5 minute read
NatWest client profile
Inside Management & Construction Services
Management & Construction Services Ltd has been serving Surrey’s construction needs for 40 years. Platinum caught up with Managing Director, Paul Hodges, to learn more about the company
Can you tell me about Management & Construction Services Ltd (MCS)? The company was formed in 1982 by the founding directors, and as the names implies, the focus is on the professional management of the construction service with a high level of attention not just on the quality of build, but the service to deliver it.
We operate across the public and private sectors completing projects ranging in value from £500k to £10m. In addition, we have a special works department working with key clients, delivering smaller value projects from £100k to £500k. We deliver projects in various environments including offices, light industrial, homes, schools, ecclesiastical, blue light and civic buildings. However, an increasing number of clients are using our extensive education experience to their benefit.
The majority of our work is from repeat customers and government frameworks, all of whom recognise that we are a trustworthy company and are a safe pair of hands. We are therefore regarded as their preferred construction partner.
What is your role within the company? There are many facets to my role but my primary objective as Managing Director is to support my fellow directors strategically, and to ensure that we achieve our mission and objectives to delighting customers.
I have a heavy focus on our pre-construction activities where I help customers unlock their construction projects, and assist our estimating and pre-construction team to submit compliant and accurate bids.
MCS has been a massive part of my life for the last 35 years and it’s very much part of me. My role as Managing Director is not just working ‘on’ the company, it is working ‘in’ the company, which I love.
If we, at Platinum Media Group Towers, needed a new office built, how would we go about it? Just call me, I would love to help you.
But to expand on that a little more and give you a theoretical outline process, you could either initially speak to an architect about your project directly, or speak to a design & build contractor, like MCS.
We would meet with you to define your actual requirements, usage and develop an appropriate brief. We would also, at this stage, look at the site location and obtain planning advice on suitability/ consent etc.
We would then, together with you, appoint the most appropriate architects and designers to complete the design and agree with you the various ‘sign off’ stages to ensure the design meets your exact requirements.
Once the design is finalised and planning consent achieved we would complete your build to the agreed programme, budget and sustainability targets. We would then provide our thorough client demonstration and handover process, and provide post-completion support for the live building. We want to ensure you are completely satisfied and check the building is operating as planned.
During the pre-construction and construction process we would provide continual cost advice, so there are no surprises. How are you contributing to Surrey County Councils target of NetZero? We share Surrey County Council’s endeavours to deliver the highest levels of ethical and sustainable operations. Like them, we are committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2030.
As a constructor, we understand that we play a pivotal role in delivering positive benefits in the communities in which we work and live, ranging from employment, education and training, to community investment; we therefore create bespoke CSR Plans for each project we undertake. Our approach is structured around three themes:
1EXCELLENT BUILDINGS Delivering buildings which are resilient to the impacts of climate change, conserve natural resources, use responsibly sourced low-carbon resources, minimise carbon emissions and the cost of ownership.
2BUILDING LIVES Supporting the people and businesses in our communities to thrive with a focus on helping young people to access good careers.
3GREENER PLANET Creating a better planet for future generations by putting the climate, biodiversity and resources crises at the heart of the way we do business.
MCS actively engages with the Supply Chain Sustainability School to guide us to achieving our CSR and environmental targets. We also actively encourage our supply chain to engage with the school too, so to collectively improve best practice.
The need to slow climate change is critical to us all and it would be a serious and painful mistake if we failed to address tomorrow’s problem today.
What is the most rewarding part of your role? Knowing we are consistently delivering completed projects to our clients’ satisfaction; being able to drive past a completed project with pride and say, ‘we built that!’
The job is as much about building positive long-term working relationships with clients, as it is delivering fine quality buildings.
In addition, providing an excellent working culture and environment for our staff to work in and thrive, while at the same time build a long term profitable sustainable future for the business is very rewarding.
As a business, we have traded through three recessions, one credit crunch and now a pandemic which I think shows real strength and resilience of the company and the outstanding level of support and confidence our bankers, NatWest, has in our business.
What does the future hold for Management & Construction Services Ltd? As the company celebrates its 40th anniversary, the ethos of the company, which I described earlier, remains the same since establishment.
What has changed over those last 40 years is our effort to continuously improve all elements of our company including technology, processes, tools, products, services and so on.
We are acutely aware that we in the construction industry must adapt and improve our business to suit clients’ requirements. For example, in the last five years, a stronger focus for our clients has been to design their building with good environmental credentials and ensuring that their building was delivered sustainably.
Here’s to the next 40 years!
