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Comment – Cheetah Learning – The right goals for you.

Comment – BSIA – Choosing a security training provider

Comment - Prefabricated builds – the answer to the million homes conundrum?

Comment – Ben Dyer at Powered Now, shares his thoughts on how to win business.

Comment – Barry Ashmore at Streetwise Subbie reminds us to – Don’t believe the hype!

Comment – Thomas Eggar LLP – Is this the end of retentions?

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Blackcraig wind farm obtains £82.7M finance packageUK Green Investment Bank (GIB) and KKR have committed £82.7M of senior debt to the consented 52.9MW Blackcraig wind farm via Temporis Capital LLP. GIB is contributing £49.5M of the total finance package.

The 23-turbine project, located in Dumfries and Galloway, is owned by project sponsor, Blue Energy. Once operational, it is expected to produce more than 150GWh of renewable electricity annually, enough to meet the electricity requirements of over 37,500 homes.

The project is also forecast to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 25kt CO2e per annum; the equivalent of removing 11,200 cars from the road.

Construction of the wind farm will commence this month with completion scheduled for the end of March 2017.

A community fund, established by Blue Energy and managed with local representatives, will support local initiatives throughout the 25 year operational life of the wind farm.

Ed Northam, Head of Investment Banking, UK Green Investment Bank, said: “The Blackcraig wind farm has the capacity to provide 37,500 homes with renewable energy for 25 years. We congratulate Blue Energy on reaching financial close and are please to play our part in helping the project to happen.”

David Watson, CEO, Temporis, said:

“We are delighted to be contributing further to the UK’s renewable energy production and commitments, particularly in light of the landmark agreement reached in Paris, and look forward to working with Blue Energy to bring the project to fruition.”

Christopher Dean, CEO, Blue Energy, said: “In what has been an eventful year for UK renewables we are delighted to secure this funding from Temporis, GIB and KKR. Whilst the funding environment remains challenging this financing completes a very successful year for Blue Energy who now have just over 250MW of onshore wind projects in construction throughout the UK.”

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Contract awarded for National Sports Performance CentreA regional contractor which specialises in the design and installation of mechanical and electrical (M&E) building services has recently been awarded a £3.5M contract for the construction of Oriam, Scotland’s new National Sports Performance Centre, costing a total of £33M.

Castle Building Services, which has offices in East Kilbride and South Tyneside, has been appointed by main contractor Bowmer and Kirkland to work on the prestigious new centre which will be constructed on site at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Campus. It will act as the performance base for both the Scottish FA and Scottish Rugby Union, as well as the sportscotland institute of sport (East), Basketball Scotland, Scottish Handball, Scottish Squash and Racketball and Scottish Volleyball.The new centre will include a full

sized indoor pitch with seating for 500, top level grass and synthetic outdoor pitches, a high performance strength and conditioning centre, a high performance medical centre and hydrotherapy pool, fitness centres, studios and support services.

Castle’s scope of work includes the installation of all mechanical and electrical services to both the sports dome - which features hydro therapy pools and sophisticated HD/CCTV for the elite sportsmen and women training, who will be able to video themselves - as well as the outdoor MUGAs.

The biggest challenge on the scheme for Castle’s team is going to be lighting the 3G pitch from the perimeter rather than using traditional 23m high lighting suspended over the centre of the pitch. Working closely with sports pitch

lighting specialist, Abacus and Reiach and Hall Architects, the team have designed a lower height solution to the problem. This will be of significant benefit to the client, as it offers time and cost benefits by eliminating the need for specialist access equipment.

Councillor Richard Lewis, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture and Sport Convenor, said: “The centre will provide an excellent national home to the next generation of top athletes and those involved in helping them achieve their aims, but crucially it will also support local rising stars and those who are still developing a passion for sport. The community and local sport groups will be able to take advantage of this world-class facility on their doorstep.”

Edinburgh Marina development finally gets the green lightThe City of Edinburgh Council planning committee have granted planning consent to the revised masterplan for Edinburgh Marina the 300 berth marina, residential, retail and spa hotel development that will be the focal point of Granton Harbour’s regeneration, just 2.5 miles from Edinburgh City Centre.

Edinburgh Marina is believed to be the first new marina next to a capital city in Europe for several decades, providing a major boost to inward investment in Edinburgh of over £300M.

The Edinburgh Marina development will deliver new homes for over 4,000 residents as well as local employment opportunities for up to 800 people, whilst the new Masterplan provides for improved marine services, including a community boatyard and improved facilities for the Royal Forth and Forth Corinthian yacht clubs.

The revised scheme also makes provision for the proposed new transport facilities in the area, including the extension of the tram service.

A spokesman for the developers, Granton Central Developments Limited, said: “We are thrilled that consent has now been granted for the revised masterplan, due in part to the fantastic support of the local community who we would like to thank for their ongoing support. This is a wonderful present for the people of Granton, who have been forced to live for far too long with Granton Harbour in its current state. We’re very excited to start working towards bringing Granton Harbour to life.”

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Glasgow pupils‘Get into Engineering’School pupils in Glasgow have made their first steps towards becoming engineers after graduating from a course designed to encourage careers in the industry.

The ‘Get into Engineering’ scheme – run in collaboration between Robertson Group, Clyde Gateway and University of West of Scotland – saw ten pupils engage in practical projects across a three-month period.

Five pupils from St Mungo’s Academy in Glasgow and five from Trinity High School in Rutherglen took part in an awards ceremony, with Robertson announcing at the event that they had engaged with 12,000 youths throughout 2015.

Gemma Nicoll, Group Community Development Manager, Robertson Group, said: “We have worked with thousands of children and young people this year, with a great number of them being interested

in a career in construction.

“From class room engagement to workshops and site visits, everything we do is designed to encourage future employment in the industry. The ‘Get into Engineering’ scheme has been a key activity for us, and we are so pleased that all the pupils spoke so highly of their experience.”

As part of the programme, the pupils have been working with Robertson Civil Engineering on the development of the Cuningar Loop Bridge project.

Once in place, the new Glasgow landmark will connect the Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village in Glasgow’s East End to a new community green space. The bridge is scheduled to open in early summer 2016.

Natalie Phillips, Education, Business & Community Growth Project Manager with Clyde Gateway said: “Supporting local pupils into careers and further

or higher education is one of the key aims of Clyde Gateway and our ‘Get into Engineering’ Programme over the past three years has been a huge success in helping to achieve this.

“Robertson has become one of our key partners in the delivery of this innovative programme and there is no question that the unique learning opportunities they provide for pupils are ideal. Not only are they enjoyable, interesting and informative but they also give everyone involved the perfect introduction to what is involved in engineering and construction.”

Dr Stuart Tennant of University of the West of Scotland’s School of Engineering and Computing said: “We are delighted to be actively involved in the ‘Get into Engineering’ initiative which gives high school pupils the opportunity to experience different areas of the industry and also get a feel for university life.”

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Jones Bros set to offer new industry leading training and qualificationsLeading civil engineering firm Jones Bros is expanding its range of training courses after being approved to deliver industry specific qualifications from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

The approval comes after the Ruthin-based Company invested £10,000 to upgrade its training centre to enable re-assessments of highways maintenance workers.

An area of the training centre has been set aside for the courses, aimed at operators and supervisors working within the public and private sectors. The Company can also take its training to its clients’ premises.

Jones Bros’ Training Manager Richard Owen, said: “We strive for the continual progression of our training centre and this has been acknowledged with approval from the SQA.

“We are passionate about our training and apprenticeship schemes at Jones Bros. It has enabled us to develop a highly skilled, committed and loyal workforce over the years.

“While we’ve been offering external training for several years, we’re pleased to extend our package of training courses to the highways sector. Our flexibility enables us to go to our clients as well as them attending the training centre.”

People working in highways maintenance have to be reassessed every five years in skills including installing traffic management systems and carrying out underground land surveys.

Training and assessments available at Jones Bros training centre includes reinstatement and compaction of backfill materials, reinstatement of hot-lay bituminous materials and the monitoring

of signing, lighting and guarding.

SQA is the national awarding body in Scotland and provides a wide range of high quality, industry-recognised qualifications and associated services.

Tammy Willett, Regional Manager for Wales at SQA, said: “We are delighted to confirm Jones Brothers as a SQA approved centre, giving them the opportunity to deliver our industry recognised qualifications and support the wider aims of their business.”

Founded in the 1950s and employing 350 people, Jones Bros has grown rapidly in the last decade. It is currently working on contracts including the construction of waste management facilities, highways, flood and marine defence and renewable energy projects around the UK.

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Miller Homes pledges to raise £100,000 for habitat for humanityA commitment by leading housebuilder Miller Homes to raise £100,000 for international development charity Habitat for Humanity Great Britain’s new Hope Builders Campaign, will lay the foundations for the building of over 30 new ‘Habitat Homes’, helping to lift many people out of poverty housing.

Miller Homes is the first major housebuilder to pledge its support to the re-launched campaign, which is supported by the Home Builders Federation and aims to give those living in poverty housing a safe, decent place to call home. To kick-start its fundraising, Miller Homes has donated £30,000 to the campaign.

