capita symonds renewal magazine
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renewalupdate magazine issue 13
into AfricaTatu City takes shape
record house building
commercialising the public sector
planning white paper
the keys to project management success
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inside this issue
two Goodwood Festival of Speedcentral sculpture pays homage to car giants
three Glasgow’s Riverside Museumthe new £74m museum is unveiled
three Coronation Streetnew bespoke centre at MediaCityUK
four into AfricaCapita Symonds appointed to $5bn Tatu City development
six on your marks… get set… gothe race to complete 101 homes at ten sites in Salford
seven commercialising the public sectorthe benefits of a commercial approach
eight that’s the plan?the implications of the government’s public services white paper
nine project management: the keys to successhow to manage a construction scheme
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Welcome to the thirteenth issue of our update magazine renewal.
In this issue we’ll be looking at our latest acquisitions – architecture and design group ESA andthe health & safety and water management business of Managed Support Services (MSS) Plc; theTatu City project in Kenya; our work with Wates on a revolutionary new school building model;and the Airbus Aerospace Park project near Bristol.
We’ll also be looking the implications of the government’s public services white paper for theplanning sector; how to manage costs during a construction project; the commercialisation of thepublic sector; and how to build 101 new homes across ten sites in record time.
If you would like to discuss any of the projects or issues raised in renewal then please do nothesitate to get in touch or visit our website at www.capitasymonds.co.uk
I hope you enjoy reading our update magazine and invite you to send any comments, questionsor suggestions to [email protected]
Jonathan GoringManaging DirectorCapita SymondsNovember 2011
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Andrew Murray, Business DevelopmentDirector, Capita Symonds said: “As aconstantly evolving organisation aimingto grow by 50% over the next threeyears we welcome the MSS health &safety and water management team toour business. We are already anestablished provider of health & safetyand environmental consultancy servicesin the UK market and this acquisitionallows us to further expand our businessand explore new market opportunities.”
Capita Symonds has acquired thehealth & safety and watermanagement business of ManagedSupport Services (MSS) Plc.
The acquisition will see 34 MSS staffin London and Manchester transferto Capita Symonds, providing a fullrange of management, consultancyand training services to bothcommercial and public sectormarkets.
Capita Symonds acquires health & safetyand water management business from MSS
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Sponsored by Jaguar to celebrate 50years of the timeless E-Type, thisyear’s sculpture at the GoodwoodFestival of Speed was 27m (90ft)high and weighed 150 tonnes(equivalent to 122 Jaguar E-Types).
The sculpture comprised half akilometre of 1220mm (4ft) diametersteel tubes, while the surface wascovered with four tonnes of paint.
The wheels themselves were the sizeof an ordinary car while 90 tonnes ofconcrete provided support for thestructure beneath the ground.
Capita Symonds’ structures team onceagain worked with renowned sculptorGerry Judah and LittlehamptonWelding on the project.
Art, of course, is ephemeral, the statuewas torn down after just four days ofglory in front of the public, while thesteel tubes that form the grain of thesculpture are being ground down to bemade into everyday objects, leaving apristine lawn ready and waiting fornext year.
E-Type takes centre stage at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Joe Mead, Managing Director of MSSCompliance, said “We are delighted tobe joining Capita Symonds and theopportunities for further growth that itpresents. Bringing our expertise to astrong Capita Symonds brand,particularly in the public sector, offersour team excellent opportunities forthe future.”
MSS Plc will continue to trade asnormal.
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news in briefTim LaurenceVice Admiral Tim Laurence CB MVO ADC hasjoined the board of Capita Symonds as a Non-Executive Director. Tim brings skills andexperience developed during a distinguishednaval career which included four warshipcommands. Latterly his roles as a key strategist and resource planner within theMOD culminated in his appointment as Chief Executive of Defence Estates.
Highways Agency schemesCapita Symonds has been appointed by theHighways Agency to support the developmentof a new four mile dual carriageway which willconnect the M6 and M56 in south eastManchester. Capita Symonds is working withconstruction partner Costain on the schemewhich is one of the 14 Highways Agency roadschemes due to start construction in the nextfive years, subject to the completion ofstatutory processes.
