Inside Construction Winter 2018 by Guy Woodward

n o i t c u r t s Con Inside

DECEMBER 2018

WHO’S WINNING WORK

Almost There – 11 months of industry stability continues despite adverse economic conditions

BCLIVE AWARDS 2018 All the winners from a truly glittering event CONTRACTOR OF THE MONTH Rees Mellish

NODEAL Is this far from ideal?

ONLINE INDUSTRY CONSTRUCTION NEWS

W W W. B U I L D E R S C O N F E R E N C E . C O . U K

FAKE NEWS Don’t believe everything you read!

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IC WELCOME

WELCOME Almost There. Whisper it quietly, and don’t Ben Chambers Sales Manager look directly at it; it spooks so easily. But Chambers Media Tel: 01903 899942 the UK construction industry is now perilously ben@chambers.media close to clocking up a full year in which the f someone told me in January that, by the time August arrived, monthly total of new had contract awards monthly contract awards would not have dipped below £4 billion reported oninthe has anyBCLive month ofleague the year,table I would have laughed...and possibly their sanity. not once questioned dipped below the £4 billion mark.

Welcome

Yet here we are, seven months into the year and seven months into an unbroken

Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, negotiations stability, and globalthe trade sanctions, Mark Anthony run of Brexit unprecedented likes of which the BCLive league table has never Editor that is a remarkable achievement on aseen par with Leicester City winning the Premier League before. Chambers Media back in 2015/16. Moreover, it lays to rest Under the tiredany andcircumstances, hackneyed clichéssuch that an describe the 01372 721020 achievement would beTel: notable. But manthony@mark construction sector as cyclical or prone to peaks beset byoftroughs. against a and backdrop growing uncertainty about the Brexitanthonypublicity.co.uk negotiations, such

an–accomplishment The truth is that – left to its own devices construction wouldis bealmost none ofmiraculous; these things. and it speaks volumes for the industry's remarkable Those highs and lows come from without, not from resilience. within. It is no coincidence that construction Long may it continue. has flourished and enjoyed a period of unprecedented stability while the UK government has been distracted by its messy divorce from its European neighbours. And so as we embrace the festive season, thoughts start drift to the New Year...If I could wish one thing for the sector, it would be another year in which we’re allowed to continue doing what CONTACTS we do best; isolated from fluctuations in economic confidence and sentiment; and protected Neil Edwards from governmental interference. Construction is just fine on its own. 2018 proves it. CEO The Builders’ Conference Wishing all our readers a wonderful Christmas and all the very best for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2019

Neil Edwards Editor-in-Chief Builders’ Conference Tel: 020 8770 0111 neil.edwards@buildersconf.co.uk

Neil

Neil Edwards, CEO Builders’ Conference

Ben Chambers Sales Manager Chambers Media

Mark Anthony Editor Chambers Media

Neil Edwards Editor-in-Chief The Builders’ Conference

Tel: 01903 899942 ben@chambers.media

Tel: 01372 721020 manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk

neil.edwards@buildersconf.co.uk

Tel: 0208 770 0111 | Email: info@buildersconf.co.uk

Tel: 020 8770 0111

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CONTENTS 4 DE C E M BE R 2 0 1 8 | I N S I DE CO N STRU CTIO N

B C L IVE AWAR D S 201 8

A spectacular event to recognise some remarkable accomplishments

SPIR IT OF AD VEN TUR E

McGoff hands over world’s first Bear Grylls adventure scheme

FAKE N EWS

There has never been a greater need for robust, pure market intelligence

GEN D ER JAUN D IC E

New research shatters gender difference myth

18 L OVE IS IN THE AIR

Considerate Contractors Scheme calls for improved public perception of industry

AL MOST THER E. . .

Can the industry achieve 12 months of unprecedented stability?

26 C ON TR AC TOR OF THE MON TH A look behind the scenes at Rees Mellish

C OMIN G TOGETHER

Builders’ Conference joins forces with BESA

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TO A D V E R T I S E H E R E CO N TAC T : Ben Chambers call 01903 899942 or email ben@chambers.media

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AND THE WINNER IS...

BC LIVE AWARDS 2018! Another fabulous BC Live Awards event was hosted by Builders’ Conference on 5th December 2018 at the iconic Savoy Hotel London. Managed by specialist event organisers ConnectIn the afternoon was a thoroughly enjoyable networking event for members and friends of Builders’ Conference. Comedian Mick Miller had everyone in stitches after a stunning Christmas lunch and over £2,000 was raised in funds for Builders’ Conference charity, Construction Youth Trust. The main highlight of the event was the announcement of the BC Live Awards winners, which included: 3 Community - Vinci 3 Health Safety – Bemrose School Ambivent 3 Innovation – Hazard Perception Mount Anvil 3 Rising Star – Borras Training Scheme 3 Life Time Achievement – Julie White D-Drill The winner of the BC Live League Table for the second year running was Kier!

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DEMOLITION NEWS @demolitionnews Thanks to all @buildersconf for a fantastic day @TheSavoyLondon Great day, great company and still laughing @mick_miller

JULIE WHITE @JulieDDrill Very positive speech from our #Statstic knight - well done @ neileddie0702⁩ @buildersconf @ BCLiveawards⁩ A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE #CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

BORRAS CONSTRUCTION @BorrasConstruct The @buildersconf #BCLive2018 awards were held yesterday and we’re proud to receive the award for ‘Rising Star’ (Apprentice/Trainee) #BetterWithBorras

JOSEPHINE O’CONNOR @VINCIFMJosie Thank you! Great event Mick was hilarious!

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LOVE IS IN THE The Considerate Constructors Scheme is calling on the construction industry to radically improve the public’s perception of our industry through the use of social media by participating in the ‘Promoting Construction’ campaign. Promoting Construction calls for everyone involved in the industry, and its related sectors, to promote a positive image of construction on social media using the hashtag #loveconstruction. This will create an ever-expanding library on social media of positive, inspirational and interesting imagery from the construction industry, all united under #loveconstruction. The campaign encourages all those working, or connected with the industry, to post on social media, like and share positive images and stories of construction and use the #loveconstruction in all relevant postings. Promoting construction aims to spread

THE

Lee Causer

air

these positive images and stories far and wide across social media platforms, with the Considerate Constructors Scheme itself focusing on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and to drive and encourage engagement and interest in our industry. Improve perception The Promoting Construction campaign aims to improve perceptions of construction among the general public, particularly young people and potential recruits to our industry. It comes at a crucial time for the future of the construction workforce as over 400,000 new recruits are needed each year to deliver construction projects in the UK and Ireland. Inspirational images, such as amazing buildings, technology, craftsmanship and innovation, a fabulous diverse workforce and an industry which looks after the environment and its workforce are all ways in which we can

CARILLION

An insolvency expert has said that the ‘shockwaves’ sent through the construction economy after the collapse of Carillion has led to a spike in liquidation figures. 2,764 construction firms entered

promote construction. “Perceptions of the construction industry among the general public, particularly young people are now more than ever before formed by what they see and read on social media. While a number of organisations and individuals working across the industry are embracing the power of social media, there is a need for the entire industry to speak in one voice to promote a positive image of construction,” says Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy. “The Scheme has around 9,000 registered sites, companies, suppliers, client partners and professional partners registered at any one time – imagine the impact we could have if each one uploaded a positive, inspirational image or story on social media using #loveconstruction. “While the Scheme has a huge influence in encouraging the industry to get involved, everyone must play their part. After all, it is quick and simple to do and doing this, we believe, can have real impact on the image and reputation of our industry but only if everyone gets involved. By uniting under #loveconstruction, we will all be promoting a truly inspiring industry to help entice the next generation to ‘see what construction has to offer’.”

EFFECT

insolvency in 2017/18, jumping six percent in just a year from 2,608 in 2016/17, says Moore Stephens, the Top 10 Accountancy firm. The significant rise follows on from Carillion’s liquidation in January 2018, which caused knock-on effects for the whole construction supply chain surrounding what was the UK’s second biggest construction company. Moore Stephens says that 780 construction companies fell into insolvency following Carillion’s collapse in the first quarter of 2018, up

20% from 652 in the fourth quarter of 2017. “The collapse of Carillion sent shockwaves through the construction sector, and we are seeing more insolvencies as a direct result. SMEs and specialist subcontractors have been hit particularly hard by Carillion’s fall, as many of them will have relied on the giant for significant amounts of their work,” says Lee Causer, Partner at Moore Stephens. “It is also likely that these subcontractors would have had to write off virtually everything owed to them by Carillion.”

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SPIRIT OF

ADVENTURE MANCHESTER-BASED MCGOFF CONSTRUCTION HAS HANDED OVER THE WORLD’S F I R S T B E A R G R Y L L S A D V E N T U R E S C H E M E T O L O N G S TA N D I N G C L I E N T ; FA M I LY E N T E R TA I N M E N T G I A N T M E R L I N E N T E R TA I N M E N T S .

ocated within Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC), The Bear Grylls Adventure is now open to the public and features a dive tank, Europe’s tallest high ropes course, skydiving experience (iFly), climbing wall, shooting range and assault course.

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This £10 million fitout project is the latest scheme delivered by McGoff Construction for Merlin Entertainments following the successful completion of a number of other landmark projects notably; the Castle Hotel at LEGOLAND resort, the CBeebies Hotel at Alton Towers Resort and the Sea Life Centre at The Trafford Centre. “We were delighted when our valued

client Merlin approached us to help deliver this landmark scheme, the first of its kind in the world and undoubtedly the most impressive project to be delivered in the UK this year. The project has been challenging however the end result is absolutely fantastic and our team should be proud of what it has achieved,” says Group Commercial Director at McGoff Construction, Dave McGoff. “The experience and knowledge capital gained on such a project places us in a unique position to successfully deliver high profile, specialist construction projects with Blue Chip Clients.”

