April 23, 2019

Best Performing Construction Sites Revealed

The Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards have confirmed the UK and Ireland’s best performing construction sites. Recognising the the highest-performing construction sites against the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice which monitors how considerate the site is being towards their local community, environment and workforce, the Awards took place at iconic venues

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Brand strategy

Having just some uncertain ideas and a logo of your company is not enough to say that it is a brand strategy. To succeed one should have a written plan in details to gain results and understand what should be taken. 3 questions each brand should ask itself before planning

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STEPNELL EMPLOYEE CROWNED CONSTRUCTION MENTOR OF THE YEAR

KAREN Ryan who spent 15 years of her career at Stepnell has been crowned Mentor of the Year at an annual award ceremony which recognises the very best in construction excellence within the West Midlands. The award recognises an individual who has shown a commitment to developing the future leaders

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Latest Issue
Issue 323 : Dec 2024

April 23, 2019

Best Performing Construction Sites Revealed

The Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards have confirmed the UK and Ireland’s best performing construction sites. Recognising the the highest-performing construction sites against the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice which monitors how considerate the site is being towards their local community, environment and workforce, the Awards took place at iconic venues in Edinburgh, London and Manchester. The 2019 winners of the ‘Considerate Constructors Scheme, Most Considerate Site 2019’ title are: Carlisle Gas Holder Demolition Project – Northern Gas Networks (project value under £500k) Columbia Threadneedle Property Investments – Overbury plc (project value £500k to <£1m) Camden FRA Works – Mulalley (project value £1m to <£5m) University Centre, Rotherham – Willmott Dixon Construction (project value £5m to <£10m) Woodmansterne Secondary School – Willmott Dixon Construction (project value £10m to <£50m) One Blackfriars – St George City Ltd (project value £50m and over) In addition to the six Most Considerate Site Award winners, there were 336 Bronze, 252 Silver and 152 Gold, as well as 18 Most Considerate Site Runners-Up. “Congratulations to all the 2019 National Site Award winners. Each award winning site should be extremely proud of receiving this prestigious industry accolade, which recognises their invaluable contribution to improving the image of construction,” commented Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy. “Special congratulations must go to the highest performing construction sites winning the coveted title of ‘Most Considerate Site 2019’, which represent the very best of the construction industry in how they have raised their standards of considerate construction to the highest levels. We work with sites to push the boundaries of what is achievable and this year’s accomplishments by sites have certainly not disappointed, with over 764 sites receiving National Site Award recognition. We are always amazed by the increasing levels of performance on site across the country, and we look forward to performance continuing to increase through next year and beyond,” he continued. In addition, for the second year running, Ultra Sites, the Scheme’s highest attainment of registration, were also recognised for their outstanding commitment in collaborating with their supply chains, during the awards ceremonies.

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Brand strategy

Having just some uncertain ideas and a logo of your company is not enough to say that it is a brand strategy. To succeed one should have a written plan in details to gain results and understand what should be taken. 3 questions each brand should ask itself before planning any activity: Who are your clients? What is the message of your brand? How do you understand “success” in long-term perspective for your brand?   Answering these questions, this initial step, will help you to define your goals, needs of your clients, methods of talking to them and the tools you will use to estimate your success. There is no one and only definition of brand strategy but generally it covers the following aspects: meaning of your brand; its promises; type of personality your brand broadcasts.   So, to boost your revenue and promote your brand try online advertising network as example https://polus.media/ These moments are hardly trackable, but, nevertheless, very important. It becomes more evident when we start talking about brand’s mood. If we talk about big companies it is an often case to invite two different teams to develop each side of the brand, we don’t know why, but they do not often meet together and we may have contradicting results at the end. In some sense, one can say that brand strategy is relying on your intuition. We could add that it should be based on some data as well. Slogan of Rolex describes the situation most of all: it doesn’t tell time, it tells history. There is some history, brand developing in the video. Think what you can show in terms of: then and now. To discuss this example more, you may notice that there is a certain message from this brand. This part is very important to call correct motivation from your customers. Only after understanding the strategy of your brand you can make any marketing activities. However, we recommend waiting for a while and study your target audience. Here we mean to catch who your audience actually is. To draw a portrait of your customer you should include such factors like demography, marital status, type of work, where they go shopping, where they get news, which skills are necessary for work etc. After coming to conclusion you should think where these people mess around. We mean using online and offline areas. Sometimes, different location implies different means of communication. Of course, there is nothing better than to check what your competitors do. And here it is important not to copy them, but to show that you are different and why it is beneficial for your customers. Reasons why some brands may fail No seeing for long-term perspectives; Lack of work on brad’s uniqueness and its message; Lack of understanding the perfect clients; Incoherence in creativity; Obsolete methods or calls to such markets.   All the things we discussed are so simple, but mystically so difficult. Anyway, the best thing you can do before working on your brand is thinking and analyzing and only after it some actions can be taken.

