Overview

We work with  broad spectrum of contractors, consultants and utility providers at various stages of the Master Developer process.

Why are they important?

Working at scale and to a consistently high quality across a range of sites means that we value the flexibility and innovation that comes from being a trusted client of our specialist and principal contractors, consultant teams and utility companies. We encourage them to take ownership of what they do whilst also being cognisant of how their actions impact on others.

What do they want from us?

Who are they?

Methods of engagement

We are constantly engaging with our existing suppliers which are often operating across a number of sites. Regular dialogue ensures that they are fully apprised of project and corporate objectives including health and safety, modern slavery and sustainability. In particular our Net Zero ambitions are reliant upon reductions made in our supply chain and therefore on capturing data from our supply chain. We also work with them on joint initiatives where we can leverage our combined involvement to promote employment and training opportunities, volunteering with stakeholders and engagement generally through leisure activities. All this engenders the trust and team spirit which are the hallmarks of our sites. The Board is kept up to date on performance issues throughout the year as well as safety and sustainability considerations. Counterparty risk is actively assessed, both in terms of ongoing and new contracts.

How we engaged in the year

Close working relationships and active financial and performance monitoring significantly supported our ability to continue delivery across our sites in 2023. This was a key focus for the Board given the challenging market conditions. As with our housebuilding customers, civils and building contractors have been actively supported through the five-star health and safety programme and the health and safety co-ordination and collaboration meetings. Working with our civil engineering contractors we supported and jointly held training courses to improve the management of the installation of underground utilities. We have hosted two sustainability forums with five different housebuilders which work across a number of sites to share sustainability best practice and identify opportunities for collaboration. We have also hosted two workshops with our consultants and also our contractors to outline our data requirements and to understand the potential challenges of obtaining such data. Working with our service suppliers we also supported each other’s internal training programmes with virtual talks and presentations as well as volunteering events with key stakeholders where specialist contractors supported a key event. Sporting events included a cricket match with ECL Civil Engineering Limited and the annual five-a-side football tournament with Breheny Civil Engineering Limited which this year included teams from BMD landscape architects and David Lock Associates

Outcomes

We have further strengthened our working relationships and furthered our approaches to health and safety and sustainability. We entered into a contract with Breheny Civil Engineering Limited and ECL Civil Engineering Limited for the delivery of the new link road at Middlebeck following a traditional tender process. The submissions from these two parties demonstrated their understanding of our vision and business model, having worked closely with us previously. Equally, the impacts arising from the insolvency of one civils contractor operating across a number of sites were managed quickly and efficiently.