Name: Stephen Randall
Employer: Kier Eastern
Project: Studios 2 & 3, Alchemy 2,Construction Bldg, Great Yarmouth College
Contract: JCT 2005
At the age of 27, Stephen Randall has shown he is made of the right stuff.
With the project abruptly losing its construction manager three months in and with a quarter of the contract period already gone, Stephen was drafted in at the shortest of notices and without any handover.
Things had not been going well. The project consisted of three separate but simultaneous contracts in two different locations on the campus. The inherent logistical challenges of the arrangement had been too much. Information release, procurement, site progress and team morale had all faltered.
Stephen quickly made the project his own. Within a week of appointment, he held an emergency design workshop, forcing the issues with the project team until a way forward had been finalised. He also tackled the issues that had arisen over contractor design portions. He then brought a sense of structure and organisation to working patterns by assigning realistic roles and responsibilities to each member of the team.
The good relationship Stephen formed with the key stakeholders was particularly impressive given the available time frame and his limited project management experience. His drive and passion energised the project and rebuilt a collaborative approach. His proactivity and organisation helped mitigate the major problems caused by the many client-led design variations.
And his management of the site neighbours was just as impeccable. Before constructing a brick wall across their back gardens, he visited all the residents, showing them details of the construction and how it would affect them. No complaints were subsequently made by the gratified residents, despite their strong opposition to the scheme at the planning stage.
Value: £7.8m