Chris Endsor, Chief Executive of Miller Homes, said: “We are delighted to put our weight behind Habitat for Humanity GB’s Hope Builders Campaign during 2016. Having a safe, decent place to live is something many of us take for granted and we are in the privileged position of having the resources, skills

and expertise to build high quality homes for many families to live and prosper in the UK. We recognise the importance for all families, no matter where they are in the world, of having a place to feel safe, secure and to build a future and by supporting this campaign we have a fantastic opportunity to use our resources, enthusiasm and determination to make a real difference to those who need it most.

“Throughout the year we will put our commitment into action, by organising a number of fundraising events and activities, giving a member of our team the opportunity to take part in next year’s London Marathon and enabling a team of Miller Homes employees to participate in a Global Village trip. We hope the money we raise will be enough to build over 30 homes and make a real difference to those stuck in the cycle of poverty housing.”

Habitat for Humanity’s focus is on shelter and it recognises that home

is the cornerstone of hope for those living in poverty. The charity works with established partners in more than 70 countries across the world to offer simple, sustainable solutions by working with the poorest and most vulnerable people to provide the support needed to help them lift themselves out of poverty by building homes and communities and restoring their independence.

The average cost of a Habitat Home is £3,000 and companies are being encouraged to join a story that will unlock the power of home for generations to come.Meryl Davies, Chief Executive of Habitat for Humanity, commented: “By partnering with Habitat for Humanity, Miller Homes is showing a real commitment to ending poverty housing across the world. We are immensely grateful for their support and delighted to be working in partnership with them as our newest Hope Builder. We hope other housebuilders will follow their example and get behind our campaign.”

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UK Government Rail Minister Claire Perry and Scottish Government Transport Minister Derek Mackay joined Network Rail Managing Director for Scotland, Phil Verster, at Lamington today to see the ongoing operation to repair a vital viaduct on the West Coast Mainline.

Engineers are currently working around-the-clock to stabilise the structure after one of its stone piers was badly weakened by floodwater damage caused by Storm Frank.

Over 1,500 tonnes of stone have been used to create a temporary dam across part of the River Clyde to allow engineers to access the base of the pier, where large sections of the original stone foundations have been washed away.

Engineers will pump around 150 tonnes of quick-setting concrete into the void to recreate the pier base before beginning additional work to strengthen the structure and realign and repair the railway track above.

The recovery works are currently progressing to plan and engineers are

continuing to target February for the reopening of the line for passengers.

Phil Verster, Network Rail Managing Director for Scotland, said: “Our engineers are working hard in very challenging conditions to stabilise and strengthen the structure.

“The West Coast Mainline is a vitally important transport link for passengers and freight and we are committed to completing these works and reopening the line for customers as quickly as we can.”

UK Government Rail Minister Claire Perry said: “The storms and extreme weather conditions in recent weeks have resulted in great challenges for the transport system across the UK. We are working closely with Network Rail and the train operators to make sure that the considerable damage to the viaduct is repaired as soon as possible so that the line can be reopened, and we thank them for their hard work.

I am determined that the safety of passengers and workers must always be

our priority while this work is ongoing.”Scottish Government Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “The record amount of rainfall that we have witnessed over recent weeks has resulted in significant damage to transport infrastructure around Scotland, including the West Coast and Highland main lines.

“I recognise the inconvenience that these works are causing to passengers, however, the safety of Scotland’s railways is of paramount concern and the severity of the damage to the viaduct meant that engineers were left with no option but to suspend all services that use it. I can assure the public that Network Rail are doing all they can to get the rail service operational again under difficult conditions.”

At the same time, it has been confirmed that work to upgrade the East Coast Mainline between Newcastle and Darlington will go ahead with Network Rail and the Train Operating Companies working together to help passengers make cross border journeys.

Ministers review West Coast Mainline recovery works

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Planning permission secured for historic Donaldson’s redevelopmentPlanning permission has been approved by The City of Edinburgh Council for the redevelopment of the ‘Category A Listed’ Donaldson’s College.

Working in partnership, City & Country will restore and convert the historic Playfair building, while CALA Evans will create a range of contemporary homes in the surrounding grounds.The permission allows for 115 new properties sited within the Playfair building, ranging from one- to three-bedrooms, and 84 newly built two- and three-bedroom homes, designed in a crescent shape to the rear of the Playfair building. The sweeping South Lawn that faces Wester Coates will be retained as an open, landscaped area.

Helen Moore, Managing Director of City & Country, commented: “We are extremely pleased that The City of Edinburgh Council has approved our plans for this truly majestic building.

“City & Country has a long and distinguished history working with incredibly inspiring and challenging architectural assets and the Playfair building is no different, sitting amongst some of the very finest buildings in the UK.

“The apartments will be carefully

woven into the historic fabric of the building to provide genuinely unique places for people to live. Sited within the Edinburgh World Heritage Site, we are pleased that our plans demonstrate the ambitions we have to breathe new life into this icon of Scottish architecture and we cannot wait to get started.”

Landscape proposals for the site, which seek to enhance the mature landscaping at the site’s perimeter, have also been submitted. The new build crescent will have private garden areas to the rear, while the Playfair building’s internal courtyard will serve as a private open space for residents with the remainder of the open spaces communal.

The proposed alterations to the Playfair building are mostly internal and include the conversion of currently redundant basement and attic spaces. External alterations to the building include new dormers and roof terraces, a change of windows to doors and the landscape proposals for the internal courtyard.

David McGrath, Managing Director of CALA Homes (East) said: “We’re absolutely delighted that city planners have approved our proposals and are now very much looking forward to delivering top quality

homes at very special location.“Donaldson’s is a magnificent site and therefore its restoration is quite rightly a very high profile project and one which we are proud to have been driving forward for a number of years.

“Throughout the community and council planning consultation process it has been very reassuring to see how committed everyone has been to seeing this site restored.

“We held a series of public consultations about the updated proposals, which were first approved in 2007, and listened carefully to extensive feedback. The local community all stated how important it is to see this building secured for future generations and we can now looking forward to making this a reality.”

Donaldson’s College boasts a rich history. Formerly Donaldson’s Hospital, the building was constructed between 1842 and 1851 after its benefactor, James Donaldson, bequeathed all of his property to build and found a hospital for children after his death. The striking design is the master work of renowned visionary architect William Henry Playfair, whose other famous work includes the National Monument and the National Gallery of Scotland.

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Turner & Townsend to programme manage £333M exhibition and conference centreThe global construction consultancy Turner & Townsend is to play a key role in programme managing a Masterplan development, including the building of a brand new exhibition and conference centre in Aberdeen.

The 105,000sq m complex - due to be completed in time for the Offshore Europe Conference in 2019 - will include a 9,000sq m 12,500-capacity arena, which has the flexibility to double up as an exhibition hall.

The Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), includes an adjoining four star hotel, with a further two hotels located adjacent to the main building, which will be developed within the first phase. The Masterplan for the site allows for future development of up to 60,000sq m of offices and 6,000sq m of leisure.

The new facility will be fully serviced by an energy centre and anaerobic digestion plant. This will provide a sustainable source of power, heat and cooling for the complex, along with the two further hotels. This will also supply an income stream that will help

cover the cost of the development.

The AECC, which will be located off the A96 adjacent to Aberdeen International Airport, is expected to attract an extra 31,000 business tourists a year to Scotland and lead to an additional visitor spend of £11M per annum.

Turner & Townsend, which was chosen for its strong track record in successfully completing similar schemes, will be working for specialist property developer Henry Boot Developments Ltd who are partnering with Aberdeen City Council on this scheme.

The consultancy will project manage the first phase of construction and be responsible for the overall programme management of the masterplan, which will be built out on the site of the Rowett Research Institute at Bucksburn. The Institute is relocating to another part of the city.

Andy Outram, Director for Turner & Townsend, said: “We have supported Henry Boot throughout the whole bid process with the city council

and we’re looking forward to being a crucial partner in delivering this state-of-the-art public facility, which will compete on a world stage.

“Over the next three years, our role will be to overcome numerous challenges including construction so close to the airport, diverting large scale utilities and repositioning three existing watercourse to create a new park.”

Nick Harris, Director for Henry Boot Developments said: “Turner & Townsend has already proved its credentials as an expert partner, and we now look forward to working with them to build a centre that will play an invaluable role in driving sustainable economic growth for the area.

“The Bucksburn masterplan will deliver excellent architectural, urban and landscape design, providing a venue which is a key element of the business structure needed to promote Aberdeen as a World Energy City and the Energy Capital of Europe.”

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Tender issued for £112M Queen Street station transformationThe transformation of one of Scotland’s most important railway stations, Glasgow Queen Street, has moved a step closer after a £112M tender was issued for its rebuild.

As Scotland’s third busiest station, with 20 million passengers a year, Glasgow Queen Street needs to expand to meet predicted growth to 28 million passengers by 2030.

The station’s platforms and concourse also need to be extended to accommodate the faster, longer, greener electric trains being introduced to Scotland’s railway as part of the £742M Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP).

Due for completion in 2019, the redevelopment will create a landmark, modern station which reflects Queen Street’s role as a gateway to the city and as an important departure point for visitors heading north and east.The scope of the project will include:

• Demolition of the Millennium Hotel’s 1970s extension above the station. • Demolition of Consort House.