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STEPNELL EMPLOYEE CROWNED CONSTRUCTION MENTOR OF THE YEAR

KAREN Ryan who spent 15 years of her career at Stepnell has been crowned Mentor of the Year at an annual award ceremony which recognises the very best in construction excellence within the West Midlands. The award recognises an individual who has shown a commitment to developing the future leaders of the industry and has invested their time in nurturing people to help them reach their full potential. She was instrumental in implementing Stepnell’s top-performing trainee and apprenticeship scheme which has boosted Stepnell’s workforce to include 10 per cent of apprentices, trainees and graduates and she chaired the Midlands Construction Training Group, helping other firms to upskill and train their workforces. Before retiring in the same week that she was presented with the award, Karen’s construction career with Stepnell has seen several successful partnerships forged with the CITB and schools and colleges across the Midlands which has resulted in young people joining the industry and becoming award-winners themselves. She said: “It was a huge compliment to be nominated for this award by my colleagues and receiving the award is an honour. “We’ve had so many young people join the business 15 years ago who are still with us now. I’ve seen them progress into senior positions, grow as professionals and have their own families.   “These people are the life blood of the business. It’s built on investing in the next generation and that’s what Stepnell is all about. When I started there was less than 100 people, now there’s around 450, but the ethos of supporting staff and helping them grow is still the same.” Mark Wakeford, joint managing director from Stepnell said this award was a testament to Karen’s passion and dedication to mentoring within the industry. “Karen’s infectious enthusiasm to develop individuals within the construction industry has reaped dividends. At Stepnell we are committed to investing in the next generation of young talent and Karen paved the way by developing a hugely successful trainee and apprenticeship scheme,” he said. “Her work has been instrumental in helping us to exceed the industry’s “five per cent club” and we are proud to have apprentices, trainees and graduates making up at least ten per cent of our workforce. “Employee experience is a vital part of our culture at Stepnell, we work to nurture talent and recognise the achievements of individuals at every level across all five regions we operate in. “We offer diverse training opportunities for people leaving school, graduates, ex-offender programmes or people who want to retrain and we have several positions we’re recruiting to across our offices now.” To find out more about Stepnell careers visit: https://www.stepnell.co.uk/careers/current-vacancies/ Join the conversation at @Stepnellltd.

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Environment Agency announces new green legacy for £2.6bn flood and coastal risk management programme

The Environment Agency has announced a set of new supplier arrangements and partnerships which will increase efficiency, value for money and the green legacy of its £2.6 billion capital investment programme. The programme aims to better protect 300,000 homes from coastal erosion and flooding up to 2021 and beyond. Effective from April 2019, the Environment Agency’s Next Generation Supplier Arrangements (NGSA) will form the basis of new ways of working which will help better protect people and the environment whilst ensuring that sustainable development is at the core of Environment Agency projects. The new NGSA arrangements have been developed using the EA’s long experience in the Flood and Coastal Risk Management sector as well as learning from other leading public and private infrastructure providers. The new arrangements promote innovative ways of collaborative working with delivery partners and local communities from the initial planning stages of a project right through to its completion. The new supplier arrangements will also lead to longer term team working and new ways of engaging with local organisations and communities. This closer working will ensure that homes, communities and businesses are receiving the best possible flood and coastal management for the challenges facing their area. At the same time flood and coastal defence projects will promote economic growth, social wellbeing and will seek to enhance levels of natural capital within the local community, making sure that each scheme brings long-lasting benefits for future generations.   Toby Willison, Executive Director of Operations at the Environment Agency, said:   “This ambitious new framework will help us to continue to deliver our £2.6 billion flood and coastal defence programme in a way which ensures that sustainability, efficiency and value for money remain at the very heart of the work we do to protect people, homes and the environment.” “The Environment Agency continues to work closely with partners and communities from across the country to deliver our commitment of investing £2.6 billion to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion over six years.”   The new arrangements are also a major step forwards for delivering low carbon solutions for projects which will help the EA work towards the Government’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. The NGSA arrangements run through to 2023 with the opportunity to extend to 2027.   The definitive list of new suppliers can be found below.

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