£25m-50m

A three-month delay in the supply of design information at the start of this project was an accurate harbinger of the difficulties to come for Graham Sturge. The original architect was replaced by two new practices which took another three months. Then, with six months gone but virtually no production on site to show for it, he had to incorporate £8.5m of variations for an opening date just nine months down the line.

These setbacks make Sturge’s determination to consistently go the extra mile for the good of the project and working relationships even more impressive.

From the outset, Sturge was keen to ensure that this technically difficult bespoke refurb of a grade II-listed structure on a traditional contract did not become confrontational. When challenges arose, he didn’t immediately go for an extension of time, but looked to alternative methods to achieve the programme. He reprogrammed the project 19 times and changed its methodology and sequencing five times.

To ensure the still-evolving design would not incorporate details that hampered progress, Sturge assisted the design team and involved key subcontractors at an early stage, constantly focusing on buildability to keep production rates up. By treating the project as design and build, he achieved the completion date and value for money.

He proposed innovative solutions to ensure that enough funds were available for critical activities, including a resin floor for the entrance area, external precast concrete panels, and the steel framework in the service yard.

He was open and honest about the project’s commercial aspects. In return he received fair treatment from the client and final account agreement three months before completion.

Silver

Mark Howard MCIOB, Project manager, Taylor Woodrow, East London Line enabling works: refurbishment of railway viaduct, completed in 85 week, £40m, NEC part C this project marked howard’s debut as a project manager and was also Taylor Woodrow’s first railway construction scheme. These enabling works were crucial for proving the systems and removing the risks from the follow-on East London Line construction contract. And the risks were plenty.

The 150-year-old, 2km-long Kingsland viaduct was in various states of disrepair. Nine of the original bridges had been removed, three of the remaining 14 had to be demolished and the rest required major refurbishment. The viaduct’s track waterproofing system and drainage had to be replaced, and a formation created for track installation. There were also 170 internal viaduct arches to be refurbished.

The Victorian structures threw up dozens of challenges that had to be assessed, analysed and resolved before construction could begin. This led to large increases in construction scope, and Howard’s great achievement was delivering a project which doubled in value with just a six-week extension of time.

Always confident and calm, Howard never let the pressure show or allowed the difficulties to become insurmountable and remained committed to a collaborative approach even when it would have been easy to become confrontational. He shared problems to help devise satisfactory solutions for all parties.

Success came from his strong management of the critical path. He drove the design development, fabrication and erection of the bridges to provide continuity of access along the viaduct as soon as possible. And he showed a cool head in making risk-based decisions on whether to progress works in line with or ahead of design approval.

Howard forged excellent relationships with the client, the design team and suppliers chain. He instigated a rigorous safety culture, with no reportable accidents during 650,000 man-hours. And he spearheaded a credible value-engineering and value management strategy.

Highly Commended

• Michael Davy MCIOB (GDG Management) for Oxford Castle Heritage Project
• Peter Deakin ACIOB (Leadbitter) for Manor Park, University of Surrey, Guildford
• John Deegan (Laing O’Rourke) for Prestwick Air Traffic Control Centre
• Steve Gaffing (Sir Robert McAlpine) for SASA HQ, Edinburgh
• Andrew Hurst (Laing O’Rourke Construction) for Quadrant Development, Old Trafford, Manchester
• David Woodhouse (Costain) for Palace Exchange, Enfield