PFI

Gold

Remaking history

The redevelopment of the government offices on Great George St, London had been considered for over a decade. In late 1998 it was finally given the go-ahead on a PFI basis to accommodate the Treasury and other government departments. Julian Daniel’s involvement commenced in April the following year. He was appointed leader of the team responsible for design management and construction. Part of the Great George St area houses the Cabinet War Rooms Museum, open 362 days a year. Daniel had to work around this busy tourist attraction and prepare for its future expansion. There were also logistical constraints as two sides of the building were inaccessible for construction traffic. Financial penalties were big because the interest on the loans had to be serviced if the contract overran. So Daniel had to manage risk with exacting care. In comparison with other PFI contracts the site management team was small. This was to keep decision-making as streamlined as possible. Daniel resisted the temptation to jump in, preferring instead to let others take responsibility. He backed everybody up with his maxim: no blame would be attached to those genuinely trying to move the job forward. This was passed down to the trades and it became a speedy way of resolving differences between parties. Daniel’s use of IT also represented best practice in the industry. All Bovis staff and works contractors logged on to a common network. To achieve this, Daniel employed the in-house Hummingbird system effectively, and it was credited with having a great impact on collaborative working and expedient flow of information. Daniel was praised for his ability to communicate in a relaxed, open manner at all levels, and for using his authority and grip of detail to not only be in control but to command respect. This high-profile project was under intense scrutiny from government: the Office of Government Commerce, the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee were all round asking questions. Daniel was in a position to give cool, accurate briefings. The media also took a keen interest and Daniel proved able to make the HM Treasury project interesting and accessible to a wide audience.

Silver

Jarvis goes back to school

Jarvis beat two other contractors for this job on their design innovation, value for money and vision for tackling the logistical problems on an inner city site. Paul McCabe was involved at the concept stage, and was able to influence the design to assist with the buildability, and keep the scheme within budget. The job? To replace an old school with a new one all the while allowing kids to keep going to class! To do this McCabe decided to isolate part of the site to provide space for temporary teaching accommodation. His advice on buildability and site logistics played a major part in developing this project. He kept in close touch with trustees and the head of the school to create a relationship of openness and enthusiasm. This philosophy filtered down to the site team. Meticulous design meant subcontractors could start when they were scheduled to instead of waiting around for materials and access. He maintained a strict regime for quality control, and was registered under ISO9001:94. Standards were checked by regular audits. This coupled with well-trained staff and proven sub contractors ensured that quality control was successful at all stages of the contract. McCabe was responsible for the financial management of the contract and during the course of construction monthly crosschecks were made against tender allowances for trade packages, professional fees, and preliminaries. These were presented as a cost value reconciliation. A strict health and safety regime was implemented on site, the rules of which in many areas exceeded the statutory requirements. Prior to completion, McCabe engaged a senior site manager to help the school move to the new building. This included ordering new school furniture and resolving any initial teaching problems.

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