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Specialist consultants McBains to advise on world’s tallest modular towers in London

MIGHTY & MODULAR Leading consultant McBains has been appointed by the bank providing senior debt, to oversee the development of the world’s tallest modular towers in Croydon, South London – which means the construction value of projects it now provides monitoring services on exceeds £9bn in the UK. Focusing largely on strategic advice and technical due diligence, McBains is currently providing monitoring services on high profile UK developments, including Battersea Power Station; Royal Albert Dock; Shell Estate, Silvertown, Harbour Central, London City Island, Wardian and Embassy Gardens. “We’re delighted to have been appointed on another landmark project – with our experience of both Modular and Build to Rent projects we have been able to advise the Lending Team through a successful due diligence process and we look forward to contributing to the delivery of a ground

THE

breaking project,” says McBains Director, Richard Davies. “Breaching the £9 billion construction cost milestone is very pleasing and exemplifies the demand for our services across the industry, and the world-leading expertise our team brings to projects. With recent appointments in mainland Europe we are also looking to expand our coverage throughout the continent.” The development at 101 George Street, Croydon, is a Greystar build to rent (BTR) scheme. It will comprise two towers of 37 (115 metre) and 44 storeys (134 metres), housing 546 apartments, and, on completion, will hold the title of the first and second tallest modular buildings in the world. Greater certainty Rather than the buildings being fully constructed on-site, modular construction means the developers, Tide Construction and their associate company, Vision Modular

Systems, will construct the modules for the buildings in a controlled factory environment in Bedford to ensure a higher quality finish. This method will produce 80 percent less waste and mean that fewer workers are needed on-site. It will also provide greater certainty on costs and time. Greystar and Tide have partnered on several schemes to date, including student accommodation at Chapter Lewisham, Chapter White City and Chapter Highbury II, the latter two being projects on which McBains were also involved. Situated directly opposite East Croydon train station, the towers will provide an excellent base for residents, with this station averaging 600 London-bound trains on a typical weekday – with the fastest taking just 16 minutes. Croydon, with its sprawling shopping district and thriving leisure economy, has become one of the largest commercial enclaves outside central London. It has also been dubbed the “Silicon Valley of South London”, due to its growing tech and start-up scenes, and is fast-becoming an attractive area for young professionals and families. Work on the new development is due to be completed over a 24-month period – with residents moving into the towers in the early part of 2020.

WAT E R F R O N T

The ongoing revitalisation of Glasgow’s waterfront is poised to take a major step forward with the submission of a detailed planning application for a 500-apartment build-to-rent development on the banks of the Clyde. The project at Central Quay, on the iconic Broomielaw that runs along the River Clyde, is being led by PLATFORM_ – a major investor, developer and property manager across the UK – and will deliver high-quality, state-of-the-art homes to cater for a range of people living and working in the city. Pending detailed planning consent, which is anticipated at the end of 2018, PLATFORM_

hopes to start construction of the apartments by the second quarter of 2019, with a scheduled completion date of summer 2021. Initial planning in principal was granted for the seven-acre Central Quay site at the beginning of 2018 following a masterplan formulated by Harbert Management Corporation and XLB Property, together with Keppie and LDA Design. Designed in partnership with award-winning architects Keppie, the development forms part of a wider masterplan at the Clydeside Central Quay area, which also includes 300,000 sq. ft. of office space and a 150 room hotel. The PLATFORM_ managed accommodation will offer one of Scotland’s first build-to-rent

opportunities, modelled on the successful and rapidly expanding concept first seen in London. PLATFORM_’s apartments will provide residents with studios, one, two and three-bedroom homes alongside modern shared facilities including a coworking space – encapsulating flexible working – a shared residents’ lounge, onsite-concierge, roof terraces, fully kittedout gym and games room. The apartments will be designed and built to PLATFORM_’s specification which it has used in other sites across the UK, a modern development tailored to the local environment.

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NOTABLE FIRST FOR NORRIS

aste management specialist Norris has become the first Considerate Constructors Scheme Supplier Partner. Supplier Partnership has been introduced to enable Scheme-registered suppliers to demonstrate and promote the highest standards of considerate construction. It is available to all Scheme-registered suppliers who have consistently improved their standards in considerate construction in line with the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice. Norris has been serving the construction industry, local communities and businesses for over 45 years and has enjoyed a long and

TA K I N G

successful history with the Scheme, receiving six consecutive annual National Awards. “Norris has always been proud to be a market leader in our industry and we see being the first Considerate Constructors Scheme Supplier Partner as a privilege and an honour. The Scheme is undeniably the industry standard when it comes to improvement, progress and, in so many cases, excellence. Our ethos has always been to constantly improve and develop our business model, in not only delivering our customers’ requirements that are constantly evolving, but also to take into consideration the public and community’s perception of our industry,” says Norris’s Director Kieron Norris. “I believe that having the Scheme’s branding on our vehicles, uniforms, PPE and other marketing mediums

gives the construction industry and the observing public reassurance that we are committed to delivering an outstanding level of service.”

new retail offer. Work is scheduled for completion by summer 2020. A future phase will include the completion of the departure pier, replacing the current passenger walkway. The planned extension works will deliver additional job opportunities at the Airport for local people, including apprenticeship roles in key operational areas. The appointment follows an ongoing brief for Watson Batty to support extension works planned as part of the airports’ Route to 2030’ Strategic Development Plan. “We are delighted to cement our partnership with Leeds Bradford Airport with our biggest project to date. We have worked closely with the team at LBA over the last six years, assisting with detailed collaboration and consultation, to support a series of enabling projects, both airside

and landside,” says Peter White, Managing Director at Watson Batty. “It is rewarding to know that our transport expertise is helping to build the future of a critical northern hub.” Watson Batty has previously assisted Leeds Bradford Airport to improve circulation and flow of passengers around the terminal. It designed the new departure lounge extension last year which provided an additional storey and mezzanine floor to Gate Five. It designed a 150-metre-long, 3-lane covered, external walkway from the terminal together with a major departure gate refurbishment. Watson Batty also re-planned the passenger scanning area, providing new feature lifts to help increase the efficiency of people movement and wheelchair access.

A vital role Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy commented: “Suppliers perform a vital role in the construction process, and therefore have a responsibility to behave in a considerate manner at all times to ensure they portray a positive image of the industry they represent. The Scheme is delighted to have Norris as its first Supplier Partner. The commitment Norris is making reflects their desire to be at the forefront of best industry practice in considerate construction. We look forward to other high-performing suppliers making this commitment.”

FLIGHT

Watson Batty Architects has been appointed to design the new arrivals extension, departure pier and internal remodelling at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA). LBA has formally revealed plans for the £12.5 million investment with a three-storey new extension to its terminal building. This will include a transformed international arrivals process, including immigration, baggage reclaim and customs. The extension will also accommodate improved departure gates, seating areas and new retail and food and beverage outlets. Once completed in late 2019, works will then commence on re-modelling the existing terminal building to provide a new centralised security search area and a more intuitive departure lounge layout, with an expanded

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CREATING

Whether by accident or design, there is a proliferation of Fake News in the construction industry. And it could be costing the sector a fortune. Builders’ Conference CEO Neil Edwards reports.

s w e n e fak

Thanks to a US president who consistently dismisses any media coverage with which he doesn’t entirely agree, the term “Fake News” has entered the global lexicon. Yet as little as two years ago, the term didn’t really exist with its current definition. Today, as well as being a favourite term of Donald Trump, it was named 2017’s word of the year, and is now seen as one of the greatest threats to democracy, free speech and free debate. At its most innocent, Fake News is merely used to attract viewers to specific websites and web pages using promises upon which it subsequently fails to deliver. At its most chilling, Fake News is misinformation and propaganda that is created to pursue a specific agenda and which is subsequently perpetuated through a mass media that really should know better and social media which quite clearly doesn’t. It has led to raised tensions between nations, and may lead to the tighter regulation of social media. It is currently the scourge of the media world. But surely the construction industry is not guilty of generating Fake News. Is it? Well, either deliberately or otherwise, it most certainly is. And it could be costing the UK construction industry a small fortune in wasted time and wasted resources. The BAM Conundrum If you cast your mind back to March 2013, you might recall that the UK’s construction media got very excited about the fact that BAM had won the contract to build a new London headquarters for Internet search giant, Google. This was big news. Not only is Google a global brand, but the UK construction industry was still reeling from a recent and very deep recession. So the award of a £300 million contract was good reason to get excited. In addition to that, it was a further sign that London remained truly relevant on the global stage; that even in the Internet age,

global companies wanted – NEEDED – a presence in the UK capital. According to Construction Enquirer at the time, BAM had “fought off rivals Skanska and Carillion in the closely contested race for the prized King’s Cross Goods Yard job.” And that “a three-year construction programme to deliver up to one million square feet of offices is set to get underway in October.” Construction Enquirer went on to back up its report, stating that: BAM was an early frontrunner to take the project at King’s Cross because it is already working on a three major projects worth £100 million next to the Google site. There was just one small issue. BAM hadn’t actually won the contract at all. They HAD been named as the preferred bidder. But they never got to place a spade in the soil. In fact, no-one broke ground on that project for another four years; by which time the £300 million project had evolved and grown to become a £1.0 billion project. And when the first sod was turned, it wasn’t BAM that did the turning. It was fellow construction giant, LendLease.

