Nick Bevan Consulting 5th birthday

Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun...one minute we are trying to decide what our letterhead should look like, the next minute we are 5 years old!

On a more serious note – the last five years have been fun, challenging, eventful and, ultimately, very productive. We have completed over 400 projects, a staggering amount by anyone’s standard. We’ve had high points and low points, much the same as any other business (especially in the current economy) but thankfully more of the former and much less of the latter! We’ve been awarded the prestigious Business Start Up of the Year award for 2009 and seen our business grow bigger and stronger from there. Today, there are 8 people in our team in a variety of functions and we are currently recruiting 2 more Chartered Surveyors and aim to make a further announcement about this exciting development very shortly.

We continue to provide what we feel is an exceptional standard of service to our clients who are now based widely in all parts of the UK. Our 5^th birthday finds us full of optimism for the future with ambitious plans for the next 5 years and beyond!

Upon reaching this important milestone, we would like to thank all of our clients who continue to put their faith in us, and all of our staff who make this enterprise possible.

If you would like to find out more about how we’re celebrating here at Nick Bevan Consulting Ltd., feel free to contact us directly or take a look at our website www.nickbevan.co.uk

02-08-2012 Construction Breakfast

It was great to renew an aquaintance with Chris Hallam, formerly of HSBC, now Regional Director Business development- Midlands and West, Santander Corporate Banking.

Chris' talk on 'Trust in Banking' was interesting, thought-provoking and above all refreshing. The event took place at the National Star College in Ullenwood, Cheltenham. Visit their site www.natstar.ac.uk to see the great work the National Star College do.

Contractual Pitfalls in Project Management within Construction Industry

Project management began in its early form in the late 19th century, driven by large scale government projects. After WW2 specific techniques emerged for planning and managing huge budgets and workforce. With the advent of computers the project management tools became easier to use, more suitable for smaller (although still large) projects and different disciplines. In the modern times, project management is widely used on projects of all sizes and complexity.

Despite such long tradition, even nowadays many projects do not meet their required performance standards or are delivered late / over budget.

In a recent seminar, a Cheltenham-based firm of solicitors addressed the typical contractual pitfalls to watch out for within project management in our industry.

High on the list of potential culprits were Letters of Intent. Whether binding or non-binding, Letters of Intent must be drafted carefully in terms of what the parties want to achieve by using them. Ultimately their objective is to first achieve agreement on what needs to be done, and start work later. This prevents many issues from arising at a later stage.

Also of great importance is having the right procurement strategy, because each project is different and it is critical to balance out risks against project objectives, by assessing what the drivers are for both.

Other important points to consider are financing (getting the bank on board early, before contracts/appointments have been agreed) and conflicting T&Cs of the parties involved (resolve any conflicts early on and not just assume that one set of T&Cs will override another, because there is no automatic hierarchy).

Ultimately, by raising the standards of project management within the construction industry and more specifically improving the skills of project managers, all parties can enjoy a smoother process and better results. Please contact us if you have any queries about the Project Management work we undertake here at Nick Bevan Consulting.

Changing Places – more than just a campaign

Changing Places – more than just a campaign

Being one of the region’s leading Access Consultants and having both a professional and a personal affiliation with disability issues (we support the National Star College charity in various ways), we are always glad to hear of developments like the one below.

Clos-O-Mat, the inventors of the shower toilet/automatic WC, who were first in the field and are still the market leader, have just completed 12 Changing Places projects including East Midlands Airport and Toddington (MOTO) service station.

The Changing Places campaign is probably the most important initiative in the disability access field for the last 20 years. Without Changing Places toilets, carers are forced to change their loved ones on toilet floors or be confined to their own homes.

It is great to see that these important initiatives are becoming more and more embraced throughout different industries!

If you wish to find out more about the Access Consultancy work we do here at Nick Bevan Consulting, feel free to contact us.

The Civil Justice Council issues revised ‘Guidance for the instruction of experts to give evidence in Civil claims’

In our industry, we are often called upon as experts to help settle disputes between parties.

Needless to say, there is a significant difference between a self-proclaimed ‘expert’ in one’s field and an Expert who is officially recognised and trained in giving Court evidence, as we are. All Experts must demonstrate to instructing solicitors that they comply with and have a full understanding of Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules. On 27th July, the Civil Justice Council issued a revised ‘Guidance for the instruction of experts to give evidence in Civil claims’, the purpose of which is to assist expert witnesses, those instructing them and litigants in understanding best practice with regard to compliance with Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules.

This new version of the Guidance will replace the existing Civil Justice Council Protocol and can be found on www.judiciary.gov.uk.

We believe this is a measured and sensible step in the right direction ensuring that the Civil Procedure rules are followed in the manner they were intended.

Please feel free to contact either Nick Bevan or Nicola O’Conner who are both qualified Expert Witnesses for further information.