Gary Gibson, Colorado Group
Projects £4m to £7m
GOLD: Gary Gibson MCIOB, Colorado Group
Project Starlaw Distillery, West Lothian
Value £6.1m
Contract JCT Construction Management
In the complex but comparatively small world of distillery construction, Gary Gibson is a very big fish. He was approached for this project by the client, having innovatively re-engineered warehouse layouts to gain an extra 30% storage space for it on a previous job.
This time, Gibson’s success in constructing the buildings for a £35m plant lay in a brilliant interfacing of a large number of construction packages — piling earthworks, ground slabs, structural steelwork, drainage — and co-ordinating the plant specialists. He confidently identified an unpromising location as the site and then resolved the substantial planning, earthworks, discharge and services challenges with flair.
He offered the flexibility and trust essential to accommodate the different styles of 22 specialist contractors from Spain, Germany and Italy. He held back on the final design until the process design had been fixed so he could constantly fine-tune the works to maximise efficiency, reduce cost and prevent rework.
For example, he built the process building on a raft with finished floors laid to falls to act as a rainscreen for the in-situ fermentation tank fabrication, and then saved £120,000 in epoxy floor coverings by protecting the finished floor until completion. He helped design a silo base that allowed the use of polystyrene formwork. And his championing of site bunding allowed clean earth to remain on site, saving £1.1m in disposal costs.
His delivery of the distillery at 30% less than projected has, not surprisingly, led to approaches from other distillers in search of the secrets of building such a complex plant in so short a time.
Andrew Bowns, Leadbitter Group
Silver
Andrew Bowns, Leadbitter Group
Project Henderson Centre, St George’s College, addlestone
Value £5m
Contract JCT 2005
With his first day at work for Leadbitter coinciding with the official start on site for this project, Andrew Bowns had a mountain to climb. In less than a month this outgoing and energetic construction manager was on top. Able to liaise with anyone at any level and create a rapport, Bowns rapidly built a top-notch team.
He made a point of learning the name of every subcontractor on site — around 60 people at any one time. And he put quality before cost, procuring the best trades rather than the cheapest. The savings he did make in package procurement — around £120,000 — he poured into quality enhancements. For example, he replaced cedar with iroko for a balcony, he changed an ordinary concrete back-of-house staircase into an oak-clad feature element, and he brought in a specialist to install the main corridor’s timber-suspended ceiling.
Bowns went out of his way to help the school. He selected, for example, augur piling over driven piling, so works could take place without disrupting exams; he created a covered walkway for students through part of the site; and he postponed the demolition of one teaching block so the school could use its classrooms for longer.
The client’s confidence was reflected by the award of an additional £350,000 refurbishment contract to Leadbitter while Bowns was still on site — and which he incorporated within the original contract programme.
Finalists
Rob Bailey, BAM
Glan Clwyd North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre
Kieran Danby MCIOB, Willmott Dixon
Richmond Primary School, Hinckley
Dave Goddard MCIOB, Henry Boot Construction
Burns Unit/Surgical Assessment Centre/Renal ‘E’ and ‘F’, Sheffield Northern General Hospital
Frank Horrocks, Seddon Construction
Willowtree Primary School, Salford, Lancs
Patrick Leyden FCIOB, Denne Construction
LEMO Headquarters, Worthing
Alan Maile, Killby & Gayford
Henry Dawes Centre, St John’s School, Leatherhead
Darren Pope, Laing O’Rourke
Sterile Services Dept, Bedford Hospital
Graham Potts, Geoffrey Osborne
The Henrietta Barnett School, Hampstead
Mike Woodage, Britannia Construction
Student Union Building, Bath
Neil Molloy, Wates Construction
Projects under £4m
GOLD: Neil Molloy ICIOB, Wates Construction
Project Arts, Tech, Maths block, Parkstone Grammar School, Poole
Value £3.7m
Contract JCT 2005
This scheme took Neil Molloy from heaven to hell — and then back again. Given his first lead management role on a project, he must have been on cloud nine. But 15 weeks in and it all went spectacularly wrong when the end bearing of a prestressed concrete floor panel failed as it was being lowered onto the load-bearing wall.
Work was halted while an investigation was carried out and only resumed when the cause of the incident had been established and an action plan was in place to prevent it happening again. Molloy’s vigilant response was spot on but so much time had been lost — the project had been set back by eight weeks — that he knew the client had to be getting nervous. Unless the September deadline was met, the school faced starting a new academic year with too few classrooms.
It was at this point that Molloy redefined the term “best endeavours”.
He brought all the subcontractors together in a series of intense meetings where it was agreed to resequence works, reduce commissioning periods and install temporary weathering. Internal trades were set to work in parallel with external without compromising safety or heaping up costs. The result was completion on time, to budget and to expectations, and to the delight of his client.