Not Unique Now the Construction Enquirer website was not to blame for this misinformation. According to the original report, it had received the tip from a reputable market intelligence provider. And besides, Construction Enquirer was not the only publication to run the story of BAM’s apparent success. Plenty of other publications and websites perpetuated and spread the story. Search Google today for Google headquarters London, and you will be presented with a plethora of articles and reports, all detailing how BAM had landed this major contract. And sadly, this instance is not unique. Not by a long chalk. Now, perhaps more than ever, it pays to be ever-mindful of the threat of Fake News. But that isn’t easy in the field of construction. You see, it’s easy to dismiss reporting in some national newspapers. If The Sun headline is about a celebrity marriage being “on the rocks”, chances are it’s a thin news week and they’re just looking to sell newspapers based on a rumour they have paid someone to start. Sadly, there are no such guidelines in the construction arena. So when you read the words “preferred bidder” don’t be fooled into thinking someone has won a contract. Ultimately, they might. But equally, it could all be Fake News. INSIDE CONSTRUCTION | DECEM BER 2 0 1 8 13

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OUR RESEARCH IS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR COMPANIES

F E A T U R E

GENDER JAUNDICE N E W R E S E A R C H B Y T H O M A S I N T E R N AT I O N A L , T H E P E O P L E A S S E S S M E N T S P E C I A L I S T S , S H O W S T H AT T H E E M O T I O N A L

INTELLIGENCE AND PERSONALITY TRAITS OF FEMALE AND MALE L E A D E R S A R E T H E S A M E , B U T T H E Y A R E P E R C E I V E D D I F F E R E N T LY.

espite the stereotypes, female leaders are no more empathetic than male leaders, and male leaders are no more assertive and composed than female leaders. For the in-depth study, Thomas assessed the personality traits and emotional intelligence of 137 director-level, female leaders in organisations with at least 100 employees. It then benchmarked them against a demographically, hierarchically and industry matched male senior leadership sample. The study found that against every measure including approach to risk, competitiveness, conscientiousness, assertiveness, emotion management, relationships and optimism, there is no discernible difference between successful male and female leaders. Contrary to popular opinion, the women haven’t needed to be more sensitive to get to the top and the men are no more likely to be risk-takers or competitive than the women in the study. Thomas’ team then examined how these traits are perceived by people – and found a key difference. On the road to the top, personality and emotional traits which are found in successful leaders, and which are perceived as good in men, are often interpreted as a fault in women. This will hold back the very people businesses are looking for. For example: losing your cool and showing strong emotions is seen as passion when it’s a man, but as hysteria when it’s a woman; Standing your ground and being direct is seen as assertive when it’s a man, bossy when it’s a woman. Also, women are expected to be more serious at work if they want to be seen as ‘leadership material’; being too happy is seen

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as ‘flighty’ and ‘not having what it takes’. “Our study lends weight to the very issue highlighted by Serena Williams during the recent US Grand Slam - behaviour that’s seen as acceptable from a man, is judged differently when demonstrated by a woman. This is an experience that is sadly quite common for women at work,” says Jayson Darby, Head of Psychology at Thomas International. “Our research has shown that women are as likely as men to have the traits of a good business leader, but women face additional hurdles to their success; the very traits that are proven predictors of leadership potential are judged negatively when they are shown by women. There is an inherent bias in the way people describe female success, and it’s holding women back”. Greater certainty Thomas’ research also shows that there are some career advantages that benefit men much more than women. Thomas has shown that for men, age and education predicted 25% of why a man was in a senior role. Whereas in women, these ‘career boosts’ don’t work so well; indeed age and education are 150% more likely to predict why a man is a senior leader compared to a woman. Instead women are judged much more on their personality – if this isn’t viewed as ‘right’ they will find it tough to get ahead. “Women in business can’t seem to

catch a break, even if they possess the traits that predict success they have to contend with stereotypes and biases that turn those advantages into negatives. We also observed evidence that the ‘old boys club’ is still an influencing factor, with women benefiting far less from age and education-related privilege. A man with an Oxbridge degree will be offered a huge advantage in their career efforts compared to a woman with an equivalent qualification, even if she has better leadership traits. The end result will be lots of average men getting ahead of more talented women,” Jayson Darby concludes. “Our research is a wake-up call for companies. We’ve proven there’s simply no meaningful differences between the traits that make great male and female business leaders, yet the gender imbalance remains, and it is affecting gender diversity at the very top. Companies need to look at their talent management processes and the language they use to define success. This will help them evaluate whether there are any biases or stereotypes influencing their definitions of successful leadership traits, that may disadvantage women. “If companies want to really solve the diversity problem in the boardroom, and have great women reach the top of their organisations, they need to start evaluating them impartially – that means using psychometric assessments - rather than allowing this ‘gender jaundice’ to prevail.”

A Report into the Women in Business Study is available from Thomas International www.thomasinternational.net/en-gb/wib-executive-summary/

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MUSEUM MOMENTUM The Museum of London has significant support totalling £15 million towards its bold, ambitious plans to create a new museum for London in West Smithfield. A major grant of £10 million from the Linbury Trust, the charitable foundation established by Lord and Lady Sainsbury of Preston Candover, and initial support of £5 million National Lottery funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) make up the latest high-profile support for creating a spectacular new home for the museum in the historic heart of the city. The Linbury Trust’s support of £10 million is one of the largest gifts in the museum’s history; it follows the Trust’s grant of £1.2 million in the early years of this century, which allowed the museum to create the Linbury Gallery, the home of the museum’s principal temporary exhibitions. The Linbury Trust

has a track record of support for a number of the nation’s preeminent cultural institutions, often towards transformative capital projects - examples include the National Gallery, the Royal Opera House, the British Museum and the Ashmolean Museum. The scale of this grant is thus a significant vote of confidence in and endorsement for the project. Outstanding The new Museum of London, located in a set of outstanding market buildings in West Smithfield, will tell the story of London and Londoners from the momentous to the everyday, through bigger exhibitions with a broader appeal and by showcasing more of the 7 million objects it holds in the London Collection. One of the largest and most significant cultural projects currently happening anywhere in Europe, the new museum will be

One of the largest and most significant cultural projects currently happening anywhere in Europe, the new museum will be truly transformational, not just for the museum itself but for the surrounding area too. 1 6 DE C E M BE R 2 0 1 8 | I N S I DE CO N STRU CTIO N

truly transformational, not just for the museum itself but for the surrounding area too. As a key part of Culture Mile - the area in the north-west of the City from Farringdon to Moorgate - and across the road from the brand new Elizabeth Line station in Farringdon, the museum will be ideally situated to attract over two million visitors in its first year and deliver significant economic and social benefits for London and Londoners. The news follows an announcement last year of a £10 million commitment from the Goldsmiths’ Company and its affiliated Charity – the largest ever from a Livery Company, and making them the first Founding Partner of the new museum, and the recent announcement that global law firm DLA Piper have become the new museum’s first Corporate Champion. Last year the museum announced that the Mayor of London and City of London Corporation would be formally supporting the project, together pledging £180 million. The Museum of London will begin a comprehensive programme of engagement with Londoners on initial concepts for the West Smithfield site later this year. Its aspirations are to achieve a successful planning consent in 2020 and to start construction in 2021.

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ASPEX KNOCKS AT DOOR

ne of the UK’s leading architectural ironmongery and doorset companies has recently secured a contract to supply its Novista system to 50/60 Station Road in Cambridge City Centre. Aspex will be supplying its Novista Riser Steel System and Novista Timber Doorsets in a walnut veneer finish to the scheme, which will include a new state-of-the-art office accommodation, just 150m from the train station and transport hub.

B AT T L I N G

Working alongside architects Nicholas Grimshaw, and contractors Galliford Try, the £87 million office space required a modern, sleek, and minimalistic finish that would complement the existing surroundings, and the Novista system provided the ideal solution. The Novista system is available with either a timber or steel door leaf and is suitable for a wide variety of projects with single, double, triple, and quadruple combinations available. It can be factory painted to any RAL colour or primed to allow on-site painting for precise colour matching with the adjacent wall. The Novista Riser Steel is suitable for

BROWNFIELD

Small brownfield sites pose particular challenges to landowners, developers and builders. A guide to small brownfield sites and land contamination, prepared by CIRIA and supported by the NHBC Foundation, provides clear, practical advice to help navigate the particular barriers and issues that characterise small brownfield sites. Development of brownfield land is a key part of the Government’s strategy to increase house building across the country, and if well planned and managed, small sites can be

locations which require either a very high fire or acoustic rating, and are fire rated to up to FD120 and acoustic rated up to 40dB. The Novista Timber Doorsets are fire tested to FD30 for a single open inward door, and both a single and double outward opening door. Ashley Burberry, Managing Director of Aspex UK, said: “When we developed the Novista system, we wanted to create a doorset that would complement any surrounding and create a contemporary finish – it’s great to see how much it has taken off in the market over the past year and we’re looking forward to seeing the doorsets in place at 50/60 Station Road.”

BARRIERS

developed relatively quickly giving a faster return on investment than larger sites. The guide focuses on the key phases of a development, from assessing project viability and submitting planning applications, through the whole construction process to closeout and management of dormant sites, with an emphasis on dealing with land contamination. Commenting on the publication, Neil Smith, NHBC’s Head of Standards, Innovation and Research said, “This new guide is essential

reading for anyone considering the purchase of smaller brownfield sites, helping them minimise risks before, during and after development. “Land owners of small brownfield sites that require on-going contaminated land management will also find the guidance beneficial.” A guide to small brownfield sites and land contamination is available for download from the NHBC Foundation website www.nhbcfoundation.org.

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THERE...

