AwalkwithMO

I’ve always asked myself where on earth is the Chelsea football stadium? Of course, it’s in London but where. I then had the chance of working on a project at the very train station just outside the stadium. I’ve also wondered how Civil Engineering contractors win a project in the first place. As with many things in life, you have to earn it or show that you’re more than capable of getting the Job done.

Picture going for a Job interview. You go prepared, ready to sell yourself to convince the person across the table that you are the right person for the Job. Keeping in mind, you aren’t the only person being interviewed for that same role. It’s a game of survival of the fittest. Unfortunately, the same applies in winning a contract from any of our clients. Regardless of which industry you find yourself in, I know you can relate.

I have been working with the Bid writing and Work-winning team in our rail transports division for some time as part of my Graduate scheme. Commonly known as the Pre-construction stage – arguably the first step to any job/project. You have to win the job, to do the job, right?

In summary, the client proposes a job to several contractors within a specific framework( call this the eBay of bidding but for selected group of people/companies ). A lists of questions is sent to all participants to answer. This is known as the Pre-qualification questionnaire. Allowing all participants to showcase their case studies on previous projects and providing standard company information. If the client is happy and convinced with what’s been presented they’ll formally invite us to the next stage – Invitation to Tender.

The invitation to tender consists a file of technical and commercial questions. It gives us the opportunity to explain how we are going to plan (program), present, price, and build (methodology) the job. Most importantly, the health, safety and well-being, environmental sustainability, and quality.

The client has a scoring system targeting key areas such as cost, quality, time, safety, etc. Therefore, our pre-construction team must put forward robust responses by answering the questions and making it easier for the evaluator (client). The contractor with the most compelling, clear, and compliant responses is scored higher and therefore awarded the project. There is a deadline you do not want to miss it. Time is of the essence.

Okay, where was I? Right, I’ve been spending time with this team and understanding the different processes involved. In most cases, the client would encourage all participants (contractors) to visit the initial site. It gives us a practical understanding of the project and to consider any challenging obstacles ahead. I had the pleasure of visiting one of these projects. Personally, during my visit I was more overwhelmed by the experience.

From meeting with a senior colleague of mine at Starbucks to meeting with other contractors at the designated meeting point – Fulham Broadway station entrance. We all stood and waited along for the client’s representative. To break the ice the client gave us a platform to introduce ourselves. We then proceeded to the station surveillance room to sign in and be given a brief induction of the do’s and don’t.

We advanced to what the job is : the replacement of an existing glazing roof at Fulham Broadway station. A station just outside the Chelsea stadium. On game days this station is filled with football fans. Therefore, it becomes challenging, working on a live platform with hundreds of Chelsea fans and others breezing into the station with haste. Therefore it’s important to understand the logistics behind delivering the job.

I had the pleasure of chatting with other participating contractors. They were very open and welcoming. Being the youngest in their presence, you could say I had the adrenaline itch to ask as many questions as possible. 

Upon completion of our tour around the station, a few of us went back to Starbucks to have more casual and professional chats over some coffee and hot chocolate. We then went our separate ways. I walked out of the station to have a view of the Chelsea stadium (from the outside) for the first time, before heading back home.