• Removal of the canopy over the footway in Dundas Street. • Redevelopment of the station concourse, south and west facades, including reconstruction and extension of station buildings. • Improved station entrances at Dundas Street and George Square. • New lighting and public address systems. • New ticket office and staff accommodation block. • Construction of extended platforms to accommodate eight-car trains.

Phil Verster, Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance, said: “This is another tremendously exciting step forward in our plans to transform Scotland’s railway. We recently announced our largest ever train improvement plan, which will deliver new trains, thousands of extra seats and great facilities such as at-seat power points and enhanced Wi-Fi across our fleet.

“Today we are confirming that one of our busiest and most important stations will also be transformed, making it larger and with much better facilities for our growing number of customers.

“Scotland’s railway is about more than running metal boxes up and down the tracks. We are all about using trains to connect people with jobs, businesses with customers and communities with more opportunities to grow and prosper. The changes we are making in the coming years will make sure that we have a modern fleet, running on improved infrastructure to and from world-class stations. That is a rail network we can all be proud of.”

Rodger Querns, Programme Director for the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, added: “This is further good progress in the delivery of EGIP. We have already successfully completed a number of key elements of EGIP including the electrification of the Cumbernauld line and Haymarket station, and are on the ground across the Edinburgh-Glasgow railway preparing the line for electrification and building Edinburgh Gateway Interchange at Gogar, where we are also making good progress.

“We look forward to delivering this challenging, but exciting project that will realise huge improvements for passengers.”

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For many people, January is the most common time of the year to pursue new goals. As the years go on, this yearly goal-setting becomes routine; even though you have new goals you’re passionate about pursuing each year, your faith in your ability to accomplish them or your awareness about why you’re setting goals in the first place may diminish.

This January, we here at Cheetah Learning encourage you to take a new approach to goal-setting this year. Before you jot down a list of “New Year’s Resolutions,” take some time to reflect on what goals are really worth pursuing based on how you want to see yourself and what will help you increase your happiness. What goals make you feel enthusiastically engaged and present in your pursuit of them? What projects bring you deep happiness, contentment, or even bliss?

If your pursuit of your goals is not making you feel enthusiastically engaged and present, AND bringing you a deep sense of contentment, you may not be pursuing the goals best aligned with your true purpose. Instead, you might be diverting your energy toward one of the following:

Mismatched Goals. These are the goals that are a poor match for both your talents and your interests. These are goals that are challenging for you to achieve - but not in a good way. Rather than making you feel inspired

and engaged, these goals require you to perform tasks that you dread and which do not feel particularly rewarding. Often, the tasks required to achieve this goal will be things you have never done before and are not knowledgeable about.

Distractions from your Goals. These are secondary goals that are “all over the place” that distract you from achieving the goals that really matter. These are goals that you may feel really excited about doing in theory, but when you sit down to do them, your enthusiasm quickly fades. You may also find yourself pursuing a goal that brings you happiness, but which is so familiar and easy for you that you no longer need to be fully engaged in its pursuit. All of these types of goals need to be recognised for what they are: distractions from your pursuit of the transcendent goals that will bring you lasting fulfilment aligned with your purpose.

“Station of Life” Goals. These are the goals based on what you think you need to be doing based on “norms” for where you are in your life. As you transition from your 20s to your 30s, for example, you may feel the need to set goals for buying a home, getting married, and starting a family. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with these goals. Too often, though, the reason we set these goals is based more on what we think “society” expects of us than the kind of life we truly want to live. Transcendent Goals. Rather than settling

for “station of life” goals, push yourself to identify goals that align with how you want to see yourself and with your true purpose. These are goals that both align well with your interests and talents, AND push you to expand your current abilities at times. Some of the tasks required to accomplish this goal will be easy for you, while others will be challenging - the key is to have a balance between these types of tasks. These goals may or may not align with what others expect of you - and it’s just fine if they don’t. What matters is that these are goals that bring your existence into alignment with who YOU want to be and with your highest good.

To learn more about moving from setting “station of life” goals to identifying the “transcendent” goals that will bring you into alignment with your true purpose, contact Cheetah Learning on 888-659-2013 or email info@cheetahlearning.com

By Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP®, PMI-ACP, Chief Cheetahand Founder of Cheetah Learning

New Year’s Resolutions: Are your new Goals the right goals for you?

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In March 2015, an undercover BBC investigation uncovered evidence of security licences being fraudulently obtained in the UK. One month on, James Kelly Chief Executive of the British Security Industry Association – the trade body representing the UK’s private security industry– discusses the importance of choosing a reputable training provider.

The BBC investigation discovered that two colleges in London were willing to help students cheat security exams, either by giving students the answers, sitting the exam on their behalf or fast-tracking them through the required 140 hours of training. Secretly filmed footage showed the college director offering to fast track a student to a close protection qualification without any training for a fee of £1,200. Worryingly, students who have fraudulently obtained Security Industry Authority (SIA) licences could now be working in front-line security roles.

The SIA – the regulatory body for the private security industry - states that it is essential that individuals working in the private security industry undergo a structured training programme that results in a recognised qualification. Without a recognised qualification, an SIA licence would not be issued and therefore the applicant could not legally undertake licensable activities. What to look for in a Security Training Provider.

It is vitally important that security qualifications are obtained through a reputable training provider to ensure that they are awarded legitimately. There are additional business benefits in procuring the services of a good training provider, such as ensuring that staff are fully prepared for the challenges they may face in their role, and to give them the necessary skills and expertise to deliver the best possible customer service.

A good training provider will be an accredited training centre audited by a UKAS or Ofqual awarding body and have a variety of different courses for different disciplines which are offered at a range of levels. Training should be delivered by professionally qualified tutors – that is, they have a qualification in education and training as approved by the SIA – with ‘real world’ experience. Reputable training providers will also have professional learning environments with modern teaching aids and a comprehensive suite of industry specific equipment on which to learn.

Endorsement from a leading industry body such as the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) also shows a provider’s commitment to delivering a professional, quality service. Leading industry bodies will require members to meet strict quality criteria before they are formally recognised as members. Providers endorsed by industry bodies will usually have had to provide evidence of a quality management system such as ISO 9001:2008 and will have been vetted to ensure that they are financially sound, have adequate insurance, are soundly managed and conduct their business in a professional manner. Therefore, a provider who has recognised endorsements is best placed to ensure that security personnel are trained to the highest quality standards throughout each stage of their career.

The BSIA has had a dedicated section of membership for companies specialising in the provision of security training since 2012. The Training Providers Section is committed to working with fellow training providers, colleges, security companies, trade organisations and the Government to drive standards, increase professionalism and ultimately improve the standard of training offered in the security industry. As such, the section was compelled to speak out against training malpractice in light

of the BBC’s investigation and totally endorsed the stance adopted by the BBC. The section is committed to sustaining high standards in performance and training in the security industry and has developed its own rigorous code of conduct. The section has also developed guides to help educate end users about the procurement of security training services and how to identify a reputable training provider. Members of the BSIA’s Training Providers Section have expertise across all areas of the industry and can provide courses in subjects such as CCTV, door supervision, alarms and access control, control room operations and leadership and management. Their specialist knowledge enables them to deliver training in a wide range of challenging situations and trainers often possess higher levels of teaching qualification than their non-member counterparts. Sourcing a reputable training providerChoosing a training provider with the appropriate qualifications and experience to deliver high quality training courses can be challenging for any company looking to improve its employees’ knowledge and skills. Doing some basic research into any prospective provider can reassure end users that they are of good repute. A good training provider will possess all of the qualities discussed in this article and you can normally find evidence of this on the company’s website in the first instance. If you have any doubts, ask to visit the company’s premises to have a look around - the best training providers will proudly show off their facilities. Reputable training providers can be sourced through an industry body such as the BSIA, to find out more information about the BSIA’s Training Providers Section or to find your nearest reputable training provider, visit: www.bsia.co.uk/sections/training-providers

Choosing a Security Training Provider –picking the best from the rest.

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In September of last year, the Government announced headline-grabbing, but ultimately ambitious, plans to build a million new homes in England by 2020. The National Housing Federation revealed the extent of the housing crisis, suggesting that only half of the required new homes are currently being built.

With an estimated 245,000 new homes necessitated every year, the current model is leading to many families struggling to afford a permanent home – especially first time buyers. This has led to speculation that adopting the German model of increased reliance upon pre-fabricated homes could help the Government achieve their 2020 target, and help redress England’s housing crisis.

The quicker build time and lower construction costs of developing and installing pre-fabricated homes can help house the families currently crying out for new family homes.

The Government are currently working on a number of schemes to encourage first time buyers to take their first steps onto the property ladder. Initiatives such as lower deposits programmes and the Help-to-Buy ISAs are intended to make buying a property more affordable – however a shortage of available homes

could prove to be a stumbling block.

Government schemes and grants could increase demand for homes, but if the supply does not grow in tandem, it could effectively lead to developers continuing to hike up house prices – leaving even more first time buyers without the opportunity to invest.