F O R T H E 1 1 T H C O N S E C U T I V E M O N T H , T H E VA L U E O F N E W C O N T R A C T AWA R D S R E C O R D E D O N T H E B C L I V E L E A G U E TA B L E H A S T O P P E D T H E £ 4 . 0 B I L L I O N M A R K . A N D B U I L D E R S ’ C O N F E R E N C E C E O I S Q U I E T LY O P T I M I S T I C AT T H E I N D U S T R Y ’ S ABILITY TO NOTCH UP A FULL YEAR.

sk anyone and they will tell you that construction is a business of highs and lows; categorised by peaks in demand and troughs in workload; up one week and down the next. Traditionally, they would have been right, at least until the beginning of 2018. In January 2018, new contract awards for the UK construction sector were valued at a combined £4.529 billion. Although we didn’t know it at the time, that month set a benchmark that would be maintained and unbroken for an astonishing 11 months and counting. And this is not a “bumping along the bottom” level that the industry endured throughout the recession when a monthly total of more than £1.0 billion was seen as a blessed relief. Rather, this is an industry that has hit a high and decided to stay there. Perhaps more telling is the rolling year total on the BCLive league table which hit an all-time high of £57 billion in August 2017 when around £7.0 billion of HS2-related works were awarded. Even though that £7.0 billion was removed at the end of August 2018, that rolling year total has stood fast at £57 billion, despite a lack of any further landmark projects to replace HS2. So the industry enters December – a month usually curtailed by Christmas holidays, office parties and clients sitting on work till the New Year – with the very real possibility that the industry might notch up a full year in which new contract awards do not dip below the £4.0 billion mark. The sector certainly has the momentum. And Kier Group is the very

1 8 DE C E M BE R 2 0 1

embodiment of that impetus. The company, which has already claimed the top spot on the BCLive league table three times during 2018, topped to pile again this month with a 19 new contract haul worth a combined total of £328.7 million. The largest of these is a £100 million new build contract for the construction of a new prison at HMP Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. A pair of new contact awards valued at a combined £258 million pushed Sir Robert McAlpine into second place for November 2018. The most notable of these is a £250 million office new build above Farringdon Station in London for client Land Securities Properties. A haul of seven contracts valued at a combined £216 million saw ISG claim third place on the BCLive league table. Those contracts include a £70 million refurbishment and repair contract for client Blackstone Group at 25 North Colonnade in East London. Top 13 companies In a month in which the top thirteen companies on the BCLive league table each secured more than £100 in new contracts, Mace and Laing O’Rourke took the number four and number five spot respectively with a single award. Mace won a £215 million new build for the University College London East at Marshgate, E15 to take fourth spot while

Laing O’Rourke picked up the £200 million new build at Neil Edwards, The Royal Liverpool Builders’ Conference CEO Hospital. In typical fashion, Morgan Sindall claimed an impressive 19 new contracts worth a combined total of £192.7 million – including a £35 million new build for Accor Hotels at Paddington Village. Together with Laing O’Rourke’s contract at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, this award helped push the North West region to an impressive £672 million to take second place behind perennial regional supremo London which delivered more than £1.5 billion new contract awards. Housing retained its position at the industry bellwether with £1.36 billion in new contract awards. But the office sector (£703 million), the education sector (£690 million) and the entertainment and leisure sector (£443 million) all performed well to maintain the industry’s impetus towards the year end. Will the industry manage a full year without dipping below the £4.0 billion mark? Some clients will already be sitting on their hands and waiting for the arrival of the New Year before letting work. And the month will be shortened by the Christmas holidays. But I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.

In January 2018, new contract awards for the UK construction sector were valued at a combined £4.529 billion.

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B C L I V E .CO.U K

WHO IS WINNING CONSTRUCTION WORK | LIVE

Kier Group

£328.7m

76.9

Sir Robert McAlpine

£258m

250

ISG

£216m

40 102

Mace Ltd

£215m

215

Laing O'Rourke

£200m

200

Morgan Sindall

£192.7m

66.6 35

7.9

43.3

17.9

Winvic Construction Ltd

£182.5m

126

Bowmer & Kirkland

£163.6m

Volkerfitzpatrick & Kier JV

£160m

160

Trench Holdings

£149.2m

0.2

McLaren Construction

£143m

120

Wates Ltd

£129.2m

22 24.2

Blue Sky Building

£127m

127

Engie UK Ltd

£85.2m

0.75

84.5

Lendlease

£80m

Beijing Construction Engineering Group £80m

CJ O'Shea & Co Ltd

£75m

Galliford Try

£65.8m

St Modwen Properties Plc

£65.5m

65.5

Willmott Dixon

£59.0m

1.7

25.3

Midas Group

£58.5m

1.5

Mears Group

£50.4m

50.4

Balfour Beatty

£46.9m

1.5

8.4

Robertson Group

£45.1m

10.1 35

Gilbert Ash Ltd

£38m

John Paul Construction

£36.3m

26.3

TSL Projects

£36m

Graham Construction

£32m

McGee Group Ltd

£29m

Interserve Plc

£28.6m

1.1

10.5

Buckingham Group Contracting

£23m

Pellikaan Construction Ltd

£22m

Berkeley Group

£21m

Clark Contracts Ltd

£20.8m

5.3

4.5

McLaren Construction Group

£20.1m

20.1

Knight Harwood Ltd

£20m

Vinci Construction

£20m

PDR Construction Ltd

£19.9m

MCS Group Ltd

£19.5m

16.5

Tolent Construction

£19.4m

10.5

Bellway Homes Ltd

£18.9m

18.9

WH Partnership Ltd

£18m

McPhillips Civil Engineering L

£18m

11.5

1.5

NM Group

£17m

John Turner Construction Group Ltd

£17m

McAleer & Rushe

£16m

Parkeray Ltd

£15.7m

15.7

Barnwood Construction Ltd

£15.6m

9.6

Rydon Group

£15m

Kind & Company Ltd

£15m

Amey

£15m

Flynn Management & Contractors Ltd £15m

48.5 11.8 4.35

5.4 6.5 --

0.12 1.8

87.2 23.1 104 38

18.5 2.30

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Top 100 results: 01/11/2018 - 30/11/2018

RG Carter

£14.8m

14.8

GMI Construction Group plc

£13.2m

13.2

Construction Partnership UK Ltd

£13m

Watkin Jones Group

£13m

Natta Building Company Ltd

£12.6m

12.6

BAM Nuttall/Morgan Sindall JV

£12m

Andrew Scott Ltd

£12m

Seddon Group Ltd

£11.6m

2.30

0.75 8.5

Buxton Building Contractors

£11.5m

11.5

Marbank Construction

£11.1m

2.8

2.30

CRH Plc

£11m

GPS Projects Ltd

£11m

Persimmon Homes

£10.9m

10.9

William Birch & Sons Ltd

£10.5m

McGoff Group Ltd

£10.3m

6.8

3.5

Dawnus Construction Ltd

£9.75m

1.75

1.5

6.5

Robert Woodhead Ltd

£9.45m

3.85

5.6

Deeley Ltd

£9.20m

9.20

Beard

£9.20m

7.2

Stack London Ltd

£9m

Bardsley Construction

£8.8m

8.8

Murphy Group

£8.75m

8.75

VolkerWessels

£8.70m

8.70

Morris Homes Ltd

£8.5m

8.5

Mac Interiors

£8.3m

8.3

Carter Lauren Ltd

£8.1m

8.1

Rooff Ltd

£8m

Clugston Construction

£8m

Tonroe Group

£8m

Headcrown Group plc

£7.8m

7.8

Acheson Construction Ltd

£7.5m

7.5

O&D Construction

£7.5m

3.5

Dreamspace Construction Ltd

£7.4m

7.4

BAM

£7.4m

7.4

Goldbeck Construction Ltd

£7.3m

7.3

Henry Boot Ltd

£7m

Kapex Construction Ltd

£7m

Shepperton Group

£7m

John Cirmaci Builders Ltd

£7m

Carefoot plc

£7m

4.5

2.5

Buildwise Construction Group Ltd

£7m

ARJ Construction Ltd

£6.5m

6.5

Elliott Group

£6.5m

6.5

Speller Metcalfe

£6.4m

5.5

0.9

Westleigh Developments Ltd

£6.3m

6.3

J Tomlinson Ltd

£6.1m

4.5

1.6

Mulbury Homes

£6.1m

6.1

100

Armfield Construction Ltd

£6m

2 0 DE C E M BE R 2 0 1 8 | I N S I DE CO N STRU CTIO N

1.2 1.3

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B C L I V E .CO.U K

WHO IS WINNING CONSTRUCTION WORK | LIVE

185 Kier Group

£2,945.7m

918 128

20.3

Wates Ltd

£2,844.7m

297 84.2

4.60

-- 1,391 29.5 679 351

164 Morgan Sindall

£1,486.5m

6.6

372 83.5 11

Balfour Beatty

£1,435m

191 27

Galliford Try

£1,377.4m

280 48.5 14.2 32

BAM

£1,333.4m

111

414 19.5 70

Mace Ltd

£1,312.1m

301

246

Countryside Properties plc

£1,284.1m

-- 1,284 --

ISG

£1,143.4m

194 109

Willmott Dixon

£936.7m

323 223

Laing O'Rourke

£925.2m

113 112

Winvic Construction Ltd

£886.0m

58.5

123

131

Barratt Homes

£884.6m

885

112 Engie UK Ltd

£837.4m

3.6

0.75

798 9.20

McLaren Construction

£796.9m

120 47.3 5.4

272

Bowmer & Kirkland

£759.6m

164 99.3 38.4 21

144 30

161

Lendlease

£750m

187

Sir Robert McAlpine

£729.5m

104

Redrow Homes

£728.4m

Graham Construction

£652.9m

266 32.5

Bouygues Group

£645.4m

438

VolkerWessels

£602.1m

153

8.70

Ringway Jacobs

£600m

Interserve Plc

£539.9m

6.5

Sisk Group

£532.8m

Bellway Homes Ltd

£514.9m

Berkeley Group

£452.6m

Trench Holdings

£444.4m

Vinci Construction

£439.2m

Multiplex

£400m

Robertson Group

£387.6m

Buckingham Group Contracting

£359m

78 97.5 60.5

Siemens Ltd

£350m

Amey

£340m

Taylor Wimpey

£337.1m

Canary Wharf Contractors

£333.5m

BAM Nuttall/Morgan Sindall JV

£312m

Ardmore Construction Ltd

£310m

Breyer Group Ltd

£307.7m

Weston Homes plc

£296.7m

McAleer & Rushe

667 504 111 163 2.4 294 16.2 29.4 327

27.9 189 300 8.4

---

284 15 127 --

5.95

213 45.5

27.0

208 59.8 417

2.4

18 147

0.8

54 120

742

23.8

180 17 65.5 482

31.2 44

72.5 92 102 76.5

3.9

291

6.2 731 24.7 50.3 32.9 2.1 39.5 110 343

200 150 54

1.2

1.9

133 116 30

80 483

90 31.5 364

728

7.6

31 60.5

27.9

30.8

55 19.3 116

6.5 102 170 38.3

70 118

96.7

515

453

124 2.5

104 89

0.75 100

46.0 52.9

6.9 101 16.9 0.5

---

40.4

600

5.6

4.4

18 58.7

80 115

33.2 39

28.0

22 59.8 75

400

79.2 22

0.37

17.0

22.6

78.4

350

340

337

334

312

105 80

3.8 0.5

7.7

297

£293.2m

51.2

242

Watkin Jones Group

£293.1m

46.3

247

CJ O'Shea & Co Ltd

£288m

288

Persimmon Homes

£276.1m

328

John Paul Construction

£268.1m

52.4 10

84.8

112

Hill Partnerships Ltd

£255m

255

Midas Group

£253m

2.1 135

6.5

8.4

Crest Nicholson

£249.9m

5.3 245

RG Carter

£228.9m

3.2

0.7

Midland Metro Alliance

£223m

GMI Construction Group plc

£215.8m

Costain

£212.5m

116 35.2

69.5 8.4

47.7 13.9 10.2 21 --

97.7 12.7 --

295 0.67

73.5 101

223

38.5

23.4

152

3.7 140 --

28.6 79

110 35

3.6 469

47.7 37.2 14.8

5.4 4.5 --

---

INSIDE CONSTRUCTION | DECEM BER 2 0 1 8 21

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Top 100 results: RESULTS: 01/12/2017 - 30/11/2018