Leicester Health NHS community partners across Leicester,Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) have appointedCapita Symonds to carry out a strategic reviewof their £550m estate. During a two stageexercise, Capita Symonds will look at optionsfor the 496,000sqm estate – made up of over160 NHS owned buildings including acutehospitals, community hospitals, communityfacilities, and NHS owned GP practices.
www.capitasymonds.co.uk/news
The new £74m Riverside Museum inGlasgow has been unveiled. Situated onthe banks of the River Clyde in the heartof the city’s harbour development, thenew museum will reinforce Glasgow’sglobal transport heritage, giving visitorsaccess to more than 3000 exhibits.
Capita Symonds provided projectmanagement, CDMC and QS services onthe Zaha Hadid-designed scheme.
The Tall Ship Glenlee is moored in front ofthe museum’s dramatic south façade,bringing her together, for the very firsttime, with the city’s unrivalled ship model
collection to create a dramatic and iconicinternational destination. The Glenlee isone of only five Clyde-built sailing vesselsafloat in the world today and the only onein the UK.
As well as the old, there are more recentstar attractions including Graeme Obree’shand-made bikes which made him aworld-champion, and the late ColinMcRae’s Subaru Impreza that he drove towin the World Rally Car Championship.
The new museum has been funded byGlasgow City Council, the Heritage LotteryFund and the Riverside Museum Appeal.
Richard McCarthy said: “I am looking forwardto driving the business forward in this sectorand further cementing Capita Symonds’status as a leader in delivering a wealth ofproperty and infrastructure solutions.”Jonathan Goring, managing director, CapitaSymonds, said: “There is an overwhelmingneed for government to realise efficiencysavings and rationalise revenue generationand asset management. Richard’s experienceand enthusiasm relating to how publicprivate partnerships can achieve this will beinvaluable in helping Capita Symonds tomeet the needs of this sector.”
Capita Symonds has appointed RichardMcCarthy as executive director forcentral government. Richard joins fromthe Department for Communities andLocal Government (DCLG) where he wasdirector general for neighbourhoods foreight years.
Richard will develop Capita Symonds’provision of services to the public sector,specifically central government, alongsidethe wider Capita Group. Richard previouslyheld positions at DCLG, the Peabody Trustand Horizon Housing Group.
Capita Symonds appoints new executive director
Glasgow’s Riverside Museum unveiled
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into africaprogramme delivery team in major international win
Capita Symonds has been appointed asProgramme Delivery Partner for the $5bnTatu City development in Kenya.
The 1000ha project, the largest of its kind inAfrica, comprises the construction of a newcity located within Greater Nairobi, EastAfrica’s economic hub. The mixed-usedevelopment, which will be home to 62,000residents, also includes retail, commercial,tourism, social, and recreational facilities.
Capita Symonds’ role will involve helpingthe client translate its vision and strategyfor this new city into reality. This will entailoverseeing all aspects of the programmeincluding stakeholder management; thepre-construction programme; project anddesign management; development of aprogramme management office;procurement; and overall programmemanagement in the post-constructionphase.
Nairobi, the largest city in Kenya, has apopulation of over three million people. Itsairport, Jomo Kenyatta International, is thelargest and busiest in East and Central Africa– with over 49 airlines servicing the Kenyanmarket. The Eastern Bypass Highway,currently under construction, will link theairport to Tatu City.
New school spaces can now be deliveredup to 60% cheaper through agroundbreaking new model which enablesexisting buildings – such as offices andvacant or distressed properties – to beadapted for use as schools whilesignificantly reducing the cost of newschool buildings.
The first model of its kind, Adapt SchoolsSolutions – from leading educationcontractor Wates and Capita Symonds –provides four educationally led, blueprintdesigns for 21st-century schools that can beimplemented at any suitable site in the UK.
The solution:• Cuts construction phase of new school
delivery from typically 60 weeks to just 36 weeks;
• Includes a solution for converting existingbuildings for use as primary and secondaryschools;
• Efficient design and procurement can saveover £1,000 per sqm, cutting the cost of anew primary school from typically £4.5m
to just £2.38m;• Standardised designs can be tailored to
local needs.
With a shortfall of 70,000 school placesexpected in London alone over the nextfour years, the blueprints will enableschools and cash-strapped localauthorities to address the urgent need formore capacity.
