Guernsey's premier building contractor
NEW SCHOOLS ARE A TRIUMPH OF TEAMWORK
According to US basketball player Michael Jordan: ‘Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.’ Completing a major construction project – on time and within budget – may receive less coverage than winning the NBA championships, but is no less an achievement - and the benefits last much longer.
From the moment RG Falla Limited was appointed to build Guernsey’s newest schools, Project Director Peter Gregory knew that attitude was the key: ‘We needed a strong team ethos, from the top down, for it to work. The Education Department understood that, which made all the difference. They were a superb client to work with and we had some excellent sub-contractors.’
The finished St Sampson’s High and Le Murier Schools are a testament to that relationship. RG Falla’s Site Project Manager, summed things up: ‘I’d go as far as to say that this was one of the best projects that I’ve been involved with. The team worked very well indeed, with a real buzz at the end. ‘
His colleague Peter Dodsworth, RG Falla’s Internal Finishes Manager, agreed: ‘A very good project, thanks to teamwork. We had weekly meetings throughout and all the sub-contractors were very co-operative. This was a really enjoyable contract to work on.’
RG Falla’s Design Manager, Pat Sebire, said that the Education Department was an essential part of the team: ‘Derek Neale and Geraint Apsion, the Client’s Representatives, were on site and available almost everyday. They took a pragmatic view of things like Change Orders, so we were able to discuss the pricing implications directly with them.’ He added: ‘That close contact made all the difference and kept the project on schedule.’
Many sub-contractors also rate the project among the best they have worked on. Nick Humber, Contracts Engineer for Fareham-based Building Services Contractor J&B Hopkins Limited, commented: ‘It was refreshing to work on a project where everyone pulled together to complete the job on time and to a high standard.’ He added: ‘We’ve already started our next project with RG Falla and hopefully look forward to more thereafter.’
Project Manager Andrew Fixter of Yorkshire steel contractors Hambleton Steel, whose current work includes Northumbria University and Sheffield College, hailed the project a success: ‘RG Falla's site team and the Structural Engineers were all a pleasure to work with. All had a very positive and, more importantly, practical attitude. With the UK Government's massive investment into re-building schools, Hambleton Steel has undertaken several such projects in the last 24 months and Les Nicolles school is certainly one of the best I have seen.’
Many local sub-contractors were also involved in the project. Marine & General Engineers created the two internal staircases, the external staircases, the glass wall beside the swimming pool and all secondary steelwork. Technical Director Andy Way was full of praise: ‘We worked closely with RG Falla’s management team, which was brilliant.’ He added: ‘UK contractors operating in Guernsey often need local help to overcome problems, such as moving and cutting steel. That support is not always there but we were able to assist on this project. There was a terrific team spirit.’
Greg Forino of Greg Forino Flooring said that local sub-contractors have an important role to play in finishing large projects to a high standard. He added: ‘There was a real feel-good factor to this job and it was finished early thanks to good co-operation and management.’
Bob Froome & Sons worked with RG Falla undertaking pre-contract work to stockpile earth and materials which were later used to raise the height of the site by 1-2 metres. André Whitney, an operative from Bob Froome & Sons explained ‘I have worked on this project since July 2005 when we brought in 1000’s of cubic metres of material very quickly. It was clearly a race against time to try and move this stockpiled material then compact it into layers before the winter set in – a huge earth moving operation for Guernsey and A fantastic team effort from all concerned to get it done on time.’