RG Group Ltd

£210m

6.7

59.5

69.8

St Modwen Properties Plc

£200.5m

186

Headcrown Group plc

£200m

10.6

4.4

92.2 31.7 0.9 37.1

18 5.10

J Reddington Ltd

£194.4m

168

6.4

Murphy Group

£192.7m

Henry Construction Projects Ltd

£190.5m

129 30

A&H Construction & Development

£186.6m

4.5

1.5

130

Tolent Construction

£175.5m

9.62 22.7 11

16.2

Gilbert Ash Ltd

£171m

Readie Construction Ltd

£165.4m

129

10.8

2.5

14.9

Byrne Group Ltd

£160m

Volkerfitzpatrick & Kier JV

£160m

160

Cala Homes

£154.9m

155

Skanska Ltd

£152.6m

11.6

141

Blue Sky Building

£151m

127

JJ Rhatigan & Co

£151m

Benniman Ltd

£149.7m

1.1 35.6

SDC

£144.7m

5.5

33.9

1.1

70 26.2

United Living Group

£141.3m

141

Bloor Homes

£136.3m

136

FM Conway Ltd

£132.0m

1.95

130

Seddon Group Ltd

£127.7m

13.3

2.5

PDR Construction Ltd

£126.6m

19.9 6.5

11.2

Avant Homes

£124.6m

1.2

139

Downing Developments

£124m

Henry Boot Ltd

£123.7m

29.4

7.5

1.5

Breedon Group

£123m

100

Tide Construction

£123m

101

Alun Griffiths Ltd

£122.9m

122

CRH Plc

£121.7m

24.5 35

Caddick Group

£116.6m

Bennett Construction Ltd

£115m

Speller Metcalfe

£114.9m

1.5

MCS Group Ltd

£112.8m

Geoffrey Osborne Ltd

£112.5m

19.5

J Tomlinson Ltd

£109.6m

BW Workplace Experts

£108.4m

Beard

£105.7m

HG Construction Ltd

£105m

Dawnus Construction Ltd

£103.9m

51.7

Construction Partnership UK Ltd

£103.3m

2.2

Clugston Construction

£103.3m

62.2

Chartway Group

£102.0m

0.5 2.5

St William Homes

£99.5m

Collins Construction plc

£93.7m

Fairview New Homes plc

£93.5m

Bovis Homes Group Plc

£89.2m

100

The Erith Group

£87.4m

7.8 29.5

99.7 7.3

8.75 138 21.7 4.3 9.9

69.5 30.5 3.4 7.6

7.5 17.7

5.36 70

1.5 56.5

45.1

5.5

12.7

100

15.9 13.9 15.6

50.8 49

2.55

8.5

6.5

1.5

2.5

4.5

1.6

0.75

104

73.8 11.0

0.8 5.6 3.5

3.3

27.5

86.1

98.0

99.5

13.2

75.5

93.5

89.2

20.5

59.8 3.25

10.5 48.8

2.7 1.75

B U I L D E R S ’ C O N F E R E N C E D ATA

RESULTS: 01/11/2017 - 31/10/2018 2 2 DE C E M BE R 2 0 1 8 | I N S I DE CO N STRU CTIO N

7.5 4.60

4.9 2.75

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Contracts Contracts Awarded Awarded Analysis Analysis by region by region

CONTRACTS AWARDED ANALYSIS BY REGION Contracts Contracts awardedawarded analysisanalysis by Region by Region

Total value Total value

ProjectProject count count

RegionRegion

Projects ProjectsTotal value Total(£m) value (£m)Average Average value (£m) value (£m)

01.0 - Scotland 01.0 - Scotland

168.25 168.25

3.74

02.0 - Northern 02.0 - Northern

309.50 309.50

9.10

03.0 - Yorkshire 03.0 - Yorkshire

731.78 731.78

14.07

04.0 - East 04.0Midlands - East Midlands

336.06 336.06

6.86

05.0 - East 05.0Anglia - East Anglia

376.11 376.11

11.75

06.0 - West 06.0Midlands - West Midlands

916.33 916.33

13.28

07.0 - North 07.0West - North West

864.04 864.04

12.17

08.0 - South 08.0 West - South West

160.55 160.55

5.95

09.1 - South 09.1 &- South Mid Wales & Mid Wales

81.40

5.09

09.2 - North 09.2Wales - North Wales

34.50

6.90

10.0 - Bedfordshire 10.0 - Bedfordshire

64.05

9.15

10.1 - Essex 10.1 - Essex

138.92 138.92

6.95

10.2 - Hertfordshire 10.2 - Hertfordshire

131.85 131.85

8.24

10.3 - Kent 10.3 - Kent

183.35 183.35

7.05

10.4 - Surrey 10.4 - Surrey

60.19

1.63

10.5 - East 10.5and - East West and Sussex West Sussex

96.50

6.43

10.6 - Berkshire 10.6 - Berkshire

137.60 137.60

8.60

58.05

6.45

10.8 - Hampshire 10.8 - Hampshire

130.75 130.75

5.68

10.9 - Oxfordshire 10.9 - Oxfordshire

130.00 130.00

7.65

125

1,119.361,119.36

8.95

13.0 - N.13.0 Ireland - N. Ireland

33.17

3.69

14.0 - Eire 14.0 - Eire

720

1/2

10.7 - Buckinghamshire 10.7 - Buckinghamshire

11.0 - London 11.0 - London

Contracts Awarded Analysis by project category

58.05

3.74

6262.31 6262.31

CONTRACTS AWARDED ANALYSIS BY CATERGORY © Copyright©2018 Copyright The Builders' 2018 TheConference Builders' Conference Contracts awarded analysis by Category W: buildersconference.co.uk W: buildersconference.co.uk T: 0208 770 T:0111 0208E:770 info@buildersconf.co.uk 0111 E: info@buildersconf.co.uk

Total value

Project category

Projects

Total value (£m)

Average value (£m)

AG - Animals & Agriculture

0.80

AT - Air Transport

CM - Communication

117

730.38

6.24

ET - Entertainment & Leisure

382.29

6.17

FA - Factory & Industrial

274.50

13.73

GA - Garages & Motoring

48.63

3.74

HB - Harbours & Waterways

88.70

7.39

288

2,486.33

8.63

HW - Health & Welfare

511.45

10.88

MI - Miscellaneous

346.58

18.24

OF - Offices

336.04

4.80

361.43

51.63

553.25

29.12

8.05

1.61

SH - Shops & Retail Units

68.88

3.28

WH - Warehouse

62.05

3.45

2.95

720

6262.31

ED - Education

HO - Housing

Project count

PE - Power & Energy RD - Roads, Footpaths & Cycleways RW - Railways

WT - Water & Sewage

Quick review of

BCLIVE TABLE for December 2018

3 297no companies were detailed as winning new contracts during November 2018 3 491no new construction orders are detailed on BCLive 3 Kier Group secure overall top spot with £328.7 million of new work 3 New order winners in £1M to £5M category was Kier Group with offices throughout the UK & the £1M and under category went to Engie 3 Kier Group & Morgan Sindall Group share the most number of new construction orders in the month with 19no. 3 No matter what the current industry trends are, ensure your business has access to all the construction tender opportunities relevant to you from across the UK. Become a member of Builders’ Conference and enjoy hundreds of project leads delivered straight into your in-box every week www.buildersconference.co.uk/how-it-works

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n o i t a r e n ge n

INSPIRING CONSTRUCTION A ON CAMPUS

#NOTJUSTFORBOYS

A S T H E S E C T O R ’ S Y O U T H C H A R I T Y, C O N S T R U C T I O N Y O U T H T R U S T ’ S M I S S I O N I S T O A C T A S A B R I D G E B E T W E E N Y O U N G P E O P L E A N D T H E I N D U S T R Y.

onstruction companies are getting better at attracting young people towards the wide range of careers that are to be found within the sector, thanks to an increased presence in schools and involvement with careers education. One way that employers have done this is by supporting Construction Youth Trust’s Budding Brunels Programme. This three-day course for sixth formers involves experiencing site visits and working through a scheme of workshops, such as a project planning exercise and a mock stakeholder engagement debate. Industry volunteers play a key role in delivering these activities and aim to inspire students by sharing their career stories. Following the course, students who have shown genuine interest in working within the built environment are offered work experience placements at leading construction companies, which are brokered by us. Providing work experience opportunities is an extremely effective way for industry to prove to the next generation of talent that a career in construction is well worth pursuing. This summer the Trust was delighted to hear that Ellie, a student we’ve worked with since 2015, has accepted an offer from Willmott Dixon Interiors to work as a Management Trainee. The offer follows a successful summer placement she had with the company – WDI were so impressed with Ellie’s work that her application for the Management Trainee role was advanced directly to the interview stage. We first met Ellie in 2015 when she attended a Budding Brunels course, which she attended due to her interest in finding out more about careers in the built environment. As one of the most engaged students, we were happy to arrange a week-long work placement

