Litchfield

Litchfield is a fast growing construction and project management consultancy in the UK. Established in 1998, our strength is our relationships with our clients and our unrivalled knowledge and expertise within the industry.

We provide a range of services to both the public and private sectors, operating across a number of industries including government, retail, finance, IT and insurance. We are a growing company with over 35 staff in the UK, organised into three main business groups to enable us to deliver high quality services to our clients.

At Litchfield, we understand that construction and IT projects are business-critical and yet great opportunities for a client to re-invent themselves and grasp an advantage in their market. This requires detailed scheduling and integration of a number of complex systems and contractors in order to realise this dream. Without question, at all times, the project must meet stringent building, health and safety and environmental regulations.

Therefore, Litchfield provides a complete portfolio of services, backed by our expertise and resources, to simplify the process, reduce costs and timescales and manage multi-faceted contracts under a single management team.

Why do we need this?

Projects are much more complex than they were 5 years ago. The number of electrical outlets on each desk has risen by 500%, the environment and security systems are more sophisticated and value engineering of the base build is making fit-outs ever more complex.

More and more projects are over-running on time and cost and it is the client who pays.

The Role

The Project Sponsor’s role is becoming increasingly important on major projects. The role is a strategic one and his job is to focus and assist the Project Manager on to what is required to be completed on the project.

He is an extra assistance to the Project Manager. He co-ordinates and manages the client who can be made up of 50-60 individuals working for the client company around the globe, leaving the Project Manager to concentrate on the contractors and designers.

The Advantages

The Project Sponsor is your policeman on the project. A good project sponsor will be essentially FREE because the project savings and improvements in delivery will be far greater than his fee.

Do you manage a property portfolio? Or provide facilities management services? Imagine being able to find any manual or drawing on any building within one minute.

We create fast searchable Operation and Maintenance manuals and as-built drawings and place them at the finger tips of clients and maintenance contractors.

Sample on-line interface

With our expertise we are able to review the proposed premises selected by the client and report on:

• spatial review
• cost effectiveness review
• mechanical and electrical services review
• ability to meet the project programme
• assisting the client’s commercial agent with negotiating landlord concessions

With effect from January 2005, tax will be levied on the heat emissions of any office over 10,000 square feet. With our expertise we can advise on the appropriate action to be taken.

View our Carbon Certification presentation to understand your requirements to deal with Carbon Certification

With our expertise we are able to advise on the complex legislation affecting the construction and the maintenance of buildings. This ranges from:

• health and safety
• asbestos
• fire
• disability access

Following a survey and where action is required, we would be able to advise the client of the various options.

With our qualified and experienced planning supervisors, we are able to undertake the following:

• ensuring the client is fully aware of their duties and responsibilities under CDM regulations
• ensuring the client has formally notified HSE
• ensuring that designers comply with the CDM duties and responsibilities
• ensuring preparation of the pre-tender health and safety plans
• advising the client on the competency of the contractors
• advising the client on the adequacy of the principal contractors’ health and safety plan
• ensuring the preparation of the health and safety file and communicate with the project team members as necessary

We provide bespoke health and safety plans for both relatively simple and highly complex projects. Health and safety is managed and monitored by the senior management of the company. All new and existing site managers are kept up-to-date on the latest health and safety matters via access to a technical website for Construction Health and Safety run by the British Safety Council.

Here risk assessments, reports and all health and safety documentation can be produced quickly and easily in accordance with the latest regulations. This also ensures that nothing is left out as the Site Manager is taken through a step-by-step process ensuring that all aspects of the situation are taken into account.

This is one of five new web sites that we are now utilising, designed to ensure that a constant standard of quality is achieved across all sites across the UK and Europe.

Why should we use it?

The Project Definition service pulls together all the relevant members of the client team together with some of their key support staff and suppliers whom the client has chosen to be involved. It provides an opportunity to co-ordinate and produce a comprehensive brief and goals for the project and to focus all the members on the same co-ordinated goal.

The outcome is the project is likely to be completed for less cost because unnecessary duplication has been avoided at the outset. Other forums and kick-offs to projects do not produce the same effect.

The Project Definition Service is divided into two parts:

Part 1

The Project Definition Workshop
All the members of the client team who are involved with the project from the client’s perspective are invited to attend. This normally takes one day. Through this the following are discovered:

• defined scope of works
• agreed success factors
• project deliverables
• risks
• milestones
• specific resource requirements
• accurate budget is set
• accurate time frame is set
• motivates and focuses the many disparate parts of the client team to focus on the project and understand the relevance of their part in it

Part 2

The Project Definition Report
The report takes the outputs from the Project Definition Workshop and produces them in clear and concise format. It sets the timetable to progress the project, especially the budgetary application and approval process, and provides the project sponsor with the necessary information to create accurate timetables and budgets.

View sample Project Definition Report

Our structured approach to cost, time and risk management enables our clients to identify and actively manage the issues necessary for a successful project.

We recognise that an effective cost management service must control rather than simply monitor cost, and that our clients should be able to understand the impact of change in terms of cost and time before being committed. Our processes enable the client to recognise cost movements from the initial cost plan to final account.

We understand that mechanical, electrical and IT works can often represent up to fifty percent of the capital costs of a project. Our experienced team can provide the necessary advice, making a difference to the outcome of a project.

We also recognise that the capital costs of the building often only represent a small element of the total cost of operating a facility over its life, and that for certain clients it is necessary to compare options on a whole life cost basis which can include relocation costs.

Our services and approach can be tailored to suit the specific needs of the client and include:

• feasibility and cost planning
• value management and benchmarking
• procurement and contractual advice
• commercial audits

Construction Management delivers reduced costs and programme times for fast track, complex projects.

Using this method the project is divided into elements of work and trade contractors are contracted directly with the client. One such supplier, normally the services contractor, becomes the lead contractor as often the services element of work is critical to the success of the project. The client has the final choice of each service supplier, taking account of their financial status. This may be an important consideration in regulated financial sectors.

With our expertise as construction managers, we are able to co-ordinate the construction and trade contractors to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget.

View our presentation document

View examples of this management method:
QBE Management
QBE Reception
Pipex Stockley Park
New Edge Bishops Square

Our expertise in project management provides the link between our clients’ business strategies and their objectives. Through an integrated and structured approach we identify the key dependencies of a project and implement an appropriate system for overall management and control.

We recognise that project management should not operate in isolation to the other disciplines, namely cost, health and safety, and maintenance. Our approach is to advise the client so as to enable strategic decisions to be made.

Our services are provided to ISO 9001:2000 and include the following;

Phase1 Pre contract and design

       Management of the briefing process

       Project definition workshops

       Feasibility studies  

       Procurement of consultant team and specialists

       Project execution planning and team organisation

       Identification of project success criteria

       Management of the design process

       Integrated teamwork / project and strategic partnering

       Programme construction and monitoring

       Design and  management reporting

       Budgeting and cost reporting

       Risk assessments and monitoring both project and business impact

       Benchmarking and performance measurement

       Change management

       Value engineering / whole-life costing

       Environmental and sustainability

       Procurement advice

Phase 2 On site

       Contractor appointment

       Contract administration

       Project reporting and Progress monitoring

       Cost reporting

       Operational facilities management (FM) requirements

       Furniture procurement review

       Commissioning review and scrutiny

       Project close out and handover

       Project Documentation and accessibility

          12months defects and Post occupancy review

 We are awaiting the latest upgrade ISO 9001: 2008 which is due out later on this year, when we will review and update our systems.

View examples of this management method:
Mizuho International
Fidessa
Société Générale
JP Morgan