Name: Paul Newall ACIOB
Employer: Morgan Sindall (Construction) plc
Project: Strathaven Academy, Strathaven, South Lanarkshire
Contract: PPP
Paul Newall earned his employer’s ultimate ‘perfect delivery’ accolade for handing over this project on schedule and snag-free to a delighted client. Central to how he did it were his recognition of who the stakeholders were, identifying their requirements and going the extra mile to give exceptional customer service.
His management of all the stakeholders was impressive. He engaged with the subcontractors to drive value engineering. He advanced the design through fortnightly meetings. He organised familiarisation visits for teaching staff. He invited the residents nearby onsite to discuss works affecting them. And he met the president of the adjacent bowling club, agreeing to erect a 5m-high fence and debris netting to protect the greens.
He listened to the concerns of residents about the project drainage. It was originally planned to run along a lane, across an access road and over a park, so Paul re-engineered as an underground system to minimise disruption.
Paul triumphed over the site’s difficult access – a single-track road leading off the main road through the village – with a robust traffic management plan. He identified the resulting need to redesign construction elements. For example, the feature steel circular columns could not be delivered as single sections, so he had the multiple sections welded and tested onsite. Likewise the length of the single sheet of Kalzip required for the barrel vault meant it had to be manufactured onsite.
And he ensured quality by producing test and inspection plans for each works package. Hold points allowed for checking and sign-off, and Paul moved quickly to dispel misconceptions about the standard of finish required.
Value: £13.7m