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for her at Laing O’Rourke. The week gave her the opportunity to develop good relationships with people in the industry and start developing her own network. The placement helped Ellie decide to pursue a career in Construction Management, which she is now studying at university. This is what Ellie had to say about why she chose to pursue this career: “I chose Construction Management because naturally I manage my day to day life very well. I plan very well for anything and everything so I thought to myself I can develop this skill and focus it onto something bigger rather than myself and alongside a team, there is no better feeling then feeling like you’re making a difference. I enjoy the fact that I am making a difference. I am contributing towards something positive into the world. However, being on site is challenging because you never know what is going to happen which sometimes is not always best but it keeps it exciting and interesting. Literally every day on site is a new day.” This July we heard from Ellie once again. She wanted to use her summer to find out more closely what the industry is like, so she was eager to gain a more extensive experience to discover what a career in construction management is really like. With the Trust’s support, it was not

too long before she was accepted onto her 12-week placement with Willmott Dixon Interiors. It was from here that she found herself interviewing for a full-time position as one of the company’s Management Trainees. She will undertake this role for 12 months as a year out in industry from her degree. We are delighted to have been involved with Ellie’s burgeoning career, and have every confidence that her year with Willmott Dixon Interiors will be a resounding success. We’re also sure that she’ll make a fantastic Construction Manager on a full-time basis after she finishes university. We are also grateful to Ellie for sharing the following advice: “My advice to women/girls considering a career in construction would be to forget everything you have heard about the construction industry and do a little bit of research. There are so many careers and opportunities within the construction industry and so many companies willing to support and take women/young girls on who show lots of determination and hard work. Lastly, just get out there, explore for yourself. Go to events. Anything you see and you like the look of, take a chance and take the opportunity to find out more because you might find that you end up really loving it and I say that for when it comes to anything in life.”

“My advice to women/girls considering a career in construction would be to forget everything you have heard about the construction industry and do a little bit of research. There are so many careers and opportunities within the construction industry.”

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I enjoy the fact that I am making a difference. I am contributing towards something positive into the world.

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The View Hotel, Folkstone

Rees Mellish did a very good job with a difficult project. RM are very flexible in approach which is to the benefit of their clients. We look forward to working with them again. Paul Philip, P&BC

We were impressed with the attention to detail and savings on budget achieved in working with them on CM. Stephen Sheehan, 11 Capital

I could not have done it without them. They formed a very good team and delivered a first-rate Hotel project. We continue to make a great team in Greenwich. Lady Rona Delves-Broughton, Investor

h t n o m

CONTRACTOR of the

REES MELLISH PROVIDES A PERSONALISED APPROACH TO

C O N S T R U C T I O N C O N S U L TA N C Y, I N C L U D I N G C O N S T R U C T I O N

M A N A G E M E N T A N D P R O P E R T Y D E V E L O P M E N T, S P E C I A L I S I N G I N T H E R E S I D E N T I A L A N D H O S P I TA L I T Y S E C T O R S . The team at Rees Mellish bring four decades of experience to provide a personalised service at all stages of the development. Working closely with their clients, the principals offer sound advice and expertise, complemented by in-depth regional knowledge and experience. By being connected to all aspects of the project and acting in the interests of the client, they bring a full understanding of the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business objectives. This approach ensures a positive, proactive, resourceful and progressive solution to meet their clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs. Established in 2009, near Maidstone, Kent, Rees Mellish has developed a reputation for delivering projects in a transparent,

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collaborative and mutually beneficial manner. Supporting their clients across the UK and internationally has allowed progressive and steady growth. Partnered approach The Rees Mellish team pride themselves on the providing exemplary levels of service to clients and their professional teams to achieve high quality at a realistic cost. Their involvement spans from initial consultation through to the completed project. Projects include new build and extensions, as well as refurbishment. Clear objectives and efficient communication enables their clients to succeed across a wide range of goals, regardless of size, scope or complexity.

Thanks to Ann Grundy and Dave Mellish from Rees Mellish for providing information for this article. If you are interested in appearing as a future Contractor of the Month please contact: Nicola Dibb Read more www.reesmellish.com nicola@ndibbassociates.co.uk

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2 Courtyard terrace, London (2013-2014)

3 Ludlow House, Surrey (2014-2015)

1 The Greenwich Hotel, London (2012)

F E AT U RE D P ROJE CTS 1 The Greenwich Hotel, London SE10 A £10m conversion and extension for Hilton hotels, this derelict police section house in Greenwich is now a fabulous 4* boutique hotel with a destination restaurant and bar. Now operating as the Doubletree Hilton, the development offers 145 rooms across 10 storeys, as well as a rooftop extension that has created 14 prestigious penthouse suites. 2 Courtyard Terrace, London SE10 This £3m development in Greenwich saw the demolition of three terrace houses and construction of four stunning homes. Each home has been designed to offer flexible accommodation arranged over five floors and has been completed to a very high specification and standard. 3 Ludlow House, Surrey A £2.5m conversion of a 3-storey into 6 bedroom luxurious family home.

7 Stanhill Court Hotel, Surrey (2018)

6 Streatham High Rd, SW16 (2017)

4 View Hotel Folkestone, Kent £1.5m renovation of an existing

4 The View Hotel, Folkstone (2016)

Victorian hotel into 44-bedroom boutique hotel with destination restaurant and bar in Folkstone, Kent. 5 Ingram House £12m development saw the conversion of an existing office building to create new high spec office accommodation and high end residential apartments, including major refurbishment, extension and new façade works, providing 12 exclusive penthouses and apartments. 6 Streatham High Road £3m commercial development was to refit and reconfigure an existing supermarket into new facilities for Marks & Spencer, Aldi and The Gym Group. 7 Stanhill Court Hotel, Surrey The £2.5m redevelopment is set in 35 acres of gardens overlooking the South Downs National Park. The existing country house hotel will be extended from 34 to 60 bedrooms, including events and conferencing facilities.

5 Ingram House, London WC2 (2016-2017)

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CREATING

THE FUTURE for GENERATIONS The Millennials. Sat in front of their phones, tablets or on-demand TV, more worried about the latest reality TV star’s next Instagram post than they are about embarking on a career or, to start with, just finding themselves a job of any kind. A fair assessment, you might say – but is our stereotyping of a whole generation one of the reasons that all of us are struggling to find the future workforce that will ensure our businesses and the construction industry itself has new blood for the future. I was inspired to write this piece after seeing a fantastic presentation at a recent industry event overseas. Whatever is a Millennial some will be asking? In the UK, it’s basically anyone who was born between 1980 and 2000 and, in 2016, they accounted for 16.8 million people – a quarter of the whole population and the largest proportion of the workforce compared to other generations. Perhaps, we as an industry, should be the first to look beyond the Millennial label. After all, construction and all of its specialisms are probably one of the most typecast industries around. Some will tell you it’s for the unskilled or the unintelligent – for the ones who didn’t do very well at school – and, like you, I find that assessment of what we do laughable and bordering on the offensive. The sector we work in requires intelligence and skill and yet we are labelled with the opposite stereotype. How, then, can we be willing to label a whole generation in one way? We can’t and, actually, research shows that this generation is not the selfish, self-absorbed group that the stereotype suggests. Surveys have found that Millennials are looking for substance and meaning in their work and not just the biggest pay packet. They care about a company’s brand and reputation and want to feel what they are doing is contributing to something worthwhile. And, they are willing to work – with a large proportion working in excess of 40 hours a week and many undertaking two jobs in order to generate the income they need.

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Of course, technology plays a big part in their life as 91 per cent are regular internet users – but is that something employers should fear or is it something we need to embrace? “But they just quit when the going gets tough,” I hear you say. Maybe some do but the biggest reasons given for leaving a job is there are no opportunities to advance, little growth in pay, excessive hours, lack of teamwork and a lack of flexibility. So, we have a stereotype of a generation and a stereotype of an industry but neither match what’s happening in reality. Therefore, if we are to find new blood for our businesses there is no question that we are going to have to dip into the pool of talent from the Millennial generation and look beyond the stereotyping. In order to do so, we have to sell our industry better and, maybe, look at some of those factors that are important to those surveyed – such as flexibility and the opportunity to progress. Also, we have to be willing to bestow the importance of construction on society and the economy. Without us, there are no roads, no schools, no homes, no hospitals – I could go on. If a young worker is looking for meaning in what they do, what could offer that in greater abundance than being part of an industry that is creating the future for generations that are yet to be named and yet to be stereotyped?

Julie

Julie White , MD at D-Drill

Technology plays a big part in their life as 91 per cent are regular internet users – but is that something employers should fear or is it something we need to embrace?