The German construction industry is perhaps better suited to an influx of first time buyers thanks to their advanced adoption of pre-fabricated homes. Often considered to be a leader in innovating comfortable, attractive and efficient pre-fabricated houses; the technology and number of dedicated factories are far greater in Germany than the UK.

Throughout the country, firms have set up to create robust, stylish, safe and warm pre-fabricated homes which can be used to house the growing German population.

This gap between German and UK pre-fab construction industries is perhaps best exemplified in the Channel 4 show, Grand Designs, wherein presenter Kevin McCloud always seems to be jetting off to Germany when the episode features a pre-fabricated house. This demonstrates an insufficient supply of pre-fabricated housing currently available in the UK.

Joerg Bauer is Chief of Bauer Holzbausysteme, a small family-run business specialising in building pre-fabricated homes on a site close to the borders of Austria and Switzerland. He explains how increasing demand for pre-fab homes is affecting his business: “We are about to introduce a double-shift at our plant in Neukirch, open a bigger factory building in nearby Lindau and increase our staff from 40 currently to 60.”

An effective increase in the number of homes in England will undoubtedly have additional knock-on effects for the construction industry – with greater need for increased infrastructure and support.

Paul Manchester, Director of Manchester Safety Services, suggests: “With an increasing population, there will be additional need for improved infrastructure around towns and satellite settlements in which new home owners will reside. With hundreds of miles of roadworks on UK roads, there is already the need to improve the nation’s roads and this will only intensify as the population grows.”

But the first step for accommodating a rapidly growing population is ensuring that everyone has a roof over their head.

Are Pre-Fabricated homes the answer to the Million Homes Conundrum?

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Putting together quotes takes a lot of effort. That’s why it is particularly irritating when you lose a job after composing a difficult quote. Benjamin Dyer of Powered Now provides tips on how to keep this danger to a minimum.

I am a bit self-centred. That is, I see the world from my point of view. Funnily enough, so does everyone else, and that explains one of the problems of running a business.

Suppose I complete and send off a quotation, having worked hard on calculating volumes of materials required, then pulling together pricing and estimating the labour required. From my point of view I expect it to be opened immediately by the bright-eyed and enthusiastic recipient, who can’t wait to get back to me to book in the job.

Unfortunately, life’s not like that.

Although one of the single biggest complaints of homeowners dealing with the UK construction industry is that they can’t get quotes out of them, it unfortunately doesn’t mean they will necessarily read them when they are received!

Delivery of the quote

The first and most obvious point is to make sure that the quote has been received by your prospect. A great way to do this is use an alternative method to tell the prospect that it’s been sent. That’s why in the app from my company, we have the ability to send a quote by email but at the same time text the customer that it’s on its way. This is in addition to being able to print the quote out.

After all, the worst possible outcome is thatyou do lots of work on the quote, and it

ends up in a spam folder while thehomeowner (or contractor) is eagerlyreading your rival’s proposal while wonderingwhy you didn’t bother responding.

Follow up

You also need to note in your diary when your quote went out and make a note of when to follow up. Pre-arrange your follow up with the customer if possible, but otherwise do it anyway. It’s best if you have a reason to call eg. “I haven’t heard for a week, I just wanted to check the quote had got through and that everything was clear. Do you have any questions?” or “I had provisionally booked the team in for next Monday because you said there was a rush, I’m afraid I need a decision today else I won’t be able to stick to that timetable”.

Matthew Stevenson of fast growing The Landscape Company puts it this way “I always follow up with a text message to make sure they have received the emailed quote, and to ask them to feel free to get back with any questions”.

Lose gracefully

Inevitably, you won’t always win your bids. When this happens, speak to the prospect and thank them for the opportunity and wish them the best with their choice. That way if things go wrong or even if they go okay and they need another job, they will come to you. They may even recommend you to others.

If on the other hand you are rude you will probably find the prospects trashing your reputation, and they may even do it online where it could cause quite a bit of damage. Once you’ve done this you should ask the question: “It would really help if you could tell me the main reason why I didn’t win this one as that

helps me to improve for the future”.Matty Stevenson again: “If I get an email back with bad news saying I haven’t got the job, I always respond saying thank you for the opportunity and thanks for responding and wishing them all the best. I also tell them that if they want anything in the future, to not hesitate to get in touch“.

One common problem is that the prospect decides not to go ahead straight away. Although they will promise to come back to you, this rarely happens. So make sure you drop them an email every few months asking if they are thinking about going ahead. Otherwise it will be out-of-site means out-of-mind.

Improve over time

You should keep a record of all leads including where they came from and what the result was. This helps you to understand which sources are working and hence where to focus sales and marketing efforts.

Don’t lose when you could win -Producing decent quotes is a lot of work. The most frustrating thing is having committed this work, to then lose the business when you might have won. Hopefully some of the pointers in this article can help.

How to win business after you’ve sent the quoteBenjamin Dyer, CEO of Powered Now, the business administration mobile App for building and construction, gives his views on how to win business.

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You may (or may not!) be interested to know that I received a few new business books over the festive period, so I’ve been doing a spot of reading.

I’ve just finished the million-copy best seller by Rolf Dobelli entitled ‘The Art of Thinking Clearly’ and I’d like to share with you details of just one of the chapters that really struck a chord.

‘Don’t Take News Anchors Seriously’ – Chauffeur Knowledge is the title of chapter 16 of the book. In it, Dobelli outlines the two types of knowledge that we are exposed to on a daily basis.

The first is ‘real knowledge’ and “can be seen in people who have committed a large amount of time and effort in understanding a topic”.

The second is what Dobelli refers to as ‘chauffeur knowledge’ after eloquently outlining how Nobel Prize winner, Max Planck, reportedly took up his chauffeur’s offer to deliver a lecture on quantum mechanics during a tour across Germany in 1918. The chauffeur in question had listened to Planck’s speech so many times he felt he knew if off by heart.

So, one night in Munich, Planck donned his chauffeur’s cap and took a seat in the front row and listened to his driver give a long lecture to a distinguished audience. After finishing the speech, a physics professor asked a question and the chauffeur recoiled and responded: “Never would I have thought that someone from such an advanced city as Munich would ask such a simple question! My chauffeur will answer it.”

‘Chauffeur knowledge’ is the second

type of knowledge that essentially comes from people who have learned to put on a show. The knowledge isn’t their own, they reel it off as though they were reading from a script; just like Planck’s chauffeur.

This brings me nicely to the premise of this article: don’t believe all you see, hear or read in the media. It goes without saying that most of us are familiar with being wary about what the mainstream press writes and reports. I also think, rightly or wrongly, we should exercise the same caution with construction media.

Dare I use the ‘P’ word at this stage? How do we differentiate between ‘real knowledge’ and ‘chauffeur knowledge’ especially when it comes to articles on major projects, how things are improving in our sector and all the new houses the Government is building? What’s true and what isn’t?

What about Build UK’s widely publicised (by key trade and national press) claim that it will provide, “for the first time, a single voice for the whole of the contracting supply chain” and the idea that it is “ideally positioned to promote collaboration and provide industry-wide solutions for the benefit of everyone”?

Both statements are extremely hard to swallow because how can 67 separate businesses and associations with such diverse interests speak with one single voice? It’s impossible.

Could it be that such pronouncements are based on ‘chauffeur knowledge’. Time will tell, and you can make your own mind up.

And what about the Government and politicians of all denominations? Possibly the worst ‘chauffeurs’ of them all. None of them can ever give a straight answer and every single Government scheme devised to tackle Fair Payment in our industry has been wholly ineffective. Is it because they simply have ‘chauffeur knowledge’ of the issues? Or is it that they simply don’t care?

The lack of training and apprentices, dithering around with the CITB, the withdrawal of funding for the Growth Accelerator Scheme and the abuse of the supply chain by cash-strapped Main Contractors in the form of late or non-payment and spurious contra-charges continues to result in good, experienced, ‘real knowledge’ Specialist Contractors going to the wall.

Maybe we need to challenge the so-called key influencers and certain journalists, because we might find that they are only ‘chauffeurs’ after all…

When the vast majority of UK businesses employ very few people, why is there not more genuine support and ‘real knowledge’ of those firms that are the very backbone of the industry? To the best of my knowledge, both sides have work to do to tackle this but until the propaganda – there I said it – ceases, or we learn to ignore it, the shape and health of our industry will only worsen.

Barry Ashmore is MD and co-founder of StreetwiseSubbie.com which provides business solutions for Specialist Contractors throughout the UK.

To the best of my knowledge

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In April 2014 the Government launched its Construction Supply Chain Payment Charter. A central plank of the Charter was the abolition of retentions by 2025. Now the Government has announced that it will start a review of the practice of retentions. The review will deal with current practice and its impact on all parties involved, before suggesting alternatives to the practice of retentions.

Everyone in the construction industry, whether they be clients, main contractors or sub-contractors, are acutely aware of retentions and the need for them (or some alternative) but they are very divisive and cause many conflicts in the industry.

Take, as an example, an amended JCT 2011 Design and Build Contract. Retentions are (predominantly) dealt with by clause 4.16 and 4.18. The retention percentage is 3% unless (which is usual) the contract is amended to say 5%.