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ESA joins Capita Symondsboost for company’s commercial design offering
Capita Symonds has announced theacquisition of architecture and designgroup ESA for an undisclosed sum.
With offices in London, Hull and Katowice,Poland ESA employs over 60 staff, providingdesign-led architecture, planning and projectmanagement expertise across thecommercial sector. The company willintegrate with Capita Symonds’ existingarchitecture business, strengthening its
position as one of the UK’s largest andleading practices. ESA’s current workloadincludes high profile new HQ offices and fitout projects, central London office andmixed use retail schemes, hotel and leisureprojects, and a wide range of challengingconservation-led West End projects.
John Southgate, Executive Director (Design& Infrastructure), Capita Symonds, said:“Capita Symonds is a constantly evolving
organisation and this acquisition emphasisesour commitment to investing in success bybringing in strong businesses to supplementour existing capability in key sectors.”Alastair Roberts, Managing Director, ESA,said “Our commercial private sectorexpertise and excellent client base, inconjunction with the strong Capita Symondsbrand, particularly in the public sector, offersour combined team excellent opportunitiesfor the future, both in the UK and Europe.”
Capita Symonds has been appointed byAirbus Operations Limited to providemultidisciplinary management and designservices for the multi-million poundAirbus Aerospace Park project in Filton,Bristol.
Capita Symonds will be providing a range ofreal estate services including projectmanagement, architectural design,acoustics, landscape design, structuralengineering, cost management, CDMC, andBREEAM consultancy. M&E design input willbe provided by AECOM which will join theteam specifically for this project.
The site, which adjoins the A38, will featurea campus-style development comprising amix of new build and refurbished officeaccommodation that will provide modernintegrated facilities for 2750 staff.
The project includes a new build low-rise24,000sqm main office building for over2300 staff while the site’s existing listed Art
Deco Pegasus House, which wasconstructed in 1936, will be refurbished toprovide a 3600sqm of modern officeaccommodation for 450 staff including acafé and a 350 seat auditorium.
The project also involves the refurbishmentand reworking of Old Filton House, avernacular scaled Georgian farmhouse.
AirbusAerospacePark lifts off
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on your marks…get set…gowith the HCA setting a tight pace, the race was on for Urban Vision to complete 101 homes at ten sites in Salford…
The task was certainly a daunting one,but when asked to squeeze four to fivemonths work into a mere fortnight,Urban Vision – Capita Symonds’ jointventure with Salford City Council – tookto it with gusto.
The challenge began in late 2009 when thecity council was looking to make the mostout of the Local Authority New BuildScheme. Urban Vision was called in toprovide a feasibility study on some 16brownfield sites across the city.
With feasible sites soon identified, the citycouncil asked Urban Vision to assist them inputting together a full bid proposal todeliver to the HCA – all within two weeks.Getting this right was critical since tostumble at this hurdle would havecompromised the entire development, butUrban Vision’s team – working closely withSalford City Council – pulled it off to secureapproved bidding partner status with theHCA and win the project £8.2 million ofgrant funding. With match funding from the
council taking the project budget up to£13.5 million, the stage was set to beginturning aspiration into inhabited homes.
The brief was to deliver family sized homes,built to Lifetime Homes Standard, alongwith wheelchair accessible bungalows, all ofthem built to high environmental standards(meeting Level 4 of the Code for SustainableHomes).
Initial designs created as part of thisplanning process had to be developed intofull working drawings, alongside all themyriad preparatory details that went intogetting the schemes ready for go, includingprocurement issues, securing buildingmaterials, and sorting out the logistics ofmanaging the project’s ten different sitessimultaneously.
Partnership was an essential part of theprocess with constant dialogue betweenstakeholders. This approach enabledeveryone around the table to work togetherto find answers to problems. This approach
enabled Urban Vision came up with a neattwist on the standard delivery pattern –creating a two stage format for the deliveryof designs. This enabled sites to be mobilised before full detailed designs werecompleted.
Modern methods of construction wereapplied to the scheme, not only to providefor a faster build time, but also to enhancethe environmental performance of thebuilding, thereby assisting in meeting thecriteria for Level 4 of the Code forSustainable Homes.
