Maintaining BBC Caversham Park, Reading, Berkshire |

Client’s requirement for precision, high quality of workmanship and contractor’s supervision preventing potential short-cuts.
Work on eight buildings of varying scale, historic and functional importance, and architecture.
Extensive renovation, cleaning and repairs.
Varying scale of deterioration of the building fabric requiring from us a focused and structured assessment and classification strategy.
Work with stone, cement based render, brickwork, painted or slated substrates, painted timber or UPVC windows & doors, some of it part of the listed fabric.
Overcoming rising damp issues vs. listed fabric vs. extent and cost of repair.
Health and safety protocol concerning BBC Monitoring and Radio Berkshire operations and premises as well as construction.
Work with Bills of Quantities.
Contract administration and site inspections.

Initial photographic site survey of the 8 buildings in question.
Data was then transferred onto drawings with references to the photographs and a written specification prepared that summarised and classed the condition of the fabric, and recommended its cleaning and repair strategy.
We sought support from specialist product suppliers e.g. Crown Paints or FosRoc to propose the most effective and sustainable repair strategy.
We then managed tender actions i.e. inducted and liaised with four tenderes, assisted QS in negotiating contract sum and preparing contract documents.
We also secured all statutory consents.
On 17th July 2012 site actions commenced.
As contract administrators (AC) we chaired monthly progress meetings, prepared and circulated minutes of those meetings, certified interim payment applications submitted by the main contractor, responded to contractor’s RFIs, visited the site to inspect and sign off parts of the work as well as instructed (AI’s) any additional works on behalf of the client.

6-month-long building contract to modernise and repair the exterior of 8 buildings at Caversham Park.
Our service involved in-depth and sometimes lengthy site inspections and meetings addressing any ad hoc issue and contractor’s inquiries.
Well managed site and quality workmanship.
Good team work, attention to project details and response time.
Health and safety matters – CDM Regulations compliance – were mitigated well.
The initial scope of work was extended to include for cleaning of stone elevations of the Caversham House followed by extensive repairs to its stone embellishments – main reason for the extension of the Practical Completion of the project.
Good control of the building budget and contract sum, any extras and savings as well as avoidance of disputes and lengthy cost negotiations.
The contractor continued working on other maintenance projects throughout the site after project completion.
The team was awarder the Premier Trophy Certificate in 2013.

We were successful in a flexible, but precise project management strategy tackling varying dynamics of the design and construction. For this we collaborated closely with project team and other specialist consultants learning and adjusting along the way.
Our collaboration with Crown Paints representatives encouraged entry in Premier Trophy Awards 2013 competition, where the contractor received Highly Commended Certificate for all their hard work.