Name: Paul Thorp
Employer: Shaylor Construction
Project: HMP Ashwell Ancillaries, Rutland
Contract: PPC 2000
Paul Thorp has conspicuous form in this sector. Having previously handed over a £5m kitchen building at this prison six weeks early to high-quality standards and with zero defects, he was wanted again by a delighted client.
This time around, though, it was a tougher challenge, with much greater proximity to prisoners and a raft of works in different locations requiring 11 separate handovers. Paul’s methodical, personable and commonsense approach helped him maximise the relationships already forged and the trust already gained to do the job with distinction.
He designed out the programme’s biggest risk by proposing the creation of a separate contractor-only access gate through a redundant gate lock. Weeks of hard negotiation and security assessment were required before the proposal was agreed, but its implementation was key. It avoided deliveries jamming up at the main prison gate and gave the workforce easier access.
Paul championed a one-team style. His embrace of partnering fostered excellent relationships with client and subcontractors. He ran whole-team workshops to develop best-value solutions. Successful initiatives included retaining rather than demolishing a kitchen block and building a temporary internal security fence, which allowed deliveries to be rerouted and gave the construction team freedom to build.
And when a riot destroyed one of the buildings already handed over, Paul immediately contacted the prison governor offering emergency fencing as required. Handed the rebuild contract, Paul gave the client a 15% saving on the original cost by persuading the supply chain he could reduce its downtime risk (normally 50% in a prison environment).
Value: £6.6m