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eading property, land and construction company Henry Boot PLC has undertaken a transformation of its HR function in collaboration with MHR, designed to streamline and optimise its processes to enhance the work/life balance of its people. New employee focused services implemented through its iTrent system, including Total Rewards Statements and a holiday ‘buy and sell’ scheme, combined with an expansion of its Self Service modules and new levels of automation has resulted in better streamlined systems for holiday, payroll, benefits and pensions, a reduction in manual administration and increased engagement across the organisation. Vision, purpose and values The transformation project was carried out as part of a company-wide initiative called ‘One Henry Boot’, conceived in late 2016 / 17

to better understand what defines its culture - ‘The Henry Boot Way’ - with a focus on its vision, purpose and values. Rachel White, Head of HR at Henry Boot said: “Our people are central to our overall performance and success. At the heart of ‘One Henry Boot’ project was a strong commitment to identify what is important to our employees and put in place efficient processes and systems to improve their work/ life balance and experience. “By fostering close links with an experienced and knowledgeable partner in MHR we have been able to customise our software and introduce new tailored processes to meet the needs of the business and the support the wellbeing of our people.” MHR carried out a comprehensive strategic review of Henry Boot’s existing HR and payroll processes to identify areas for improvement, and facilitated a trial of its latest software modules to enable Henry Boot to experience the benefits first-hand. Following the assessment, Henry Boot

BALANCING HENRY BOOT PRIORITISES EMPLOYEE WORK/LIFE BALANCE W I T H T R A N S F O R M AT I O N O F I T S PEOPLE PROCESSES

Act

iTrent offers a solution that is completely flexible for the different needs of our people rather than a one size fits all solution. introduced MHR’s Total Rewards Statement module to increase employee awareness of the value of the benefits they receive as part of their contract, such as Life Assurance or Permanent Health Insurance. Rachel said: “The Total Rewards Statement provides an easy way to visually represent and break down all the different benefits and their associated value as part of our commitment to our people. This can be fully customisable for the specific needs of our employees and so offers the flexibility we desire for our different employee groups.” To further improve employee work/life balance, MHR extended Henry Boot’s Employee Self Service (ESS) module to accommodate additional activities, such as Learning and Development, to increase user engagement while empowering employees to take control of their transactional tasks and personal growth. Meanwhile, a holiday ‘buy and sell’ scheme has been introduced as an additional benefit, giving employees greater ownership of their working time. Rachel said: “We understand how much our people value extra time with family, or a bit of extra income when it’s needed. iTrent offers a solution that is completely flexible for the different needs of our people rather than a one size fits all solution. The fact that this is all available within the ESS module means we can save time on admin, and our people can remain in control of what they need and value.” The transformation project has reduced the amount of queries Henry Boot’s HR team has to answer, freeing up their time for more vital tasks such as recruitment, employee relations and the implementation of ideas from the One Henry Boot project. Rachel said: “We expect to make significant cost savings in 2018 due to the reduction in manual admin time, while we have already reduced the amount of paper produced by the team, and also the number of days taken to produce contracts, deal with administration of new employees, and L&D administration.” Anton Roe, Chief Executive Officer at MHR comments: “We’re delighted to have supported Henry Boot through this transformation journey. “The transformation project at Henry Boot is a perfect example of how working in collaboration with our strategic team, organisations can embrace new ways of working and innovate their HR processes to deliver business improvements while meeting the expectations of their people.” INSIDE CONSTRUCTION | DECEM BER 2 0 1 8 29

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TRUCKS POWER

HOUSING SURGE

MORETON CULLIMORE, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF 90-YEAR-OLD HAULAGE AND A G G R E G AT E S C O M PA N Y T H E C U L L I M O R E G R O U P, TA L K S A B O U T T H E I M P O R TA N T R O L E T H E T R A N S P O R T I N D U S T R Y P L AY S I N T H E C O N S T R U C T I O N I N D U S T R Y

AND IN AIDING THE HOUSING SURGE.

round the UK, affordable homes are in scarce supply, but the demand for them is ever-growing. The UK government has promised to build 300,000 new homes every year until 2020, and for the construction industry, that means the demand for materials and services are growing too.

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Many people look at transport and construction as two very different industries, and while this is true, the two rely on each other tremendously. Trucks are the main deliverers of all essential goods to our communities and homes. Everything from clothing and food to vehicles and construction materials gets moved by trucks every day and without them, our economies and societies would begin to

feel the effects. Take for instance the ‘Beast From the East’ snow storm which touched down on UK soil last winter. Because of adverse weather conditions, trucks weren’t able to make their deliveries and many shops were left without vital supplies. Within 24 hours, communities became manic over the shortage of goods. Due to the surge in housing developments around the country, it is forecast that the

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The UK government has promised to build 300,000 new homes every year until 2020

construction industry will see a rise in demand for materials to the sum of between £3.2 and £3.8 billion over the next 15 years. In order to get the necessary materials to build these homes, the industry is reliant on trucks to deliver them in a timely manner. However, the transport industry is facing many of its own challenges which are standing in the way of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) being able to do their job efficiently. Road blocks are appearing in towns and cities across the country in an attempt to cut down on noise and traffic. Many of these road blocks though are only in place for HGVs causing operators to go back to the drawing board and map out new routes. Environmental regulations Environmental regulations are another problem which are causing HGV operators to make detours because there are ‘No Drive Zones’ popping up in different cities in an attempt to reduce noxious gases in the air we breathe. However, for a company like The Cullimore Group, which services the South West and Midlands with aggregates and moves upwards of 2000 tonnes of materials to construction sites daily, these detours are not only adding more miles to routes, but they are also making them longer to drive and sites are having to wait longer to receive their materials.

The aggregates the construction industry needs are found in rural areas, but it’s these areas are where road blocks happen most frequently. One example is The Cullimore Group’s trip to a site in Marston Meysey. We have been taking a route which goes through the town of Latton, but as of lately, because of noise and local pressures, the road has been closed off to HGV traffic. This has not only meant that we have had to find an alternative route, but the trip to the construction site is now

an additional 14 miles making the trip 30-40 minutes longer and using up an additional 7.5 litres of fuel. Trucks play a key role in both the construction industry and in building these 300,000 new homes every year, and if communities are going to continue to receive the homes they were promised, then trucks need to be able to continue to do their job without interference.

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BUILDERS’ CONFERENCE AND BESA ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP BESA, the trade association representing building engineering and services contractors has become an affiliate member of the construction industry’s premier information, data and analysis provider, Builders’ Conference.

n a deal signed in October, BESA members will enjoy discounted membership to Builders’ Conference, the construction sector’s leading Trade Body. BESA members who join up will receive access to Builders’ Conference unique data platform Serino which posts up to 11,000 UK wide construction projects each year, covering every sector. Members will be able to express interest in relevant projects and be immediately searchable by main contractors looking for specialists in a particular area. Serino features the ability for BESA members to create their own profile and add their logo – raising brand awareness to all Builders’ Conference members using the platform. BESA members planning business strategies will also be able to run bespoke reports using Serino’s extensive data to analyse which sectors and locations are strongest. They will receive exclusive previews of Builders’ Conference monthly construction sector analysis as well as invitations to networking events

to meet new contacts and share knowledge. Builders’ Conference Chief Executive Neil Edwards says ‘We are delighted that BESA have become an affiliate member of the Builders’ Conference. We have a passion for sharing quality information and ensuring our members always have the most accurate, pure data at their fingertips. We very much look forward to the partnership going forward and know that all BESA members that join us will enjoy more visibility of relevant opportunities and connecting with new clients’. BESA’s Director of Marketing, Clare Watson said, ‘We are delighted to become an affiliate of Builders’ Conference. By securing our members discounted access to this service we are giving them the opportunity to win more work, a key focus for any business.’ For more information about Builders’ Conference, including details on how to join the construction industry’s premier information, data and analysis provider, visit www. buildersconference.co.uk.

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echnical incompetence was to blame for the Grenfell Tower tragedy, but the disaster was a culmination of growing complacency across the fire safety industry and over-complex building regulations, according to a panel of experts speaking at the 2018 BESA National Conference. “Before Grenfell, the number of fires and deaths in fires were in decline. This led to complacency and a race to the bottom on price,” Conor Logan, technical director of Colt International, told the conference. “However, it would appear that insurance claims were rising for a smaller number of fires, but nobody seemed to relate that to a bigger issue.” He also pointed out that a big part of competence was being able to recognise when you should not be carrying out specialist work. “We have the crazy situation of fire alarm companies being given contracts to service fire and smoke control systems when they clearly do not have the expertise. Hopefully, one of the outcomes from the Hackitt Review will be an end to that sort of corner cutting,” said Mr Logan, who is a former chairman of the Smoke Control Association. The conference, which took place at the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel in London, also heard that fire engineers were rarely involved at the design stage of building services projects so fire safety elements often had to

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COMPLACENCY & COMPLEXITY

BLAMED FOR GRENFELL FIRE be bolted on after the rest of the m&e works were complete. “Fire engineering is often seen as an additional cost not an integral part of the process – and if the team is led by an architect it will not be considered until well into the m&e phase,” said Mark Farmer, CEO of Cast and author of the seminal government-sponsored review of the construction labour market model ‘Modernise or Die’. Prescriptive “There has been very little change in client behaviour since Grenfell – everything is still driven by lowest cost,” he added. “We need to impose more prescriptive regulations, at least until we sort ourselves out. That is why I would favour a complete ban on combustible cladding, for example, because the current system of regulation

is fundamentally flawed and very hard for building control to sign off.” He also called for the industry to make better use of digital technologies that could provide remote visual inspection of installations, verify competence of the work and create a digital record. The current process is also too complex, according to Will Pitt of NG Bailey, who is chair of the BESA Technical Committee. “Competence is the single biggest issue to emerge from the aftermath of Grenfell, but the whole project process has become so complex that building control officers are signing off things they can’t possibly understand,” he said. “It is unreasonable to expect the MEP contractor to take responsibility for all of this and solve all the technical problems – other specialists need to step up.”

The panel agreed that the current privatised model for building control was flawed as it did not incentivise inspectors to take tough action against developers. Poor quality specification is also a major problem, according to Roperhurst managing director Bob Lane. “They are often cut and paste exercises carried out by the most junior member of the project team – yet the success of the whole design depends on them,” he explained. While the panel identified many of the technical problems that led to the Grenfell tragedy, Ian Doncaster from the Smoke Control Association said many of the real issues were “cultural”, which are much harder to change “because you are asking people to change their behaviour”. He said the Hackitt Review had already pointed this out. www.theBESA.com INSIDE CONSTRUCTION | DECEM BER 2 0 1 8 33

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l a e d No

FAR FROM IDEAL F E A T U R E

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H A S T H E G O V E R N M E N T P R O V I D E D S U F F I C I E N T C L A R I T Y O N W H AT A N O - D E A L BREXIT MIGHT MEAN FOR CONSTRUCTION AND EU PROCUREMENT?

