For our first insight of 2019, we are taking the chance to look back on what was a successful year 2018 was for us at here at B&M.
We continue to deliver a wide range of projects across all our key sectors and in 2018 we worked on more projects than ever, partnering with our clients from conception through to completion. We’ve seen growth in the number of commercial and community-based projects on our books, showing that there still many projects being developed that seek to improve facilities, job opportunities and offerings for the people of Kent.
Project Successes
Inside Scope HQ
Throughout all our work, our goal is to provide a value-added service to our clients which enables them to receive a successful project that meets their needs. Below, we outline some of the projects we worked on in 2018 and how we helped achieve success:
Urban Sports Park: From the start of this scheme in 2017, we have worked closely with the client, Shepway Sports Trust to guide them through what is a unique project. The scheme is a one of a kind in the UK, with no clear or apparent benchmark, therefore aiding the client with options on the construction methods enabled us to get a design that met the budget.
RBLI New Care Facility: As a charity, RBLI had a strict budget that they had to adhere to. Our team worked with them to develop a procurement strategy that provided them with flexibility in determining the final design, allowing them to make alternative choices later in the project’s lifecycle. This enabled them to procure within budget and deliver a scheme to the specification they later desired.
Tunbridge Wells Cultural and Learning Hub: Having been involved with this project from concept stage, we have worked with numerous stakeholders and project members to develop a design to budget. One of the team members includes an interpretation designer, working to develop the Museum’s experience. We have worked closely with them to understand their vision and brief, all the while working within budget to keep the scheme viable.
Scope: Throughout the design development stage of this successful office relocation project, we provided Scope with many ‘shopping lists’ offering a variety of solutions and ideas that would allow them to gain a space they truly loved, within the budget they had.
Kent Reliance Building Society Relocation: Another successful relocation project, in the heart of Canterbury City Centre, was undertaken at a fast pace to minimise operational downtime for the organisation. This required us to be pro-active towards their needs, an element of our offerings we see as mandatory, not optional on all our projects.
CIF: We continue to work closely with schools in Kent, aiding them in their efforts to obtain CIF funding via bid writing and project support. We worked on two projects in 2018 that successfully received CIF funding, which adds them to the 14 other projects that have benefitted from this grant, totalling a value of £25m. This year, we have 8 projects vying for funding and we hope to be working with all of them to develop their ideas further once funding is allocated.
Recognition
KDDA Winners 2018
Projects we’ve worked on in 2018 continue to be successful in being recognised at awards locally and nationally.
The Sibson Building was named Project of the Year at the Kent Design and Development Awards, as well as winning a RIBA National Award, AJ Award for ‘Higher Education Project of the Year’ and World Architecture Festival Award.
RBLI’s Victory House and Invictus Games House was shortlisted for a Kent Excellence in Business Award as well as an RICS regional award. Barton Court Grammar School’s new extension was also nominated for a RICS regional award in the ‘Community Benefit’ category.
Continuous Improvement and Engagement
As a business, we continue to strive forward, continually improve and engage with the local community.
2018 saw the transition of our ISO9001 system to the newer 2015 standard, showing our commitment to excellent service. We continue to hold several membership and accreditations including CHAS and Constructionline and we will be aiming to achieve new ones in 2019.
We’ve continued to engage with the community, promoting the construction industry and supported local charities.
In January, we held a Quantity Surveying Apprenticeship Taster Day where we invited students to learn more about the Surveying Profession and about new degree apprenticeship level courses starting at the University of Kent. We also attended Barton Court School’s career fair in February to inspire young people about construction.
We sponsored Harvey Grammar School’s Under 16’s Basketball Team, the King’s School Canterbury Minilympics and continued our support of Canterbury Rugby Football Club. Our staff also took part in charity events including half marathons and golf days to raise money and support local charities.
We’ve got some very exciting projects on the horizon as we head into 2019 and we look forward to sharing them with you in upcoming Insights. The whole B&M team wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.
