Although the BIM agenda has been driven by the public sector in recent years, in my experience there is also an awareness and understanding across the private sector. I believe that

109

Exclusive Interview: Rebecca Trick, Assistant Project Manager at Mott Macdonald Rebecca Trick was named Best Apprentice 25 and over at this year’s Women in Construction Awards.

After moving from an engineering geologist to a project management role in construction, Rebecca is in the first six months of her career with Mott MacDonald, a global management, engineering and development consultancy. During this time, she has managed various multi-million pound education projects, all while studying for a MSc in construction project management. An advocate for women in this industry, Rebecca has given presentations to students from both her former school and university to help promote careers in construction to women.

UK Construction Media spoke to Rebecca about the awards, her career and apprenticeships.

Firstly, congratulations on your WIC award – how did you find out you had been nominated and how did you feel?

110

Thank you! It’s a great award to receive.

Initially it was a couple of my managers who informed me that I had been nominated. However it wasn’t until a friend forwarded me the awards shortlist that I truly comprehended the importance of the award and that I may actually have a chance of winning.

I feel absolutely overwhelmed and proud to have won the award. I have worked incredibly hard, both professionally and with my studies, to get where I am today so it feels great that Mott MacDonald has recognised my efforts to date.

if other women hear stories similar to mine then it would show them that the industry isn’t as intimidating as some may think. Being such a diverse industry, construction requires a multitude of services and women are more than able to provide these as well as men.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself – what inspired you to become a geologist and how did this lead into the construction world?

Obviously winning is quite a big achievement – do you think your story could inspire other women into construction?

Growing up on the North Cornwall coastline really immersed me in the wonders and complexity of earth sciences. I was fascinated by all the elements and history behind them, which directed me into a geology and physical geography undergraduate programme.

I really hope it does. Anything that can boost the various initiatives aimed at increasing the number of women in construction roles, especially on site, is beneficial in my opinion. I believe

During my last year of university I was introduced to geotechnical engineering, which inspired me to land the role of a graduate engineering geologist for a ground investigation contractor,

where I soon realised the potential and variability of the construction industry.

It was from here that I discovered that I was not only fascinated by the ground we build on, but all of the processes involved in the construction of buildings and infrastructure. This confirmed my aspiration to become a construction professional.

I feel that I have really grown as a person since I first started working on site at 21. The confidence I have gained has helped me to earn the respect the various contractors I’ve worked with, despite being in the minority on site as I’m a woman. I am also now much more self-assured on site than when I started my career.

What advice would you give to people wanting/or looking at getting into the construction industry – both men & women?

Was construction something you have always been interested in? If not, how was it sold to you?

What do you think of the apprenticeship schemes – has it helped you in your career and did you find it worthwhile?

Working within the public sector have you been involved in the BIM process and if so what do you think of this?

Honestly, not really. The decisions I have made over the last few years have led me into the construction industry.

I have to thank my university professor Jim Griffiths for really inspiring me to pursue a geotechnical route and initially selling the industry to me, however it’s not until recently when I gained a more comprehensive understanding of the immense scale of construction that I was really sold.

You have been on quite a steep career path since graduation – from geologist to now project manager. How have you progressed so far so quickly and are you enjoying a management role rather than being a scientist now?

Also, how do you find it on site in charge of a male led arena?

I have been very committed to my career since graduating. I managed to secure a graduate project geologist role within a month of sitting my final exams which allowed me to gain invaluable experience early on in my career. A lot of new graduates don’t get this opportunity so I feel very lucky in this respect. I’m still open to new opportunities such as secondments abroad and different training opportunities, which is why I’m currently studying for my masters in construction project management part-time while working for Mott MacDonald.

I love being in a management role, which is very different from my previous site-based role, as I’m involved in a project’s entire lifecycle, from the science behind the ground investigation through design into construction.

I can’t fault Mott MacDonald’s apprenticeship scheme. It has made a massive difference in my professional career to date and I’m confident that it will continue to do so as I complete my masters and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ assessment of professional competence. The support and opportunities I have received have been excellent and I would highly recommend it to anyone branching out into a new career route as I did.

Have you had a mentor throughout your career? If so how did this help?

Since joining Mott MacDonald, my line manager James Stone has offered me continuous support and mentoring which I am very grateful for. I have also received a lot of support from my family, teachers, university and other colleagues along the way.

Not to give up. Once you find someone with faith in your capabilities and you get your foot in the door then the opportunities are endless.

Yes I have. I think the collaborative nature and early design detection of BIM are great benefits that will keep being realised as it continues to be accepted by the construction industry.

While its initial application is challenging to some, I do expect BIM to become a normal process that no one will think twice about. It will keep the industry moving in the right direction.

Do you see yourself staying in the construction industry? If so why and would you encourage others to the sector?

Yes I plan to stick with it. Given the variability of the industry it holds so many opportunities and routes for employees at every stage of their career.

What can be done to encourage more women into construction? And more apprentices into the industry in general?

More guidance should be given in secondary schools, showing the entry routes available and making it clear that construction is not just a man’s world.

Female professionals should also visit schools if they have the time to help teenagers understand the different roles and responsibilities, especially in more rural areas where there isn’t much exposure to engineering and construction.

Apprenticeships are possibly more important now than ever before given the high cost of university fees as they offer important vocational training and a wealth of experience from the onset.

111

COMMUNITY

STAKEHOLDER

E-BOOKS

VIDEO

WHAT DOES THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ORGANISATION?

For more information please contact us on 01257 231900 or email enquiries@promarkmedia.co.uk

7-8 JUNE 2016

THE EVENT FOR ARCHITECTS, SPECIFIERS, CLIENTS AND SUPPLIERS. WWW.VISIONLONDON.COM

@VISIONLDN

ATTEND VISION AND ACCESS: • Exhibition of hundreds of innovative solutions for the built environment • International Meeting Programme • Interactive Show Features • Vision Late Night - join us for our special evening programme and networking drinks on 7 June

• 100+ CPD Accredited seminar sessions covering: - Future Materials & Systems - Building Health & Wellness - Offsite Construction - Technology Talks - Innovation in Architecture & Design - Smart Buildings - Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Register for your FREE visitor pass today at www.visionlondon.com/register Sponsored by

Opening Hours: 7 June 10.00-21.00, 8 June 09.00-16.30

DON’T GAMBLE WITH YOUR FIRE PROTECTION

If you are the appointed ‘Responsible Person’ for your company’s fire policy you need to be sure that the contractors you use are competent. To find these competent providers, you need BAFE. By using third party certified BAFE approved companies, you can be confident you are using independently assessed skilled professionals for your requirements, which will help meet your obligations with UK fire legislation.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER MAINTENANCE // FIRE RISK ASSESSMENTS EMERGENCY LIGHTING // FIRE DETECTION AND ALARM SYSTEMS FIXED GASEOUS FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS Search FREE to find certified competent companies at

WWW.BAFE.ORG.UK

Promoting Quality in Fire Safety