Pursuant to clause 4.16 (and I paraphrase) the retention that is deducted from each interim payment under clause 4.7.2.1 is to be held by the employer as a fiduciary trustee. If the main contractor so requests, then the retention money must be placed into a separate bank account and held by the employer on trust.

If all runs smoothly then half the retention is released back to the contractor on practical completion and the other half is released back on the making good of defects. For me here is the nub

of the issue. I have never, in over 20 years of working in the construction industry, seen these clauses (and their predecessors) un-amended.

The simple reason for this is that the employer wants to use the retention to help their own cash flow and to feel they have some stick with which to beat the contractor. So the employer holds retention and then in turn the main contractor holds retention against his sub-contractors.

Debate has raged for years about the pros and cons of retention. Employers like it as it will force the main contractor to come back and finish any outstanding or defective work. On the other hand, the main contractor sees a retention as unfairly withholding money for the work they have carried out and this money could be used to aid their cash flow.

Further, in the event of a main contractor insolvency (and let’s be honest) the employer gets a windfall and generally keeps the retention. The knock on effect of a main contractor insolvency tends to be massive, leaving a trail of destruction with many sub-contractors “high and dry” when it comes to getting their own retentions back.

The consultancy firm appointed by the Government to come up with alternatives to retentions have their “hands full”. It will be incredibly difficult to find a universally acceptable solution. Retention provisions are embedded in the construction industry,

they are familiar to all (and begrudgingly accepted?) and they are a contractual provision in ever major contract.

I have mentioned trust accounts above (from the un-amended JCT contract) - I have never seen one. There is the possibility of the main contractor and sub-contractor providing a retention bond. These should be an on demand bond to the value of the retention held. The retention is then released back to the contractor. The beneficiary can call on the bond should the contractor not complete his work, or if he does not come back to rectify defects.

A solution? Perhaps, but having worked for a main contractor for years we would always offer a retention bond to an employer so we would get our retention back to help our cash flow. However, we never allowed a sub-contractor to provide a retention bond because we used the sub contractor’s retention to aid our own cash flow.

For me retentions will always remain in some form or other in the industry, but perhaps we should revert to an un-amended form of main contract and sub-contract. Then at least contractors would know their money is safe, even though they cannot access it.

Laurance Sheppard, Senior Associate, Thomas Eggar (recently merged with Irwin Mitchell LLP).

The end of retentions?Don’t hold your breath

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Ultimate Finance, which provides funding to SMEs, is keen to raise awareness among construction companies that outstanding billing, be it ‘Uncertified Applications for Payment’ or invoices are one of their most valuable assets to help them avoid cash flow difficulties.The campaign is on the back of research from the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA) which has revealed that SMEs in the construction industry are second only to the manufacturing sector, in having the most unpaid outstanding billing. Construction companies are currently owed £7Bn in outstanding billings, which represents 16% of annual turnover in the sector. However when it comes to payment times, construction companies are treated the worst, having to wait an average of 107 days before their billing is settled.

Tim Wilkinson, Sales Director of Ultimate Construction Finance, believes the sector is lagging behind other industries when it comes to treating their outstanding billing as an asset with which to leverage funding.“With banks still reluctant to lend and companies taking longer to pay, businesses across all sectors are increasingly turning to receivables finance,” he said. “Opinions have changed about using this type of facility, as companies realise that they can have the money owed to them within as little as 24 hours, rather than having to wait for months before they get paid.“We understand that companies don’t want to upset their customers by putting too much pressure on them to pay but, at

the same time, it is grossly unfair to have to wait so long as goods and employees have to be paid for in the meantime, which puts a huge strain on the cash flow. It has even caused some companies to go bust!

“As a business Ultimate Finance has increased its live clients by 55% and increased the money we are lending out against assets, such as ‘Uncertified Applications for Payment’ and invoices, by 52% over the last 12 months, demonstrating the growth in popularity for this kind of lending.

“However many companies within the construction sector are still unaware that outstanding billings gathering dust in a file can be used for the day to day cash requirements of the business. In addition, freeing up the money can also be used to enhance the trading relationships with key suppliers where contract wins, or pending new contracts, may require increased credit lines or initial cash payments to obtain materials and labour resources that are crucial for the successful mobilisation of the contract.

“Looking to the future, there has been much commentary in the media about skills shortages in the construction sector which could result in wage rises of around six percent, which is three times the national average wage increase.

“Add to that the increase in the cost of materials and you can see why building in London and other conurbations has risen dramatically. According to recent research, the capital is the most expensive city for building in Europe and the second most expensive city worldwide.

“All these issues directly affect the cash position of construction businesses across the UK. Therefore a review of the working capital position along with a review of the potential value to be released in outstanding billing may well provide an additional edge to help to continue to drive the construction sector forward.

“It may therefore be a worthwhile exercise to calculate how much you are owed in outstanding ‘Uncertified Applications For Payment’ as well as invoices and then consider how the company could benefit if they were all paid now.”

Ultimate Finance has offices across the UK and further information is available at:www.ultimatefinance.co.uk/cashflow-solutions/construction-finance

Construction companies need to cash in on their assets according to research

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Ten Steps to BIMBIM – Building Information Modelling – is a co-ordinated set of processes, supported by technology, that add value by creating, managing and sharing the properties of an asset throughout its lifecycle. BIM incorporates data – physical, commercial, environmental, and operational – on every element of a development’s design.

1. Better outcomes through collaboration All project partners – different design disciplines, the customer, contractor, specialists and suppliers – use a single, shared 3D model, cultivating collaborative working relationships. This ensures everyone is focused on achieving best value, from project inception to eventual decommissioning. 2. Enhanced performance BIM makes possible swift and accurate comparison of different design options, enabling development of more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable solutions. 3. Optimised solutions Through deployment of new generative modelling technologies, solutions can be cost-effectively optimised against agreed parameters.

4. Greater predictability Projects can be visualised at an early stage, giving owners and operators a clear idea of design intent and allowing them to modify the design to achieve the outcomes they want. In advance of construction, BIM also enables the project team to ‘build’ the project in a virtual environment, rehearsing complex procedures, optimising temporary works designs and planning procurement of materials, equipment and manpower.

5. Faster project delivery Time savings, up to 50%, can be achieved by agreeing the design concept early in project development to eliminate late stage design changes; using standard design elements when practicable; resolving complex construction details before the project goes on site; avoiding clashes; taking advantage of intelligence and automation within the model to check design integrity and estimate quantities; producing fabrication and construction drawings from the model; and using data to control construction equipment.

6. Reduced safety risk Crowd behaviour and fire modelling capability enable designs to be optimised for public safety. Asset managers can use the 3D model to enhance operational safety. Contractors can minimise construction risks by reviewing complex details or procedures before going on site.

7. Fits first time Integrating multidisciplinary design inputs using a single 3D model allows interface issues to be identified and resolved in advance of construction, eliminating the cost and time impacts of redesign. The model also enables new and existing assets to be integrated seamlessly.

8. Reduced waste Exact quantity take-offs mean that materials are not over-ordered. Precise programme scheduling enables just-in-time delivery of materials and equipment, reducing potential for damage. Use of BIM for automated fabrication of equipment and components enables more efficient materials handling and waste recovery.

9. Whole life asset management BIM models contain product information that assists with commissioning, operation and maintenance activities – for example sequences for start-up and shut-down, interactive 3D diagrams showing how to take apart and reassemble equipment items and specifications allowing replacement parts to be ordered.

10. Continual improvement Members of the project team can feed back information about the performance of processes and items of equipment, driving improvements on subsequent projects.

For more information about how Quadra can help you prepare and continue your BIM Journey, please get in touch: www.quadrasol.co.uk

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register online: www.competefor.com/summit

CompeteFor Supply Chain Access Forum 2016

Hear from those charged with setting the strategicgoals for infrastructure in London and the South East

Connect with those Tier 1 contractors winning contracts in London and the South East

Event supported by:

Find out how you can engage withthe major projects under way andthose planned for the future

20 April 2016 London Olympia

C42016 A4 Construction_advert_Layout 1 28/01/2016 10:13 Page 1

One-in-three contractors to set up a pension this year

All construction companies will have to provide workers with a workplace pension scheme by law over the next couple of years. The biggest contractors have already done so, and there remains over 100,000 construction companies to do so in 2016, and a further 200,000 in 2017. This is called automatic enrolment.

When your business must have done this by (called a ‘staging date’) depends on your PAYE reference number and date of incorporation. You will receive a letter from the Pensions Regulator 12 months before your staging date, confirming your staging date, requesting a nominated contact person and outlining your duties and responsibilities. Prepare for the changes early. You will need to ensure that your nominated contact is fully aware and capable of fulfilling all their duties. There is no one set way to comply with automatic enrolment responsibilities, so it will ultimately be a case of finding the right approach that fits your business.

Unique challenges exist for the construction industry that you will need to factor into your design decisions; including classification of workers (versus sub-contractors), keeping your cost base down to keep your contract prices competitive (whilst attracting talent), handling high levels of new recruits to deliver your pipeline of infrastructure work, high staff turnover

in transient workforces, and low-to-moderate earning groups of workers with different rates and pay cycles within one company. You need to make sure you make the right decisions when it comes to payroll compliance.

