Finalist |
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Category: PFI Projects |
Having worked as a planner at South Tees Hospital, James Hindes came to this project with important lessons already learned about PFI in the NHS. He set about applying them with conspicuous success.
Aware of how critical floorspace is for an urban hospital, James maximised the area available by promoting the design of an S-shaped building to follow the line of its river boundary. He surmounted the set of internal design challenges posed by a curved building by careful planning.
James made a point of providing space in the site office for all the key stakeholders and placed great emphasis on the site team fostering the best possible relationships with them. He formed teams composed of a buyer, construction manager, planner and QS, and gave each the responsibility for developing and managing a works package from tender to final account. The enhanced communication and relationships helped keep subcontractor costs under control.
Even before financial close, James pre-appointed key subcontractors to help develop the detailed design. The victories for supplier input included prefabricated M&E corridor modules, flat-slab construction without beams, common floor levels to allow for self-levelling screeds, and wall-mounted toilets giving improved infection control and better floor finishes.
James also advanced elements of the design to steal a march on the procurement programme. The project's advance to construction status was further accelerated by the implementation of Buzzsaw collaboration software, which allowed all design team members to comment on drawings.
Most crucially of all, James was direct, clear and concise with the client. The tightness of NHS trust procedures and budgets can turn difficult or contentious issues into contractual disputes. James demonstrated strong leadership early on, issuing a delay notice when the client's failure to deal with a live high-voltage power line through the site held up substructure works by four weeks.
The subsequent time extension was accompanied by an acceleration deal for which Carillion was compensated. As a result, James recovered the programme and completed the project by the original date. And not only was the client extremely pleased with its building, but Carillion also exceeded its projected profit margin by almost 50%.
