Name: Andrew Mackintosh
Employer: Willmott Dixon Construction
Project: HM Prison Lindholme, Doncaster
Contract: PPC 2000
Stepping into a prisoner’s shoes was the key to success for Andrew Mackintosh. Set within a live prison, with inmates constantly around, his project had any number of security issues. By thinking through the whole construction methodology from a prisoner’s viewpoint, Andy was able to master the security agenda.
Building anything inside a prison takes longer than it does outside. Andy’s understanding of the programme and of how best the subcontractors could move around and work were fundamental to efficient operations. Every construction vehicle had to be accompanied by a guard at all times onsite, and that meant 60 guards at the peak of the contract.
From the outset Andy worked closely with the prison management. He was instrumental in building a team-oriented and fully partnered culture with all the stakeholders. The client team initially adopted a more traditional approach, but Andy’s openness and honesty quickly won them over, resulting in a fine exercise of collaboration and good relations.
He was particularly effective in keeping the governor informed of what was being planned weeks ahead of the actual works. His project management excellence allowed him to predict successfully the completion dates of the many phased handovers. It was an essential attribute as the prison needed to roster enough guards for the construction workers to get onsite.
Andy’s programme and quality mastery can be seen from the snag-free no-defect handovers. Every time a building was handed over, a full search had to be carried out a few days beforehand. The date had to be booked four months in advance as the search teams use specialist equipment and four different types of sniffer dog. His consistently successful date prediction accordingly proved a crucial attribute, while perfect quality avoided the difficulties of being permitted to subsequently re-enter the building only on a one-man one-guard basis.
This closeness of relationship allowed Andy to remove an excess £2.5m from the project costs. The substantial savings even allowed him to provide additional works without extra funding. He also worked hard to minimise the client’s risk, and delay charges were the lowest of any prison contract.
Value: £20.3m