For example:

• Relief at source arrangements will ensure lowest paid workers (less than £10,600) receive tax relief • Postponement from worker start date for up to three months for assessment and enrolment – keeps short-term contract costs down • Differentiate terms for multiple groupings/ categories of workers – avoiding multiple Employer Pension Charges.

If you don’t already offer workers a ‘qualifying’ (can be used for automatic enrolment) workplace pension scheme, you must make the necessary arrangements well before your business’s staging date. The scheme you currently offer will need to be checked to ensure it is qualifying, if not it will need to be altered.

Who do we automatically enrol?

You will need to know your workers from your sub-contractors. You must assess (subject to postponement) and

enrol into the scheme all workers who: • Are aged between 22 and the State Pension Age • Earn at least £10,000 a year/ £833 a month/ £192 a week • Work in the UK

You must make an employer’s contribution to the pension scheme for those workers.

What about my other workers?

Any worker who falls outside the eligible age band (aged 16 to 21, for example, or state pension age to 75) or earns less than the threshold, may opt in to the workplace pension with a minimum contribution payable from you.

However, you don’t have to contribute to the pension scheme if the worker earns less than £5,824 a year (£486 a month, £448 per 4 weeks, £112 a week).When workers are enroled into your pension scheme, you must:

• Pay at least the minimum contributions to the pension scheme on time • Allow workers to leave the pension scheme (called ‘opting out’) if they ask - and refund money they have paid in if they opt out within month one • Allow opt-outs to rejoin the scheme at least once a year • Re-enrol opt-outs back into the

A leading authority and industry commentator, Steve Conley was the UK’s most senior pensions professional in retail banking for over a decade working as head of investments for high street banks including HSBC, RBS, Natwest and Santander. He was instrumental in bringing some of the most successful investment opportunities to the UK markets and his ideas have been paramount to the development of governmental strategy.

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scheme once every three years if they are still eligible for automatic enrolment.

You can’t pressure workers to opt out of the scheme, or discriminate against workers or potential recruits who wish to join a scheme.

How much will you have to contribute?

There will be a minimum contribution of eight per cent of qualifying earnings (between £5,824 and £42,385 per annum), of which the employer must pay a minimum of three per cent. Minimum contribution levels will be phased in between staging date and April 2019. The minimum rate of employer contributions increase from one per cent to two per cent of banded earnings from April 2018, and to three per cent from April 2019.

What do I tell my workers?

When you automatically enrol workers into a workplace pension scheme, you must write to them. In the letter, you must tell them:

• The date they’ve been added to the scheme

• The type of scheme and who runs it • How much you will contribute and how much they will have to pay • How they can leave the scheme.

Guidance for nominated contacts

Automatic enrolment regulations introduced wide ranging changes that put new duties on employers. Ensure your nominated contact has access to the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out these duties.

As with many projects coming off the drawing board, there remains an important role for expert advice and now is the time to identify the skills that will be needed and to source your supplier. Many compliance issues may not be understood or considered by generalists. This is an area where it would be logical

for automatic enrolment specialists to provide third-party, expert knowledge and resources to ensure compliance and meet your commercial objectives.

Independent review, reporting and support can be sourced from an automatic enrolment specialist for a few hundred pounds that should provide you assurance that robust compliance is in place.

Specialist automatic enrolment firm Workplace Pensions Direct will help you to navigate the new legislation at prices you can afford; making it work for you and keeping your teams focused on delivering successful construction projects. To help you understand your new pension duties, and get your business and staff ready for the changes, contact Workplace Pensions Direct.

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Dundee’s £100M Central Waterfront infrastructure programme will achieve completion ahead of schedule and on budget, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.

The Central Waterfront infrastructure plan - which includes the 10,738sq m Slessor Gardens, access to the iconic Tay Road Bridge, and preparatory works to facilitate the creation of fully serviced development sites - forms a fundamental part of a £1Bn redevelopment of Dundee’s eight kilometre waterfront.

While the infrastructure plan was originally slated for completion in summer 2016, it is now on course to be finalised later on in the month.

The wider Dundee Waterfront project is now well past the halfway point, with more than £600M invested to date - including £41.1M from Scottish Enterprise. Once complete, the development will create 7,000 new jobs and offer a wide range of opportunities for those seeking training and employment.

It is hoped that the landmark development will act as a catalyst, transforming the city of Dundee into a world leading waterfront destination for visitors and businesses through the enhancement of its physical, economic and cultural assets.

The First Minister said: “The progress we have seen on this infrastructure work is a testament to good project management and support from the wider local community and businesses.

“Scotland has a proud tradition and enviable global reputation for engineering excellence, built on the skills and innovation of our people, making it an attractive location for business investment. The fact that this project is largely supported by local contractors, engineers and apprentices is something we should be proud of.

“This project itself has created hundreds of local jobs and contributes significantly to the regeneration of the city itself. I am delighted that the Scottish Government is part of transforming a post-industrial city into a centre for the creative economy with this ground-breaking development.”

Councillor Ken Guild, Dundee City Council leader, said: “We expect more private investment in the project, to the tune of £400M over the next 10 to 15 years, as the surge in interest we are currently seeing from developers bears fruit.

“That will produce more of the jobs and prosperity we are seeking and it is pleasing to note that there have already been substantial community benefits resulting from the project.

“Our Central Waterfront is an exciting hive of activity as progress continues on a number of major projects, including V&A Dundee and the railway station.”

As the first ever dedicated design museum for Scotland and an international centre for ‘design thinking’,

V&A Dundee is particularly noteworthy. The museum will be housed within a striking new building, designed by international architect Kengo Kuma and situated at the heart of the waterfront.

It is being created through a ground-breaking partnership between the V&A, the University of Dundee, Abertay University, Scottish Enterprise and Dundee City Council.

Director of V&A Dundee, Philip Long said: “V&A Dundee will be an international centre of design, sitting proudly right at the heart of the Dundee’s Waterfront and symbolising the city’s confidence and growing ambition in a very real and physical way. I am very grateful to the Scottish Government and our many supporters who are making the project possible.

“When the museum opens, we will inspire hundreds of thousands of visitors from far and wide with the remarkable story of Scotland’s design heritage.

“Through world-class exhibitions, events and programmes, we want to show how design and creativity can be used to help others, to improve the lives of our communities and the success of our businesses, extending this country’s reputation for innovation and enterprise.”

To learn more about the redevelopment of Dundee’s waterfront please visit: www.dundeewaterfront.com

Rediscovering Dundee’s waterfront

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The £410M nationwide project to go live through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme is now two thirds complete, with two years remaining.

The Digital Scotland rollout consists of two projects, one of which covers the Highlands and Islands area, led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The other project covers the rest of Scotland, and is led by the Scottish government.

The engineering milestone was passed as a new fibre cabinet was built in Gretna Green.

More than 2,200 new fibre street cabinets have been built, with the most northern serving 80 homes in Bod of Gremista, Shetland and the most southern covering 250 premises in Isle of Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway.

BT have invested £126M in the two projects which are being delivered on the ground by engineers from its local network business, Openreach. In excess of 500KM of cable has

been laid by Openreach engineers.

Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown said: “Today’s milestone is fantastic news for the 500,000 households and businesses across Scotland which would simply not have seen the benefits of high speed, high quality digital connectivity without the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. It is among the most ambitious broadband infrastructure projects ever undertaken.”

One in four premises has already connected to the high-speed network, with Gretna Green one of the last to go live in the historic village.

Over 850,000 people visit Gretna Green each year, with 1,500 couples who visit to get married in the Famous Blacksmiths Shop.

Lynda Denton, Head of Sales & Marketing at Gretna Green Ltd, said: “WiFi being available is important, it provides our newlyweds and visitors, who come from all over the world,

with the ability to share their photos and videos. It’s a wonderful way for Gretna Green love to be shared with friends and family back home.”

In total, more than 1.9 million Scottish premises can now get connected to high-speed broadband, with a variety of choice in cost and services. Availability of fibre broadband for homes and businesses in the Highlands and Islands has grown by over 55% since 2014.

Brendan Dick, BT Scotland Director, said: “We’re proud to be at the heart of digital life in Scotland and look forward to bringing high-speed services to some of our most remote communities in 2016.”

Other funding partners include the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund.

More than 500,000 Scottish homes and businesses can now connect to high-speed digital network.

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IK to enable maintenance to be carried out without disruption to blood work below. Distribution of services into the GMP space is via connectors to vertical pillars mounted on mobile equipment – this maximises flexibility and resilience.

An innovation to maximise space utilisation is the use of vertical flows by the incorporation of two dumb waiter type service lifts whilst maintaining essential air pressure differentials between floors. One dumb waiter takes samples from manufacturing to the testing laboratory while the second is for the removal of waste - their integration in the building provides a value for money space saving solution.

IK were required to supply some highly technical equipment that is integral to the building - including autoclaves, air particle monitoring systems, microbiological safety cabinets and an environmental monitoring system (EMS). This EMS will monitor the clean environment in which products are processed and stored, including particle counts and pressure differentials across graded areas. SNBTS supported IK in this by reviewing each piece of equipment and sending staff on training courses. This knowledge sharing between pharmaceutical and construction staff was instrumental in achieving optimal results.

