A14 Construction Catering & Cleaning
Posted on 15th August 2018 at 15:14
The Harman’s team was honoured to be chosen via a competitive tender process as a supply chain partner on the Highways England A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, which began in late 2016.
The £1.5 billion project is being delivered by the A14 Integrated Delivery Team (IDT), a joint venture between Costain, Skanska, Balfour Beatty and Atkins/CH2M.
Project delivery upon completion will include a major new bypass to the south of Huntingdon, widened sections of the existing A14 between Swavesey and Girton and part of the A14 Cambridge northern bypass, as well as a section of the A1 between Brampton and Alconbury. The A14 viaduct at Huntingdon will be demolished in the final stages. The works are due to be completed by December 2020.
Leading the Way in Construction
Project Director Mark Berg, commenting on the A14 IDT’s collaboration with Harman’s said ‘To deliver the enormous scope of Highways England’s biggest road improvement scheme, the IDT needs a fit and healthy workforce. At Brampton & Swavesey, Harman’s cater for the nutritional needs of around 1000 staff per week. Having convenient access to food and refreshments so close to the works is great for team morale and efficient working.”
As of summer, 2018, the project has achieved many impressive goals, including:
Diverting more than 26 miles (42km) of utility services (such as gas, water, broadband).
Creating 3 of the 18 wildlife habitats being built as part of the scheme (2.35 hectares out of 271)
Moving more than 2,500,000m³ of soil (roughly the same volume as the great pyramid in Egypt)
Visiting 40 towns or events in the mobile visitor centre, and welcoming over 3000 visitors
The team’s archaeologists have excavated around 350 hectares of land, uncovering new information about how the landscape has been used during the past 6,000 years and the origins of the villages and towns along the A14 in Cambridgeshire. Finds date from to prehistoric times, through the Anglo Saxon, Roman and medieval periods.
David Bray, A14 Project Director at Highways England, said: “The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme has been leading the way in the road construction sector in many ways.
Collaborative working
Harman’s provide cleaning services to the project’s four main compounds at Swavesey, Ermine Street, Milton and Brampton, and catering services, operating in the canteens at Swavesey and Brampton.
Procurement Manager Steve Garner, said: “Harman’s was selected following a rigorous tender process. The aim of the tender was to find a supplier which shared the values of the IDT and would provide good value and quality.
“Harman’s demonstrated both a good understanding of our requirements and their expertise in meeting them. They were open and honest throughout the process, showing a passion for the project values. Once we progressed to detailed discussions, they collaborated with us to develop the scope of works and were flexible with their offering to ensure the needs of our stakeholders were met.”
Harman’s Managing Director Erika Harman said: “We undergo a rigorous KPI review once a year with the leadership team of the flagship A14 development, which judges our performance against stringent requirements for performance, hygiene, employee records keeping, complaints handling and quality of goods supplied. We have consistently achieved ‘exceeding world class standards’ for both our cooking and cleaning.”
Building positive working relationships with our partners is something we pride ourselves on at Harman’s, and we always strive to give the best service possible. Steve added: “Our relationship with Harman’s is excellent. They are always approachable and proactive. I see Harman’s management team as part of the IDT rather than as a subcontractor which is testament to their behaviours.
“Harman’s performed well in their first project 360 review, which included testaments from their key stakeholders on-site. They scored 79/100, a great first score, above our expectations. They demonstrated positive attitudes to continuous improvement within the session and a clear drive to improve their business further before their next review.”
Ultimately it’s all about working together for a common purpose, and we make every effort to integrate our teams into our partners’ ways of working and ensure we are in tandem. “Harman’s are good at what they do,” said Steve. “Most importantly Erika, Grant and their team have continued to show the behaviours demonstrated during the tender process while working with us on the project. They are keen to support us and our initiatives, strive for continuous improvement and tackle challenges collaboratively. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to other companies.”
Harman’s Managing Director Erika Harman said: “It’s a real pleasure to work alongside the IDT and be part of the A14 project. They are an extremely professional team of people who are all experts in their field and it’s impressive to see how they work together on this complex programme to achieve amazing results.”
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