Simon Harewood, Kier Southern
Silver
Simon Harewood, Kier Southern
Project Bristow-Clavell Science Centre, Portsmouth Grammar School
Value £3.4m
Contract JCT 2005 D&B
Lean champion Simon Harewood doesn’t just do construction methodology.
His projects are also about fun and enjoyment, and building powerful relationships of trust and friendship. On this scheme, he converted a client initially sceptical about the educational value of getting involved in the construction works and keen to put the project in a silo, into one that still raves about the whole experience.
How did he do it? Well, take the school’s traditional Easter Bonnet parade. Harewood persuaded, cajoled and even bribed his colleagues to gamely strut their stuff for the occasion, wearing helmets decorated with flowers and chicks by the schoolchildren. The huge crowd was delighted, and the event has gone down in school folklore.
Hard-hat tours for staff, presentations to parents and critical path analysis lectures to the sixth form were only some of what Harewood offered. They integrated the project into the life of the school and has left an enduring positive impression on the users and the client and created a powerful bond with them.
Finalists
John Adie, Stewart Milne Construction
Kydd Building, University of Abertay, Dundee
Robert Bassett, BAM
Aston University Library, Birmingham
Alistair Broadley, Kier Scotland
Security Forecourt Enhancements, Edinburgh Airport
John Hamill ICIOB, BAM
20 Buchanan Street, Glasgow
Carl Hudson, Simons Construction
Customer Experience Centre, National Operations Centre, Newbury
Gordon MacKenzie, Conlon Construction
Faith Primary School, Liverpool
Gareth Speed MCIOB, Simons Construction
Bestseller, Oxford Street, London
Roger Frost, MCIOB, Balfour Beatty
PFI projects
GOLD: Roger Frost MCIOB, Balfour Beatty Construction Northern
Project Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
Value £588m
The scale of this scheme — it cost well over half a billion pounds and took four years to complete — made it impossible for Roger Frost to be hands on in every aspect. But this turned out to the basis of his triumph, as he assembled a formidable team that was as experienced as it was talented.
Frost motivated and co-ordinated his huge team of more than 200 staff, 500 designers and 1,500 site operatives. His determination, dedication and direction kept the whole gigantic machine rolling, and he met every one of 34 sectional handovers with aplomb.
He was heavily involved in procuring the key works packages, and locked in the commitment and expertise of the supply chain well before work began on site.
He made the unusual decision, for a hospital, to build from a steel frame to reduce interface risk. And he was vindicated — 34 times over — when the frame was built on time and without issues by a contractor with a record of successful complex steel-frame delivery.
Andrew Pilling ICIOB, Lend Lease
Silver
Andrew Pilling ICIOB, Lend Lease
Project Marsden Heights Community College, nelson
Value £26.8m
The headteacher of this school describes the experience of seeing Andrew Pilling in action as an education in calm yet demanding leadership. You can see his point — Pilling was the model of the consummate professional on this project.
He dealt firmly but courteously with concerns raised by members of the public. Local residents had formed an action group to stop the scheme, and many were seemingly implacably hostile to the project. By taking their concerns seriously and dealing with problems head on, Pilling won their respect and gradual acceptance of the project.
Because he gave the users full controlled access to the project as it took shape, the need to implement changes came to light earlier in the programme rather than later. It gave users peace of mind that their requests were being carefully fed into the construction process.
Pilling took pains to learn the lessons of previous PFI school projects in the area, regularly visiting other sites. He adopted a pragmatic and successful approach to completing works out of sequence to meet funding requirements. And he drove his team to complete four weeks ahead of programme.
Finalists
Paul Barrie, Laing O’Rourke
Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, Scotland
Tom Maguire MCIOB, Lend Lease
Hameldon Community College, Burnley
Christopher Martin, Kier London
Thamesview School, Gravesend
Tony Mulcahy, Wates Group
Challney High School for Girls, Luton
Andrew Richardson ICIOB, Brookfield Multiplex
Peterborough City Hospital
Peter Worth, Higgins Construction
Brockley Refurbishment, Lewisham
Ian Randall, Leadbitter Group
Housing over £6m
GOLD: Ian Randall
Leadbitter Group
Project St Oswald’s Village, Gloucester
Value £20.8m
Contract JCT 2005
In the course of this challenging brownfield project, the quiet, confident and authoritative Ian Randall became the client group’s favourite construction manager.
With his site comprising an island surrounded by a large regeneration project and drainage works to be constructed on another contractor’s site, good relationships were critical. Randall developed and maintained them with practised ease.
His open dealings delighted the stakeholders. He invited the developer client to participate in the subcontractor selection process and ultimately employed the client’s recommended specialists for the glazing, balcony steelwork and floor screed installation, boosting buy-in and satisfaction.
He allowed nothing to disrupt the project. A third of the way through, for example, the client upped the sustainability criteria, putting considerable pressure on the programme. Randall quickly reassessed the build, identifying areas where minor changes could achieve compliance.