The work on the SNBTS national centre has been an incredible experience for contractors and designers in delivering a high quality modern scientific building. The centre resolves significant construction challenges in a myriad of ways: from careful use of BIM to simulate and optimise flows within the facility, to close collaboration with pharmaceutical professionals to design a prime manufacturing and research facility.

The National Centre

The SNBTS national centre will process and analyse all of the blood, cells and tissues donated in Scotland. The building replaces three existing facilities spread across Scotland and will allow SNBTS to introduce transformative pharmaceutical-industry standard blood, tissue and cell processing and testing and to ensure their safe future supply for patients in Scotland. The scientific innovations that this Centre will facilitate will be life-saving, from emergency blood supplies to the latest stem cell therapies. It is the first building of this kind to be procured through Scotland’s non-profit distributing programme.

Figures 1, 2: The National Centre animation and construction site

Design and use of BIM

The high-tech nature of the project and sensitivity of SNBTS’ work required the utmost care in designing the building, which led to collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure the most suitable design for the facility, supported by use of BIM technology to visualise the flows of product and waste and optimise the building layout.

The facility comprises specialist clean rooms for the processing of cells/tissues, a blood processing hall and research laboratories, all developed from an engineering perspective to provide resilient building and commissioning procedures which meet the GMP and Eudralex requirements of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). No crossovers are

allowed between any of the different flows - people, donations, consumables, product, waste - because of the potential of product contamination. We also used BIM with an eye to the future to allow the FM team to be able to use all the BIM information through the concession period for ease of operation and to log ongoing maintenance/change to the National Centre.

Figure 1: Modelling donations, consumables, in process, finished

product, samples, people, waste and laundry flows in the SNBTS centre

Risk and construction challenges

The project called for creative solutions to address a number of construction challenges. The final proposal for SNBTS combines cutting edge design in blood/tissue/cell therapies governed by strict regulations with lean manufacturing principles and a focus on ongoing high performance via environmental and building monitoring systems. The alignment between these groups of requirements was achieved through collaboration with SNBTS staff.

Consolidating from three manufacturing sites to one presents a significant business continuity risk. The risk of interruption was significantly reduced by a walk-on interstitial space designed by

Project: Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) National Centre

Figure 2: Animation - distribution of services into blood manufacturing space via the interstitial floor

Richard Coe, head of business development

for healthcare at Kajima Partnerships

Project: Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) National Centre

Location: Heriot WattResearch Park, EdinburghCapital value: £33.2mSigning date: 8th October 2014Completion: November 2016Delivered by: Interserve Kajima (IK)

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Enterprise Ireland’s Strategy to 2016 talks of Irish enterprise becoming a powerhouse of economic growth and creating jobs. Can you tell us about the successes of the previous strategy and how this new strategy will build upon them?

Exporting and export led recovery has been a key policy of the existing government as a way of improving the standard of living in Ireland. I suppose as an island off an island, historically it hasn’t always been easy to trade with Europe for logistical reasons as much as anything else so we’ve always had a strong policy for export development, creating employment at home and ultimately improving the quality of life within Ireland. So that’s the core of what we’re about.

In 2015 we are forecast to increase exports by €2Bn and that has led to an increase in employment of around 21,000 jobs in Enterprise Ireland client companies, which gives you some idea of the success we have achieved.

We are a trade agency but we are also an investment agency. In terms of what we do, we are getting better at identifying the projects and the organisations that will make best

So there are a number of incentives to encourage individuals, entrepreneurs both from Ireland and internationally to build their brands and businesses in Ireland and that, again, is a key policy.Enterprise Ireland are keen for women to fulfil their business potential could you tell us a bit about this?

This is an initiative that really began in 2014. Enterprise Ireland looked at the profile of entrepreneurs that were receiving investment from Enterprise Ireland and remarkably, very few women were coming through that channel. We looked to address that and last year alone there were 67 female led companies who received investment from Enterprise Ireland.

The skills shortage is prevalent across the construction industry. What role is Enterprise Ireland playing in helping to overcome this?

The key areas of skill shortages exist at both ends of the spectrum in terms of the practical trades and a big area of concern is also the digital skill set. That is certainly an area that Enterprise Ireland have been supporting in terms of research and funding in our own programmes and also through an

use of our capital and our time. We’re also getting better at targeting those areas within organisations that will have the biggest impact.

So that’s the strategy going into 2016: working ever smarter and ever harder onto the areas that give us the best return from our investments in people in organisations, in research and in capability building. That’s something we are looking to continue into 2016 and a key element of our current strategy.

The aim to make Ireland the best small country in the world to start a business in is an ambitious one. Could you talk about how Enterprise Ireland will seek to deliver this?

We have a number of initiatives for international entrepreneurs to come to Ireland and for Irish people to set up organisations and businesses. A significant majority of the 21,000 jobs created last year were in small start up enterprises. What we as an organisation and what Ireland is promoting is access to capital, strong links to Third Level research and commercialisation. It’s about offering mentoring with key individuals with key skills and access to one of Europe’s best educated workforces.

Enterprise Ireland:2016 Developing strategyUK Construction Media talk to John Hunt from Enterprise Ireland to discuss its strategy for 2016, its ambitions to turn Ireland into an economic powerhouse and his thoughts on the future of BIM.

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innovation voucher scheme for Third Level Institutions. There are nine higher education institutes within Ireland who have developed a digital or BIM element to their higher education awards.

Anecdotally, as the BIM designers in engineering, surveying and architecture are coming through these programmes; the employers are there ready to fight over the skill set. It’s a real success story in many respects of how the Third Level institutes are responding to the needs of industry and how the industry is competing for the skills of these graduates coming through the programmes being delivered throughout Ireland.

Do you think there’s an appetite with Ireland to follow the UK government’s lead in mandating BIM Level 2?

If you look at the industry response in Enterprise Ireland’s BIM survey last year, the view was split with some seeing positives and some negatives, but what I think is accepted is that given the scale of the transition ahead of us, the change will need to be client led whether that be government or private sector.

I think one of the interesting things that maybe isn’t always known about Ireland is the significant commercial influence of the United States. A study was commissioned by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland last year and it showed that Ireland was the number one destination in the world for US foreign investment with $277Bn invested since 1990.

With the US companies and their requirements for advanced facilities, the likes of Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, Ebay and the pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Merck have each recognised the necessity for increased precision and the importance of better data. In terms of digital design, I suppose that’s when BIM first came to Ireland, around 2010 and as a US client requirement.

A lot of the upskilling and investment has come as a direct client requirement and that’s manifesting itself in lots of people who once they’ve worked digitally are reluctant to go back to traditional methods. They can see the discrepancies and the potential for not working as accurately and that has encouraged an ‘industry up’ approach to informing clients about the best way forward in terms of traditional or digital process for design and delivery. So absolutely it’s got to be client led for digital to become mainstream and go beyond tipping point.

Are we any closer to the Irish government mandating BIM?

doing traditional. It’s still in the main a small proportion of workload and of employee roles within companies and the transition to the majority of projects is going to be the real challenge for the industry over the next few years. We’ve got enough evidence to show it works but can we then take it to the next level where it becomes the default way in which we set up a project and how we design and deliver it?

I’ve no doubt we will all be doing BIM on the majority of projects by 2025 but what that adoption curve looks like between now and then will be crucial. If it’s incremental, then we’re probably not doing it right but there is a real opportunity to get this to tipping point in the next two or three years.

With the BIM Level 2 mandate approaching in April, what can Enterprise Ireland offer companies in the UK?

Enterprise Ireland’s success is very dependent on our ability to identify the right companies with the right skillsets, management team, and the right planning to succeed in international markets. We see digital design, construction, operation and the processes and technologies associated with that as an enormous area of opportunity.

We are working with organisations specifically in the design and delivery of engineering services – industrial engineering, data centres, power centres, powers stations, pharmaceutical plants, hi-tech manufacturing sites – where the only way to work it is to front load your designs and take your problems away from site. An approach that leverages the power of BIM.

There are some Irish companies doing great projects across the world and as we come into 2016 with the UK looking for partners and supply chains to deliver to BIM Level 2, Enterprise Ireland’s London office can offer a single point of contact if you’re looking to identify skills and capability in a particular area. Enterprise Ireland have a strong portfolio of organisations that would be delighted to talk and to assist the UK on its journey to BIM Level 2 adoption and beyond.

From Enterprise Ireland’s standpoint, we see the skillsets that have been developed through projects in Ireland as extremely marketable internationally. We have offices in 32 countries; we are working in industrial engineering, design and delivery and see BIM as being enormously attractive to these markets and a real differentiator in markets that have been traditionally difficult to differentiate in.

We are interested in Irish companies developing that capability and taking it internationally and developing their international footprints further through these skillsets and processes. Enterprise Ireland is keen to support this development and we are doing that in a number of ways. We have developed our own capability programmes but in terms of getting some further public sector buy-in, Enterprise Ireland are one of a small number of lead organisations that are really helping with promotion of public sector adoption.

