A Developer Secondment – Best of Both Worlds?
Three weeks into working for a Data Centre (DC) developer, it is clear that the experience won’t follow the typical ‘blueprint’ of a PET course secondment. The developer can identify opportunities for clients, initiate a project and create concept designs, before a Release for Proposal (RFP) for detailed design and then construction contractors. They are then responsible for overall project planning and management, scheduling, budgeting, risk management and quality. In the world of DCs, they are the specialist link between Contractor and Client.
The typical secondment of 7 months with the contractor followed by 7 months in the design office is tried and tested, providing the site experience necessary to lead engineering works and the technical knowledge to oversee technical designs. The developer space, on the other hand, appears considerably more fluid. Depending on the relationship with the employer, there are links to the contractor, the designer, the commercial team, legal, H&S, QA and more throughout the project. Earlier exposure to the ‘bigger picture’ and the wider stakeholders can present an opportunity to pick and choose challenges to tailor the experience.
My experience will primarily be within the DC developer design team, with a focus on a construction in Slough. There are 3 different buildings on site at different RIBA stages (commissioning, construction and technical design). Placement within a developer team appears to present significant opportunities and challenges for gaining the required experience against UKSPEC standards, discussed below.
Opportunities:
- The developer has significant commercial involvement throughout, from routine client and contractor management to OFCI (Owner furnished, Contractor installed) equipment procurement.
- The developers are the specialists; the contractor may not be. This forces an intimate understanding of the design to facilitate construction, in order to meet the unique client requirements. Design, development and engineering problem solving (Comp B) opportunities are everywhere you look.
- RFI and change management – the developer will manage principle designers and contractors through the RFI and change process. This presents considerable opportunity to develop technical knowledge (Comp A) across the project life cycle.
- This ensures a unique, holistic project experience throughout, with design input through to quality assurance and commissioning responsibilities.
Challenges:
- There isn’t the same concentrated site experience that would be achieved with a contractor. Developer project management is done at a high level (particularly the oversight of principle contractor), meaning the opportunities to lead and manage works are fewer (Comp C).
- Working for a multi-disciplinary specialist = a steep learning curve! Understanding the interfaces between M&E, Civil & Structural, Utilities and OFCI vendors in an unknown-to-you industry is a tall task.
- It isn’t the ‘proven route’. The experience isn’t on rails; you have to work hard to understand where opportunities exist and where you can add value.
The result is a fluid role that could mould to the required experience for the student. Provided that opportunities are exploited to lead on site, whether verifying ongoing works or carrying out H&S reviews, the work in the developer space should marry up with the UKSPEC competencies. For the PET course, this could provide an alternative path towards chartership in expanding, innovational industries.
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I think it is safe to say that the role described sits somewhere between architect and PM. The RIBA stages you refer to are 6 Handover, 5 Manufacture and Construction, and, 4 Technical Design.
I suggest that you want to look for something as a phase 1 attachment in stage 5 where you should get to see commercial management of a project and the operation of the contract in the build phase. I suspect they use JCT rather than NEC but will leave it to you to say what form is in use! NEC does lend itself to back to back contracts for design and management services alongside the principle contractor and subbies. In Decemeber you will want to switch to something that offers stage 2-4 concept, spatial and technical design. You will then be able to bring the frustrations of poor satge 2-4 work, as experienced on phase 1, to bear and deliver better for others…
Looking at your perceived opportunities and threats, I concur with the opportunities. In terms of threats, I think it might be helpful to consider that the meaning of lead and manage works does not exclusively refer to on site construction activity. It is equally satisfied by leading teams in the office to achieve an outcome because there are the same requirements to identify strengths and weaknesses, develop individual and team competencies to meet the task, address equality and differentiation issues and generally show leadership and accountability. The perceived challenge of working in a multidisciplinary space is exactly why we deliver across disciplines in the first 6 weeks of your course, and why this blog is important to having second hand site experience, from a number of individuals of both your own and other fields, before you go to review. The experience not being delivered on a plate is all the better for enabling you to demonstrate proactive learning and self-development (another professional requirement). This all sits very well in the sphere of what it is to be a PQE in practice! The only pitfall you need to watch out for in a role such as this is being labelled as a DC Developer or PM at review, and not as an engineer.
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Hi Richard,
I am Stage 5 focused on Building 2, with some lessons learned responsibility for Stage 4 on Building 3, primarily ensuring a new design team are incorporating the lessons from Buildings 1&2. The contracts are bespoke for 1&2, though not dissimilar to NEC – plenty of early warnings to get stuck into! Building 3 will use JCT, so a great opportunity to experience differing commercial challenges. I have a link into the Building 2 design team, well lined up for Phase 3, so hopefully can exploit the Phase 2 pitfalls.
Ref leading/managing works – it’s reassuring to hear that; I’ve found it challenging to add value on technical works so far, with more opportunities appearing around process management and design team management. I’m hoping to strike a better balance over the next few weeks.
Thanks for the advice.
Joe,
Thanks for the post, really useful to understand how you see the placement shaping out and I will aim to visit in Jul once heat of phase 1 and 4 is off.
The ‘standard’ attachment doesn’t really exist!! everyone is a little different and whilst some are wearing hard hats every day (Joe S is a good example) others arnt and BP is a great example where it would be un realistic to be offshore, other than for short visits and the majority of engineering design and construction is delivered by primary contractor and subbies.
your challange is to make the placement work for you, and will naturally develop over time. Having a fantastic ex-PQE as your line manager will certainly help.
Sounds as if you are going to have think outside the box in terms of how your experience maps to UK SPEC, but as you have set out, there are significant opportunities to do this and lots of contacts within and allied to the placement for broad exposure to a wide range of civil engineering activities.