When the client group raised the height of the structural steel frame for the single-storey village centre, he took this major design alteration in his stride and incorporated it without brooking delay.
And when he learnt, on a Saturday, that the M&E contractor had gone bust, he spent the rest of the weekend making alternative arrangements so work could continue unbroken on Monday morning.
Michael Poole, Lend Lease
Silver
Michael Poole-Sutherland ICIOB, Lend Lease
Project SLAM, Vimy Barracks, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire
Value £14.4m
Contract Partnering framework
Mike Poole-Sutherland didn’t so much surpass his targets as blow them completely away. Finished eight weeks ahead of programme with savings of £1.7m on the budget and to an immaculate standard, the scheme showcases construction management at its best and has become a Project SLAM exemplar.
Passionate about construction, but even more passionate about building a cohesive team that exceeds expectations, Poole-Sutherland knew every site worker by their first name. He developed a seamless team, stimulating a spirit of co-operation and motivation. He engaged with the supply chain to develop the programme, generating buy-in and eliminating risk. Subcontractors collaborated happily to identify opportunities and reduce trades overlap.
He planned works out of sequence to maximise multi-use of scaffolds and plant. To form the ground beams he used Pecafil, a lightweight reinforced plastic shutter which could be installed far faster than traditional PERI systems. He also exchanged clay pipes and manholes for preformed composite plastic, with a notable cost saving.
Finalists
Rob Ashcroft, Bramall Construction
Kingsway Extra Care Home, Blackburn
Matt Ayers, Galliford Try
Derwent Point, London EC1
Lawrence Baxter ACIOB, Wates Group
Velocity, Ward Road, Stratford E15
Peter Crane, Higgins Construction
The Quadrant, Stockwell SW8
Darren Green ICIOB, Shaylor Group
Bromford Lane Care Centre, Birmingham
Ian Lively MCIOB, Miller Homes North West
Woodland Park, Darwen, Lancs
Dean Revell, Hill Partnerships
Richard Newton House, Cambridge
Adrian Smith, Willmott Dixon Housing
Meadway Extra Care Home, Birmingham
John Baggley CCG
Housing under £6m
GOLD: John Baggley CCG (Scotland)
Project 10 Pearce Street, Glasgow
Value £3m
Contract JCT
Through his proactive approach and leadership by example, John Baggley turned around the build schedule and achieved completion ahead of programme and in the face of significant unknowns.
He hit his first obstacle on day one, with the discovery of ancient settlements in nearby ground, which triggered an archaeological dig. But the delay turned into a gain when he came up with the idea of completing the internal blockwork skin of each level as soon as the steel frame and precast floors were in place, with temporary screens on all apertures so the internal works could be brought forward.
Even more impressive was the way he tackled the piling risk. The discovery that the Glasgow underground train line was only 5m below the site meant that vibration from the piling for the seven-storey block had to be restricted to less than 1mm of movement per second. Baggley took control of the situation himself, putting in graveyard shifts to install vibration monitors, which helped him convince the planning authority not to restrict piling operations to night-time. He then used self-drilling micro-piles for the 16 piles directly above the tunnel and 102 helical piles on the rest of the site.
He finished 16 weeks ahead of schedule, under budget and without any compromise to quality or workmanship.
Steve Malmquist, Lovell Partnerships
Silver
Steve Malmquist, Lovell Partnerships
Project Watton, Norfolk
Value £5.2m
Contract JCT 2005
Steve Malmquist has experienced just about everything on building sites. Nothing, though, compares with last year’s weather, which seriously disrupted progress on this former RAF site. He delved deep into the construction manager’s book of tricks to claw the six-week deficit back, with extended working days and weekend working proving invaluable.
Yet he did not permit the resulting high level of construction intensity to jeopardise safety or community relations. His carefully constructed traffic management plans and unstinting community interaction won praise.
He reformulated the construction methodology, replacing structurally insulated panels with traditional timber frame, reducing costs while maintaining thermal integrity. The budget was further protected by enhancing the permeable paving and remodelling the drainage.
Finalists
Nick Cuffe FCIOB MPR Projects
Cedar Gate, Ringwood, Hants
Harry Dainton MCIOB, Miller Homes North West
Millers Green, Heysham, Lancs
Graham Fletcher-Campbell, Hill Partnerships
Thornberry Court, London NW10
Phil Holden, Seddon Construction
Tulloch Court Cherry Tree Care, Blackpool
Tony Maguire, Higgins Construction
John Bond House, London E3
Allen Marshall ICIOB, Miller Homes East Midlands
Royal Gate, Derby
Giles Staines, Leadbitter Group
Radford Estate, Plymouth
Mark Tomalin MCIOB, Denne Construction
Margaret House, Uckfield, East Sussex
Simon Waters, Castleoak
Riverdale Court, Welling