That began with our appointment of CITA, the Construction IT Alliance, as our research partners in 2015 who will be reporting to and delivering research and information to a new stakeholder group in Ireland. This is a national BIM steering committee and delivery group that will be looking at the most appropriate route for a wider implementation of BIM within Ireland. That will involve the continuing discussion around a mandate but also the intelligent and appropriate area of the application of a mandate. So rather than effecting a mandate across the public sector, it will debate whether a mandate across different departments may have the biggest impact, where the benefits can be best felt and where the negative impacts of a mandate could be managed more successfully.

So there will be the formation of the National BIM Steering Committee in 2016, Enterprise Ireland and CITA will be on that group, and will be recruiting key members and a Chair to deliver a strategy that can be implemented from 2017.

Historically, there always seems to initially be resistance to new methods and technology before they become accepted as the norm. Is reaching that point of no return key for BIM?

I think that’s absolutely crucial in our current thinking – the tipping point, the point of no return. A lot of the companies I talk to are doing a bit of BIM on a few projects but the majority is traditional construction. They say: “We are doing BIM, we like it and it’s good but we still have to work quite hard at it to make it work”.

We’re not quite at the point yet where we couldn’t just fall back to

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Effective brands tell a clear story to a well-defined audience, and property projects are no different. Developers will typically design their marketing and sales strategies around the needs of their target customer base, developing tailored materials, communications and marketing campaigns to appeal directly to these groups.

However, what do you do when the audience is split very clearly in two? This is the challenge facing many developers, especially housing providers that market properties on the same site to both affordable and private audiences.

In reality, this issue is not as big a problem as many might think. Philosophy worked with leading housing provider Catalyst to create branding and marketing for its mixed tenure flagship Portobello Square development, and this work is testament to the fact that a clear focus on building a strong brand identity based on firm values can appeal to and even bring together very different audience groups.

This approach certainly worked: apart from the initial launch campaign and recent activity to promote the new townhouses, no advertising at all was needed or used throughout the four-year first phase of the project.

Joining forces

There’s no denying that private sale and affordable housing are worlds apart. From the way sales and rentals are handled to the requirements and priorities of the customer base in each sector. Indeed, the affordable rental aspect of such projects is often seen as the ‘poor relation’, resulting in communications which lack creativity, sophistication, and excitement.

In turn, shared ownership properties are almost always included in the affordable bracket alongside affordable rentals when it comes to marketing, branding and language, but actually, in terms of the target audience – young professionals who aspire to own property but cannot afford to without assistance – it makes much more sense to treat to this group in the same way as the private sales audience. Let’s not forget that current London prices mean that for most London boroughs, the cut off for joining a shared ownership scheme is a household income of £71,000.

With such marked differences in audiences, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the best marketing approach would be to develop two distinct strategies, each homing in on the very distinct needs of each group. However, Catalyst turned this concept on its head for the Portobello Square branding and marketing.

A famously diverse and inclusive neighbourhood which is home to the legendary street market, various celebrity residents and of course the renowned Carnival this corner of London has long been known for its community feel, with inhabitants of all backgrounds and means living happily alongside each other.

Philosophy devised a strategy for the branding of the project and the resulting communications activity which reflected this sense of unity and togetherness. By creating one name, one communication plan and one visual identity, it established a consistent brand that avoided dividing the two groups but instead presented a unifying message that was distributed across all target audiences. In addition, the community engagement activity ensured that affordable tenants, the private development audience and the wider local community were actively involved with the project, giving them the chance to contribute ideas and have their say.

Karen Lee-Brindle, Head of Sales and Marketing at Catalyst, says: “We’re really proud of the bold approach we took with marketing this project. It not only allowed us to present a united proposition to all of our audiences, but it also strengthened our brand, bringing a consistency and depth to the marketing collateral that would not have been possible had the campaign been split across tenures.”

Going ‘tenure blind’

This example gives weight to the argument that the property sector is ready for a change in how it markets new developments. The ‘tenure blind’ approach is a refreshing step for developers who want to maximise the impact and return on investment of their marketing activity, allowing them to reach wider audiences and have a cleaner, more consistent brand identity that in turn becomes more memorable and long-lasting.

Once the step has been taken to develop a joint marketing strategy, it’s vital that time and care is taken to create an identity and messages that support all audiences. There’s no merit in having a united brand that only caters for one target group, and ignores the needs of the other. Similarly, avoid the trap of opting for style over substance. Research, planning and attention to detail are all vital in ensuring that the brand is a true reflection of not only the project itself but also the community and people it’s trying to target.

It’s also crucial to carry the chosen design and identity across as many channels and touchpoints as possible, especially when you are targeting two very different audience groups. Don’t stop at marketing collateral either: think about every available medium you can use to communicate your message, from the fit-out of the marketing suite to the site hoardings. The more you can get your branding out there, remembered and talked about, the better.

Reaping the rewards

Get it right and this approach can be very effective: after the official launch of Philosophy’s work for Catalyst on Portobello Square demand was so high that advertising was put on hold in order for the sales team to cope with the levels of interest. Sales targets were reached far earlier than originally estimated.

The consistent brand design and the core messaging that was carried throughout the marketing activity ensured that all audiences, regardless of whether they were affordable tenants, existing residents, sales targets or local community stakeholders, had a crystal clear understanding of the project and its vision, and were able to add their own contributions to its progress.

Knocking down walls: how to successfully market a mixed tenure property developmentBy Natasha Anslow, Director at Philosophy Design

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The benefits of using BIM to plan life safety systems

In recent years, BIM (Building Information Modelling) has become one of the biggest buzzwords in the construction industry. The Government has recognised that BIM is both cost effective and efficient, and in 2016, it will become a requirement that all public sector procurement projects are delivered within a BIM Level 2 framework.

The NBS National BIM Library has been, and continues to be, an essential resource for any construction professional, especially as the BIM Level 2 deadline approaches. While many large-scale construction projects are already making the most of BIM, it’s time to encourage the use of BIM across every sector of the built environment.

When we think about healthcare, we think about safety, care, and diagnostics – characteristics that are all well matched to the benefits and processes of BIM. In a sector built on the use of electronic records, such as patient information, pharmacy stock and treatment paths, you could say that the healthcare environment is already using a collaborative data framework to improve efficiency and maintain top level safety standards for its industry.

It seems only fitting then, that healthcare providers like hospitals, doctors surgeries and pharmacies, be treated much like patients themselves – if a doctor would not offer a treatment proven to be ineffective, why would an architect design a building using techniques recognised as unfit for purpose? Or why would a contractor use a building material with a documented history for being unreliable in certain environments?

This begs the question – how can we use BIM in the healthcare sector to keep patient care and safety a priority, while staying practical and keeping costs down?

Design in digital

For a life safety system to work

effectively, it needs to be tried and tested. Using product information, thermal performance data and fire resistance information, building designers can create an accurate BIM model that depicts exactly how a fire might move through a building. This model helps inform the decisions on which products to use and where to use them in order to produce an efficient fire detection or emergency lighting network that minimises risk to building users. Having an awareness of what products are needed helps limit over-ordering; since installers would know exactly how many devices they need for the project, saving both time and money. BIM enables the sharing of data between all stakeholders in the project and in turn provides ‘clash detection’ – highlighting instances where one system install could negatively affect another. This consequently saves costs and wastage.

Start to finish

It isn’t just building design where BIM can be beneficial. A BIM model will prove its worth for a lifetime as it can gather data from building components and put it together against external factors to provide comprehensive aftercare plans and maintenance proposals. From construction to demolition, the life cycle of a building can be monitored, maintained and improved to keep the healthcare environment working to the highest standards of care and safety at all times. Long term, there is a huge cost saving implication here, because facilities managers know exactly when to check, repair and replace life safety systems.

Keep in line

Hospitals and other healthcare environments present designers and contractors with a number of challenges, one of which is legislation. As part of the recently updated Construction, Design and Management regulations (CDM), which covers the actual construction of a project, reducing and controlling any risks to the health and safety of construction workers on site is a

requirement. Using BIM modelling helps to foresee any potential hazards, and as such actively manages this risk. Using BIM modelling can also help installers plan systems more effectively, to ensure they are complaint with legislation such as the BS 5266 British Standard for Emergency Lighting products, and the ISO/TC 92 for Fire Safety.

Space savvy

One of the most hotly debated topics in the healthcare sector is access to care, specifically how many people can be treated at any one time. Whether a hospital is at full or half capacity, emergency lighting systems and life safety solutions need to be positioned effectively. To figure out how best to do this, designers can use BIM models to cross check coverage requirements with Lux level specifications, making sure evacuation routes are appropriately lit, and compliant with legislation.

London’s University College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) recently became the first UK hospital to use BIM to create a comprehensive life safety system, and refurbishment works supported by a BIM modelling framework are currently underway. It is hoped that other hospitals and trusts will follow the UCLH’s lead, as the use of BIM increases across all sectors of the construction industry.

Whether healthcare or otherwise, if the industry is to move forward, and meet targets, it’s essential that any construction project should be equipped with an effective life safety solution that is safe, compliant and cost effective.

The adoption of BIM for central government funded construction projects will soon become a necessity rather than an option. In light of this, Tony Obadipe, London Sales Manager for Hochiki Europe discusses BIM in the healthcare sector, how it can be used and the benefits it brings.

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