West London Sub-Regional Conference
Discussion Group 6
Developing Smaller Sites– A Practical Guide
Presenters
Visakha Sri Chandrasekera
Regional Business Development Manager
Andy Collyer
Pre-Construction Development Manager
Lovell London Region
Lovell
Lovell is the residential company within the Morgan Sindall Group
Provides complete housing services: Design and Build of all tenures,
Planned and Responsive Maintenance and Market Sales
 40,000 homes delivered over 20 years
 In 2013 one in ten apprentices worked for Lovell
 2013 holders of ROSPA Gold Award for Health & Safety
 First company to be accredited by TPAS

CLIENT
Internal Capacity: Skills and Resources
Identify skills to:
a)
devise & commission schemes
b)
appraise development proposals
c)
project manage
•
Assemble Team – inhouse or out sourced/ combination
• Comprehensive set of Employer’s Requirements (ERs), design brief or
planning standards
• Funding for essential consultants such as Clerk of Works
•
Essential Actions

Direct Engagement with key Council Depts
1. Planning & Sustainability
2. Procurement
3. Legal
4. Highways
5. Building Control & Environmental Health
6. Estate & Asset Management
7. Others Education to Cleansing


Agree Procurement Options & Form of Building Contract
Factor in realistic timescales for internal approvals
Procurement Options
Full OJEU – timescale, & appropriateness
 Existing Frameworks – Ealing used City West for larger schemes
 Contractor & Consultant “Panels” – most consultant appointments &
Small scale contracts (Below OJEU)
 Single purchases –services
 Tender or Quotation

Panels and Frameworks
Consider Council’s essential requirements eg registration with
Constructionline and CHAS (Contractor Health & Safety Assessment)
 For sites above OJEU review existing frameworks
 For sites below OJEU consider contractor & consultant panels because
of their simplicity and speed

Appraising Frameworks
 Consider if the rigour of the qualitative & financial assessment is
satisfactory
 Consider if following is covered:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Experience of affordable programmes
Evidence delivering in time and budget
References
Constructionline scores
Added value offered
Seek evidence of ability to deliver quality services 50:50, even 60:40
quality/price
Programme or Single Sites?
 Depends on size of sites, delivering repetitive programme, use or
avoid OJEU and geographical spread
 Impacts on type of contractor you will get
 Sites thorough checks before going out to tender
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Boundaries & title correct
Services correct – don’t assume either because you own it!
Capacity study or massing exercise upon which to obtain quotes or tenders
Brief for each site, or programme agreement with Planning
Standardisation of house types or similar components
Realistic packaging of sites, adjacent or the opposite ends of the Borough
Ensuring Success
Ensure ERs as tight as possible, specify to degree possible if using
D &B, maybe Stage D+?
 Address provisional sums before letting contract – commission
further surveys?
 Engage the contractor – discuss “value engineering” consider cost
effective solutions

Client Issues Summary
 What time have you to consider the options?
 Simplicity in choice of procurement programme, meets your
requirements, transparent, provides VFM
 Ensure contractors and consultants right ones for the job – if using a
framework make sure there has been robust qualitative and financial
assessment, same for use of contractor & consultant panels
 Spend time ensuring your ERs/Design Brief is watertight.
 Precise what you want with each scheme
 Ensure you have done the necessary site investigatory work before tender
CONTRACTOR
Norman Crescent Estate
Northfield Road Estate
Harlech Gardens Estate
Redwood Estate
Services

Substations

central heating plant rooms

live drainage runs

extended mains

high abnormal costs
Resident Consultation

Health & Safety of residents

changes to existing estates stopping up roads/footpaths (alternative
pedestrian routes)

closure of unapproved access’

loss of parking/provision of temporary, loss of open space

Considerate Contractor Scheme (CCS)
Design & Buildability



How far spread out are the sites?
Procurement strategy? Standardise house types for each tenure where
possible
Servicing the estates
Off site works instructed by client:

Design & Procurement (Value Engineering)
Preconstruction activities


Demolition works (notice to residents)
diversion works
Agreement of Cost Plans


Initial Feasibility Appraisal (IFA)
Post Planning Feasibility Appraisal (PPFA)
Realistic and achievable programme



Small sites
logistic plans
shared prelims
Establishment of a Steering Group Committee to determine
the client/estate priorities and drivers.

Contractor involvement for technical issues.
Thank You