Better highway and transport services for local people should come out of a new way of working. It takes the form of a five-year alliance between the council, civil engineering and building contractor Clugston Construction, and highway and structure designers Pell Frischmann.
The alliance means that the partners will carry out all upcoming projects, rather than putting contracts out to tender to different firms each time. Partnering of this kind is becoming an accepted way of organising construction work. It marks a move away from the often destructive nature of traditional contracts and the soured relationships that can result.
North Lincolnshire Council has been a pioneer of partnering among councils. Several of its recent building projects have used the new process.
The council chose Clugston for its Highways Alliance because of the company’s culture and its experience in partnering. It has carried out over 30 projects under such arrangements. Clugston is the fourth largest employer in North Lincolnshire; most of their people live in the area.
Partnering on single projects has advantages in time, quality, cost, health and safety and the environment. But the greatest benefits come when partners work on successive projects. This is why a five-year term was agreed. The lessons learned, both good and bad, can be used to continually improve the next project and the quality of the work.
Other bonuses are extra skills, training and continued employment for staff of the partners, jobs for North Lincolnshire people, and more supply opportunities for other local firms.
The alliance’s aims include:
- Cutting the numbers killed and seriously injured on North Lincolnshire’s roads.
- Improving accessibility and availability of alternative transport to discourage car use.
- Fewer roads and footpaths classified as ‘poor’.
Further information:
The partnership has developed with North Lindsey College a BTEC National Certificate in Civil Engineering to start in September 2008.