BWL Construction Consultants support Aurum Ltd with office conversion project

Wates House got its name from being one of the former headquarters of the large construction firm Wates Ltd. It’s based in Fareham, located equidistant from Southampton and Portsmouth on the south coast. The conversion work comprised of the development of 27no 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, with a high-end contemporary design throughout.

BWL Construction Consultancy is working with the Client, Aurum Wates House Ltd., alongside the Contract Administrator, Sillence Hurn Building Consultancy, providing professional Quantity Surveying services. In the role, we oversee all commercial aspects of the project and liaise with the entire project team to monitor and report on costs, including any unforeseen costs. This project has had several obstacles associated with design which we have had to overcome, including converting the structure and build standards to meet domestic property standards, rather than for commercial use. This has required close working with the Client and project team to develop cost-effective solutions and provide updated cost forecast reports to ensure that

the Client is aware of the expected overall final build cost as the Design and Construction costs change throughout the project.

There has been a number of existing features that have needed to be structurally altered due to the gap between the construction age of the building and current building regulations. We have supported this process by implementing a formal change management plan for the project team to work to, which has ensured that the build conforms to all current standards.

The Contractor was selected for this project specifically based on their level of available resource to address the need to accelerate the programme and mitigate against delays, which was one of the key project risks. We advised the Client on how to best deal with the risk and supported the process to appoint the Contractor to ensure that the project handover could take place in line with the original programme timescales, whilst not losing the quality of workmanship on the build. To support in managing this risk further, we are in constant communication with the Contractor, the Client and other project team members, to provide updates on commercial issues and update forecasts. We also liaise with the Client’s independent monitoring surveyor for the project to safeguard cash flow and ensure the project progresses as planned in line with the programme.