Bic was Walsall Council’s Principal Engineer for McPhillips’ scheme to provide infrastructure improvements at Streetly Crematorium in Walsall and kindly shared his views on the delivery of the project with us:
Can you provide a brief description of the project?
HM859 Streetly Cemetery Extension Final Phase – McPhillips BCFW Contract – 980 sqm full carriageway construction, 382m of new kerbs, 150m drainage, 301 sqm full footway construction.
What do you look for in a principal contractor / partner?
Health & Safety, forward planning, supervision of site operations, communications.
What do McPhillips offer that sets them apart?
Overcame an issue with the construction drawings during site works in the form of a design & build solution.
How easy was it to work with McPhillips’ project and site management team?
They’re very proactive.
How did McPhillips manage:
- Time/programme? Well.
- Costs? Provided updates during fortnightly progress meetings.
- Health & safety? Good site inductions & toolbox talks.
- Environment? Site boundary secured.
- Workmanship & defects? Only minor issues which were picked up during the construction phase.
- Project change? Picked-up during fortnightly progress meetings.
- Communication? Very good.
- Relationships with Walsall Council project team? Very good.
What were the biggest challenges you faced and was there anything that didn’t go to plan?
- Contract setting out drawing incorrect.
- Soft ground conditions.
- Scope of works changed, jointly discussed and addressed.
How did McPhillips help overcome these challenges?
- Agreed new setting out parameters, McPhillips provided their setting out engineer who understood and altered the design to suit.
- Trail holes took place to understand extents of soft ground and provided new projected costs.
- Provided additional materials and resources to complete extra works.
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