We were as Contract Administrator, Principal Designer and Project Managers to develop a new vehicle rental facility for Enterprise Rent-a-Car on a brownfield site in Manchester.
The project involved civil and structural works, including excavation, forming site levels, services connections (drainage, water, electrical), and building a new modular office. Other external works comprised hard and soft landscaping, the construction of a new steel-framed vehicle wash-bay, car parking area, pathways, boundary walls, and new security installation.
Budget requirements were vital for the development of this new site. We ensured project costs and quality were closely managed throughout the process, assessing contractor’s valuation claims, evaluating variations and agreeing on technical design queries/value engineering solutions as required. Our client was also keen to maintain relationships with a neighbouring college, so we provided regular updates to all stakeholders as the project progressed on site.
We acted as Principal Designer and Contract Administrators. We submitted the scheme for Planning and Building Regulations approval and dealt with the discharge consent for the drainage. We produced a full specification and drawing package and obtained competitive tenders, which were carefully reviewed before the contractor was appointed. We managed the entire build, including direct client orders through to Practical Completion.
The project had several challenges. We worked hard to overcome each one. Work was hit by periods of extremely bad weather (including localised flooding) and local lockdowns imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Careful programme monitoring and keeping Health and Safety at the forefront of ever-changing restrictions were vital to ensure the project was completed safely and to a high standard.
