Ground & Water NEWS
News
October 2018
Client profile is on the increase
Improved communications and visibility
Ground & Water enters its 10th year
The team at Ground & Water celebrated a milestone in its history on Friday 28th September. The company commenced its 10th year in business.
Established in 2009 by co-directors Francis Williams and Dipalee Jukes the Hampshire-based Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental consultancy has enjoyed consistent year-on-year growth and now employs nine engineers, two administrative personnel and in 2017 it launched its own graduate development programme. Fran Williams says: “With a high percentage of companies failing well before their tenth birthday, we are both proud and thankful. Our success is down to the hard work and professionalism of our team, our loyal client base and the fact that we put our customer first. We continually strive to grow our capability and to attract new clients. As you will read in this newsletter, we have never been in a better position to achieve this.”
A growing list of high profile clients
Recent commissions received by Ground & Water have included working on projects for the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Navy. Last month we published the case study of our involvement in the project to preserve the last surviving D-Day tank landing craft. You can read more here: D-Day Museum case study
In recent months, through lead contractors, Ground & Water has worked for district councils, including: Epping Forest, Rushmoor, Dacorum, Horsham, and Lambeth. Other projects of note are: Ibis Style Hotels, London Basements, Abbey Pynford, the Forestry Commission and the Whitehall and Bordon Regeneration Company.
Best in class systems and procedures
Over the last 12 months Ground & Water has conducted and internal review of its systems and procedures, helping it to streamline the business. Dipalee Jukes explains: “The team has worked incredibly hard to help Fran and I to get the business to where it is today and where it needs to be in readiness for the next ten years. But our success, within the incredibly competitive business environment in which we operate, added to working with increasingly high profile clients, has required us to streamline our internal procedures and take our already excellent service provision to the next level. The dawn of our tenth year in business sees this investment come to fruition and we are incredibly proud of the team who have all played their part.”
The Ground & Water website – Improved communications and visibility
In October 2017 Ground & Water launched a new website. The site is now the focal point for clients and prospective clients wishing to find out more about the consultancy’s service provision and expertise. Ground & Water also hosts a well-read blog on the site, which reports and informs on industry matters and developments; often challenging legislative change where comment is merited.
Following the Carillion debacle, in May Homes England launched the procurement of its new Multidisciplinary and Technical Services Framework. Effectively one contractor to head up the delivery £150 million worth of new homes. You can read our views on whether government has learnt anything from Carillion on our latest blog. Homes England
The Ground & Water website – A new client information portal launched
Phase two of our website development project is complete and we are delighted to announce the launch of our new client information portal. Clients can now apply for a username and can set their own password, which enables then to access their own secure area on the Ground & Water website. From here they can download reports they have commissioned. The portal means Ground & Water clients have instant access to their preliminary summaries and full reports as soon as they have been reviewed and signed off by a Chartered team member. An email notification is sent once reports are ready for download.
We now accept card payments
Ground & Water is introducing two additional ways to settle accounts. Clients can settle outstanding accounts by card over the phone, or can pay by link.
Ground & Water Health & Safety accreditation
CHAS (The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) was created by experienced health and safety professionals in 1997 to improve health and safety standards across the UK. Ground & Water has recently renewed its accreditation.
Ground & Water has also renewed its SMAS H&S certificate. SMAS (Safety Management Advisory Service) is member of the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) forum. Holding a valid SSIP Member Scheme certificate means that a contractor has demonstrated their capability by meeting the SSIP ‘core criteria’. A key aim of the SSIP forum is to reduce the burden and cost of H&S bureaucracy across the construction industry. Contractors holding a SMAS H&S certificate will be recognised by the other member schemes who offer mutual recognition.
Ground & Water is recruiting
As the business continues to expand, we are searching for first class candidates to join our talented and dynamic team of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental engineers. Candidates must have relevant degree level qualifications and a minimum of two years’ industry experience. If you fit the bill and would like to work for a young and exciting consultancy, email us at: [email protected]
And finally
We hope you enjoyed sharing in our news. We would like to thank our clients and our team for making this bulletin such a positive one. Look out for our Christmas update.