The final flourish for achieving the 44 percent improvement in performance over thestipulated Building Regulations was theinstallation of measures such as heatrecovery systems and solar thermal panelsto help heat hot water. There are also some‘quirky’ tweaks to the designs across thesites so that each have something of theirown character, such as the inclusion of awildlife habitat on one of the sites thatenabled a pre-existing population of greatercrested newts to continue living happilyalongside their new human neighbours.
Given the demanding timescale, effectivelyfrom October 2009 to March 2011, UrbanVision and its partners have pulled off arapid fire delivery against the odds.
Darren Clegg ([email protected]) is Project Manager at Urban Vision
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commercialising the public sectorJohn Bandler on the benefits of a commercial approach…
A lot of Capita Symonds’ success hasbeen built around taking on public sectorservices and commercialising them. Sowhy can’t the public sector take more of a commercial approach itself? Thiswould certainly appear to be a majorplank in coalition policy and philosophy.
Property and infrastructure is perhaps themost obvious quick win in this area –whether it is looking at services provided bylocal authorities or investment plans forregeneration and economic growth. In fact,the entire public sector appears to befocused on cost reduction but savings arenot the whole answer – the governmentmust put more pressure on the public sectorto raise money too.
Let’s explore some of the opportunities:
Commercial approach to infrastructuredevelopment and regenerationThe public sector’s role in regeneration oreconomic development has been at bestplace shaping and at worst passiveregulation. But 2011 is the year whenstimulation of growth is critical at regionaland local level. This means being reallyproactive and commercial. Now is the timewhen the public sector needs to embracethe localism agenda and partner withdevelopers rather than fear them, and startto consider how it can help to makemothballed schemes viable.
Commercialisation of services to sell toother public sector agencies as well asprivate sector organisationsSome local authorities excel in someareas, whilst others excel in others. Thecommercial opportunity is for those whoexcel in property and/or infrastructuremanagement to sell their services to otherlocal authorities as well as other publicbodies and even the private sector – andmake a profit? Yes that dirty word ‘profit’– but why not? If a service has invested inthe staff, systems, and processes to excelwhy should it not make a return on thisinvestment? The economies of scaledeveloped through development of thebusiness should also flow back through to
the host body in terms of more effectiveservice.
Asset Portfolio ManagementWith local authorities focussing onefficiencies of scale, shared servicesprotocols and selective departmentaloutsourcing of services, the opportunities torationalise the surplus built assets areenormous. As operational assets becomeunder or non-utilised, internal pressure maybe to simply dispose of assets to generatecash. This may be the right move, but amore strategic asset management approachis to ask fundamental questions as the tomedium and long term value of assets.
Within a more balanced portfoliomanagement approach, asset disposals willbe balanced with medium and long termasset retention and investment strategies.This thinking is rooted in adopting some ofthe commercial characteristics of intelligentdevelopers, rather than immediately puttingall eggs into the ‘disposal’ basket.
We live in a new world. And politicians needto support their officers in taking a morecommercial approach. If not, they missopportunities to mitigate the pressure onpublic services
John Bandler ([email protected]) isDirector of Regeneration at Capita Symonds.Further information at:www.capitasymonds.co.uk
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that’s the plan?Dave Jolley of Capita Symonds looks at the implications of thegovernment’s public services white paper for the planning sector…
The White Paper on Open Public Servicesmakes it abundantly clear that thecoalition government does not have anideological presumption over whether theprivate or public sector should runservices. The paper is unambiguous in itsbelief that high quality value for moneyservices can be provided by the publicsector, the voluntary and communitysector, or the private sector.
Some local authorities have already chosenthe private sector path. For example SalfordCity Council and Breckland District Councilhave already outsourced their planningservices to us through a competitive route inorder to secure cost savings and providerobust quality services.
By opening up planning services, thegovernment is recognising that there arenumber of ways in which planning servicescan be delivered more cost effectively whilstdecentralising services to the lowestpossible level including:
• Local communities producingneighbourhood plans;
• Local authority planning teams competingto provide cost effective planning in otherregions;
• Mutual/Cooperatives etc providing not forprofit services;
• Approved private sector organisationsproviding services such as the processingof planning applications as an alternative
to traditional provision by in-house localauthority teams.