n 29 March 2019 at 11pm UK-time, the UK is scheduled to leave the EU. The construction industry has already started to feel the impact of Brexit, and has ongoing concerns about, amongst other things, skill and labour shortages, the increasing price of materials, potential import and export tariffs. Another area of concern for the construction industry has been how the system of advertising UK contracts for works, goods and services to EU companies would work post-Brexit and how businesses in the UK construction industry would be able to continue to bid for work, goods and services in Europe. This is important because many UK construction and consultancy businesses benefit and need to continue to benefit from smooth and open working relationships with EU businesses. While the government continues to negotiate with the EU, in the hope of reaching agreement on a number of key points in the next few months, it is also starting to prepare for a “no-deal Brexit”. As part of that, a couple of weeks ago the UK Cabinet Office released guidance entitled “Accessing public sector contracts if there’s no Brexit deal” which sets out how works, goods and services can continue to be accessed across the UK and EU in the event of the UK leaving the EU without an agreement in place. At the moment, UK public bodies and authorities can procure certain works, goods and services for construction projects, including from EU businesses, by advertising them on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) via Tenders Electronic Daily (TED). Equally, UK contractors, consultants, manufacturers and other construction businesses can bid to provide works, goods and services to EU public bodies through OJEU via TED. This means that, for example, a UK public authority procuring specialist offshore trenching and vessel services for a governmentfunded offshore renewables project can receive tenders from specialist construction companies throughout the EU. It also means that UK companies, for example a UK architectural business, can tender for a commission to design a high profile development project in Spain on the same basis as companies based in other EU member states. But post-Brexit, without a deal, this position would change. There are two key messages in the government’s guidance “Accessing public sector contracts if there’s no Brexit deal”:

Kathrine Eddon

First, the UK is aiming to accede to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). The GPA is an international trade deal that the UK currently participates in by virtue of its EU membership, but in a No-Deal Brexit world the UK will need to become a member itself. Whilst this is not a new position it does confirm that there has been no change to the government’s position on the need to seek GPA membership. Second, the UK will develop a UK version of OJEU / TED, which it refers to as “a replacement UK-specific e-notification service”. The guidance states that: 3 UK-based contract opportunities would no longer be advertised to the EU on OJEU / TED and would instead be advertised on the new replacement UK-specific free-touse e-notification service 3 This UK e-notification service will be available from “Exit day” 3 The requirement to advertise and ability to access other UK domestic systems will remain eg on Contracts Finder, MOD Defence Contracts Online, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI 3 UK businesses who wish to tender or bid for EU contract opportunities may continue to do so via OJEU / TED and 3 To enable the above, some changes to how the current procurement rules operate may be necessary, and these will be made by amending existing UK legislation. The government has also said that further information will be provided nearer to the Brexit date. So, has the government provided clarity?

Michelle Essen

In part, yes. The government has at least given some insight into its thinking about how works, goods and services can be advertised and procured across the EU in the event of a NoDeal Brexit. However, there is very little detail around how this will work in practice. In particular, while the guidance says that “Suppliers who wish to access contract opportunities from the EU may continue to do so via OJEU/TED”, it is not clear whether this position would be agreed to by the EU or whether they would have to access OJEU/TED as third country participants. UK public authorities, construction companies, construction industry professionals and other construction industry businesses may also be concerned that, during a period in which they dealing with other challenges that may arise for their businesses due to Brexit (such as skill and labour shortages), they will potentially also have to familiarise themselves with a new UK e-notification service. One thing is clear though, with no agreement yet reached with the EU, and with the Brexit date looming in a matter of months, the government should be working hard behind the scenes to flesh out its guidance, to provide certainty for UK public authorities and the construction industry before 29 March. We would hope to hear more on this by the end of this year. For more information please contact Kathrine Eddon, Head of Public Procurement at Womble Bond Dickinson at kathrine.eddon@ wbd-uk.com or Michelle Essen, Managing Associate in Construction at michelle.essen@ wbd-uk.com.

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ON CAMPUS

o n i r e S

DELIVERS PURE CONSTRUCTION DATA TRADE BODY AND RESPECTED MARKET INTELLIGENCE PROVIDER THE BUILDERS’ C O N F E R E N C E H A S U N V E I L E D I T S R E V O L U T I O N A R Y N E W C O N S T R U C T I O N D ATA C O L L E C T I O N A N D A N A LY S I S P L AT F O R M S E R I N O .

he Builders’ Conference has announced the introduction of a new, next-generation analysis data platform that is set to provide the construction sector with unparalleled levels of industry insight. Named Serino after an Italian town famed for the purity of its water, the new platform delivers pure contract award data together

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with a robust and easy-to-navigate reporting system that places information on more than £00 billion in construction activity at the fingertips of the user. Serino builds upon the success and innovation of The Builders’ Conference BCLive league table system and is a culmination of more than a year of custom development that included extensive input from the construction sector itself. “We didn’t want to

produce a system of our own design and then force it upon the sector,” says The Builders’ Conference CEO Neil Edwards. “From the very outset, we were determined to develop a platform FOR the construction industry BY the construction industry.” The result is the most advanced data collection, analysis and reporting system in the entire construction industry. Serino already contains details of more than 11,000 individual

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THE HOME OF

construction projects at pre-tender and post tender stages as well as contracts awarded stage; each of them thoroughly analysed and confirmed by a team of highly trained and experienced researchers at Builders’ Conference. And that figure is continually updated in real-time, with each new project and contract award supplementing and enhancing the existing data to provide what Neil Edwards describes as “Google for the construction industry”. Users and subscribers can analyse and review a wealth of construction data that can be filtered and collated like never before to produce robust custom reports. “With just a few clicks, a user can produce broad focused and bespoke industry reports,” Edwards continues. “In the broadest sense, a user can look at general construction activity, the contract awards won by a specific company, or look at individual industry sectors to identify trends and possible areas for diversification and growth. They can also drill down into that data and analyse specific sectors, and even sort by postcode. If anyone wants to know the level of housebuilding activity in a given postcode area during the past day, week month or year, Serino can tell them.”

3 Real-time updates – projects will be entered and updated in real time meaning members are amongst the first to get key information. 3 Accurate identification of project location – the in-built maps feature will enable a quick look at the locations of projects. 3 Quick sharing of dates, information and tasks. built-in calendar will make sharing information from the platform easy. 3 Increasing business profiles - the platform can display company logos, acting as a flag and giving immediate visibility to clients. Members logos can also appear on the log-in page. 3 Check out a company’s bidding activities at the touch of a button – members can find email addresses of the contacts involved in specific projects and view any company’s project history. 3 Branded reports – Serino allows for the running of sector analysis reports on construction projects and share them quickly and easily with colleagues.

Advantages of the new system include:

“We worked alongside Builders’ Conference during the development of Serino. They have taken our requests on board and have created a user-friendly interface with fast and easy access to a whole range of data which we can manipulate for our needs,” says D-Drill managing director Julie White. “At D-Drill we got our fair share of fantastic leads from the original platform. But Serino is another level. The data we have access to not only allow us to contact the company that has been awarded the project but an individual within the organisation. This allows D-Drill’s many branch offices across the UK to provide a much more personal service to prospective customers and in turn, win more business.”

3 Contract and Project leads direct to inbox – reports emailed once a week to keep members’ fingers on the pulse of construction activities across the UK. 3 Simple Search facility – ability to set up bespoke searches – targeting work in at specific values and within specific sectors and locations. 3 Express interest at the press of a button – able to identify new clients and track who’s won work. 3 Easy Navigation – simple new dashboard navigates straight to where user wants to be. ‘watched projects’ and ‘recently viewed’ items shortcut.

Neil Edwards believes that Serino will be an invaluable tool for a multitude of disciplines across the construction sector, including main and sub-contractors, suppliers and consultants. “Those involved in business development can use Serino to identify market trends and to deliver important and qualified sales leads within their geographic region or their preferred sector. The Serino platform incorporates prequalification questionnaires from Builder’s Profile assuring estimators that sub-contractors and suppliers are already pre-qualified with their insurance details, financial information and health and safety records,” Edwards concludes.” Divisional heads using Serino obtain immediate insight into how their business is performing in relation to their competitors in specific fields of activity. Sub-contractors can not only identify which main contractor has secured the project but now have knowledge of the key personnel within that company they need to engage with in order to promote their products and services. Our new data platform Serino delivers instant sales leads and we are delighted to be launching it at Expo 2018,” Edwards concludes.

ICNEWS

www.buildersconference.co.uk

GETTING ON BOARD

WITH A DIVERSE

LEADERSHIP

he construction and housing sectors have come a long way in terms of gender parity in recent years but while the number of women working within the industry continues to rise, the figures drop dramatically when it comes to the top positions. Recent research from recruitment consultancy EMA, showed that just 32% of non-exec board chairs are women while a survey commissioned by RICS last year revealed that almost a third of women are afraid of sexism holding them back from pursuing senior roles in construction. Encouraging women to climb the career ladder and supporting them into leadership positions is crucial and positive action – which is lawful under the Equality Act 2010 - is increasingly being used by recruiters at companies who are determined to take steps to help or encourage certain groups of people with different needs or who are disadvantaged in some way.

A survey commissioned by RICS last year revealed that almost a third of women are afraid of sexism holding them back from pursuing senior roles in construction

3 8 DE C E M BE R 2 0 1 8 | I N S I DE CO N STRU CTIO N

Diverse boards, within the housing sector and the construction sector, are essential to driving better policy and decision making and service delivery. Supporting more women into non-executive roles can help to influence the ethos of a company and drive cultural change. A diverse leadership is also more likely to attract a diverse workforce, creating forwardthinking and successful organisations. It is proven that companies with a diverse workforce have less turnover in staff as employees feel happier and tend to perform better in an environment that supports inclusivity. At WISH we believe that top down, cultural change is necessary to address gender imbalance, especially at senior level, which remains largely pale, male and stale. We are advocates of positive action where companies can keep re-advertising for specific roles until they attract people with the best skills who are from under-represented groups. Once a company has more women or BAME individuals shown on their website as part of their ‘team’, this in itself will encourage others

Executive director and founder of WISH, Nicola Dibb, talks about how it is helping to improve diversity at the top of the sector through the promotion of leadership roles. to consider joining that organisation as they see people working there who ‘look like them’. Change can only be drive from within and empowering and inspiring more Nicola Dibb women into the top board positions is vital not only to the success of housing and construction but to attracting ambitious young people into a sector with huge skills shortages - where they feel confident that they can progress. To find out more about available executive director positions and other roles within the housing and construction sectors, visit – www.wishgb.co.uk/jobs/jobs-board