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Category: Projects £7-10m Name: David Greene Company: Sunrise Esher, Surrey Project: Stanway School, Colchester Contract: JCT 1998 without quantities |
From the moment he was asked to act as the site-based project manager at very short notice, David Greene had little time to draw breath on this project, which moved at breakneck pace throughout.
At 58 weeks, the programme was truly challenging. The scheme was Wates' eighth for the client, which set a daunting new timescale by lopping a month off the shortest programme Wates had achieved till then (62 weeks for 64 units).
The problems came thick and fast. With site start delayed by late vacation by the demolition contractor, David decided to keep the piling start date although the pile mat still had to be completed, and sequenced external drainage and roadworks around the piling.
He then pushed hard on completing the superstructure and services as rapidly as possible to ensure the quality finishes demanded by the client would not be compromised by the subsequent build-up of time pressures. Accordingly, he double-streamed the framing and the decking, finishing two weeks early and overcoming the initial delay to site possession.
Assessing the two below-ground storage tanks for cold water and sprinklers as uneconomical on this lump sum contract, David successfully substituted a combined tank, moving fast to install it before the superstructure start cut off access.
Eager to resolve the service co-ordination problems encountered on previous schemes, David persuaded the sprinkler subcontractor (who was least able to be flexible on the service outlets) to lead the production of co-ordinated drawings. The tactic paid off at installation, with virtually no rework required by the finishing trades.
And when production problems arose with the German-sourced and Polish-made bathroom pods – an innovation seen as the way forward by the client – David successfully overcame the delays (the last units were delivered five weeks late). That he did so was largely thanks to meetings he had set up with all trades to discuss and resolve optimum work sequences, resulting in virtually no out-of-sequence activities.
David's attention to detail, negotiating skills, ability to gather and focus the construction team delivered a fast-moving contract one week early and to the highest level of quality. The client regards the scheme as its best yet and the benchmark for the future. On the strength of David's achievement, Wates has won a follow-on contract with the client.