Nevertheless, the key to the successful,open, accountable delivery of planningservices will be ensuring that only approvedproviders of planning services are eligible toundertake those services. A key feature ofthe new approach could be theestablishment of a robust and effectivemechanism for formally approving theproviders of planning services. This couldinvolve the introduction of an ‘ApprovalBody’ which would operate a robust processto review key features of a service providere.g. demonstration of expertise and
experience, capacity, organisational stabilityand standards of probity. The body wouldalso operate a renewal process for re-accreditation. In turn, the proposed serviceprovider would also have to be able todemonstrate there would be no conflicts ofinterest and that the highest standards ofprobity would be maintained.
There are a number of further options thatshould be considered to ensure proper androbust accountability. For example, theapproved planning service provider wouldhave the authority to process the planningapplications and set their own planning fees,but only after a competitive tender process.Also, having processed the planningapplication, the service provider wouldreport to the planning committee orplanning authority’s designated officers forthe planning decision. Finally, in the era oflocalism, local communities could even bedelegated the authority to make planningdecisions and commission their own serviceprovider.
Alternative services providers, be theycommunity operators, mutuals, charitabletrusts or private companies, have muchvalue to add in relation to the provision ofplanning services. The key now is how farwill the industry go?
Dave Jolley ([email protected]) is Director at Capita Symonds
nineproject management:
the keys to successChris Paxford with five tips on how to manage costs during a construction project…
Tip 1 – TimingDon’t leave it to the construction phasebefore you start wondering how you aregoing to control your costs – it’s too late bythen! Instilling a ‘culture of care’ in yourteam right from the outset ensures thatcosts can be controlled from a project’sinception.
Tip 2 – PeopleChoose the right people. If you think back toyour most successful projects, it’s not theform of contract you remember, it’s thepeople and the relationships. Work hard toget the right people on your project andalways take time to build a team spirit andcommon understanding of the objectives.Run a workshop with your team and developthe relationships throughout the project toget the best out of people. When you get aproblem you want people ready to helpsolve it, not make money out of it. It helps ifyou can think in terms of an ongoingrelationship.
Tip 3 – BriefMake sure your brief is absolutely clear. Agood project/cost manager will work with
you, challenge and help draw out the detailof your requirements. Identify thestakeholders and decision makers. As youengage your design team make sure theirscope of services is clearly defined and bemindful of the interfaces with the team and,in particular, any design overlaps where onepart of the project affects another. Leavenothing to chance. Continue to manage theinterfaces and co-ordination through yourproject/cost manager.
Tip 4 – Change and RiskMake sure you have a robust and clearlyunderstood change control process – it’s asmuch about self discipline as it is aboutmanaging your team of designers andcontractor! Your project or cost managerwill set up and manage your change processin accordance with your corporaterequirements and manage and control theprocess.
Also, at the earliest opportunity, discuss,identify and record the risks to your projectand allocate a budget to them. Work withyour team to mitigate as much as possibleand make sure you do not shove your headin the sand with regards to those that areleft. A workshop is a good way of dealingwith risks. Also, make sure you regularly re-visit your risk schedule and review the risks,not forgetting to add new ones when theyare identified (things change). Finally,remember that risks can develop outside ofthe immediate construction process.
Tip 5 – ContractBuy the right thing! Make sure your tenderdocumentation clearly reflects what youwant and the contract you choose suits thecircumstances of the project, yourorganisation, and appetite for risk. Don’t getdrawn in to choosing the current fashion –‘design and build’ might not be best for you.The market will also have a bearing on yourcontract choice. Changing markets andexternal factors can make different contractforms more or less attractive at differenttimes in the economic cycle.
Allow time to ensure tender documents arefully co-ordinated and completed to theagreed level (it isn’t normal to be doing thisat 2am the day before the tender is due out– whatever the architect tells you!). Makesure the programme is well developed,agreed, communicated and mostimportantly managed and understood.
Chris Paxford ([email protected]) is Head of Projects at Capita Symonds
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successful people, projects and performance
renewal issue #13. © Capita Symonds 2011. Published November 2011.Designed and produced by Capita Symonds.
For back issues of renewal visit www.capitasymonds.co.uk/renewal
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