Case Study: University of Manchester

Client

The University of Manchester is part of the prestigious Russell Group of universities, with outstanding facilities and the widest range of courses. It is highly respected across the globe as a centre of teaching excellence and innovative research.

Challenge

University of Manchester required the services of an experienced and qualified Principal Designer to:

Help/assist the Client and provide a specification for the project
The Client did not have the relevant competencies in house to deliver the service
Produce Pre-construction Information
Liaise with regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with mandatory regulations
Review Contractor submissions in accordance with the specification
Review contractor documentation.
Interface with clients and design teams on a project basis

Solution

Upon appointment we delivered the following:

Arranged a site visit with the Client to review the project and site specifics
Provided competent advice on the project
Carried out a design review on the works to build up a specification for the project
Produced Pre- Construction Information which was issued to all the tendering contractors
Carried out a tender walk around with all of the contractors to ensure that they fully understand the scope and what to price for.
Liaised with all of the tendering contractors to ensure that they were up to date with the latest regulations including the CDM Regulations & Control of Asbestos Regulations.

Success

We met all KPIs / SLAs / timescales for this contract, including delivery of the PCI prior to the required date of tender issue.

We also achieved:

Cost savings – As we supported the University of Manchester with their Client duties under the same appointment, they did not have to appoint a separate CDM Consultant saving professional fees and the Client having reliance on one consultant.
Environmental / sustainability benefits – Video conferencing and electronic reporting minimised emissions generated for initial project discussions.
Carried out a face to face meeting with all of the tendering contractors at the same time so they fully understood the scope of the works, and relevant questioned were answered collectively so all of the contractors had the same information when putting in their tender costs. The site visit also benefitted all from seeing the job.