Risk free plumbing
Since the sub-contractor went into administration a couple of weeks ago their sub-sub-contractors and suppliers have been either walking off site (like the plumbers), or going straight to McAlpine in order to get paid.
We are now paying for:
Steel
Plumbers
Drainage stores
Skips
Waterproofing materials
Timber and consumables
Muck-away
Almost everything else
PC Harrington are still paying for:
Concrete
Some labour
The drainage is now being installed by Realtime. Since we needed them to start immediately they had us over a barrel at least initially so they’re currently working on day rates. A price will be agreed soon but in the mean time they’re making hay while the sun’s shining. The contractor is throwing blokes at the job, which is great for our progress and great for his profit. We pay £31 per hour for the drainage supervisor. He probably earns half that at best. The rest is overheads and profit. They are working totally risk free.
More concerning is that we’re having to supply timber and consumables. Even B&Q won’t give PC Harrington any credit! We’re also now supplying pull-out bars for the slipform. Irritatingly they’re on a 1 week lead time. We were only told they couldn’t get them yesterday, but they need them tomorrow. Obviously this can’t be done. We asked for the quantities and we’re told the engineer would do the take off for us. This means they hadn’t done the take off. That means not only had they not placed the order themselves, but they had no intention of doing so.
In a progress meeting yesterday PC Harrington told us that their recovery program would be issued 48 hours late. They can’t even program when their program will be published. They also gave us a list of what works they will complete in the next two weeks. They told us how far behind they are today but had no idea how they would be looking in two weeks time. Their forward planning is terrible.
There are some great things about working in civvi street: they are very efficient and know their stuff, the other day I was running late and didn’t shave before work, no one cared that I wouldn’t be able to get a proper seal with a respirator!
There is also some really annoying stuff. The accuracy of their written work is terrible. If I have to read another ITP describing me as a Mace representative when I work for McAlpine I might scream! And their ability to plan beyond what their having for lunch is woeful. I use to laugh at the term “military precision” having seen some pretty slap dash planning, but at least it was planned, which is a start!
Rant over.
UPDATE – We are now also buying their stationary. Today we had an order for 30 reams of A4 paper!
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
Guz
I look forward to the visit! Can you buy my ticket!
Kind Regards
Guz, I like the fact you blog like you talk, reading it reminds me of all the rants in TFH HQ. I agree with you on the accuracy of paper work, I’m not talking about the lack of double spaces and multiple spelling variations within the same document, I’m talking about referencing in contracts to documents that don’t exist or referencing to Annex xxx, because no one bothered to update it. I have been issued a red pen and am using it liberally, Ian would be proud.
On buying random things, our admin department have had to go out and buy blankets for some members of staff, as the house they are living in doesn’t have heating (its Autumn and the temp is dropping below 10 deg at night). Although I did also manage to persuade them that I needed a fleece lined high vis gilet for my drive in in the morning.
Matt
We’re not buying all this stuff out of the goodness of our hearts, they literally cant afford paper. On Friday the steel fixers refused to come out of the canteen until they were paid. So now they too are working directly for McAlpine and I can add “Steel fixing manager” to my list of titles!
Matt, is there anything you’re not tyring to get at the company’s expense? I’m only jealous of course…
Guz – You talk of sub-sub-contractors doing parts of the work, so does that mean McApline are effectively filling a bit of the sub-contractor role also? Has this brought greater control of the task and perhaps better oversight and ability to avoid problems? Or, has the void left by PC Harrington’s meant the sub-sub-contractor is stepping up? I only wonder because in the Laing O’Rourke approach of owning most of the sub-contractor elements it reduces the risk of having issues like you have had. It also massively stretches the workforce because multiple roles are covered but does mean there are some savings and problems can generally be solved internally to the business.
We’re definitely doing the stepping down, which is why I never leave work on time any more!