Key Features
- In early 2020 we were appointed to carry out a full refurbishment of Thurrock Council’s Counter Fraud Offices
- The works consisted of the refurbishment and conversion of a 500m2 open-plan office space, in order to facilitate the relocation of Thurrock’s counter fraud department to a new area. This included an open-plan office, an operations briefing room, an intelligence centre, a server room and an evidence store and lab
- We engaged with a consultant to complete the design and integration of M&E components in order to maximise the usable floor space
- We installed new fire doors to keep the work area safe and ensured the building was fire secure throughout the works and that evacuation routes were kept open
- We successfully met the client’s budget with no defect call backs during the liability period and zero snags at handover
Challenges and Solutions
- Works were conducted during normal business hours in occupied spaces. This required full segregation of working spaces and temporary hoarding installed to create a division. This partition was a fire screen to ensure that all health and fire safety standards were maintained throughout
- Fortunately, the offices were only partially occupied due to Covid-19 preventative measures, which meant we had more space available to optimise the works
- We made sure we were always compliant with the government guidelines on Covid. Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic our programme was delivered on schedule and within budget
- Security measures were required to stop rooms being accessed. This was important due to the sensitive materials and documents stored there that have to be kept secure
- We did not require a full site set up for this project. This allowed the staff car park to remain accessible as well as saving on cost. We also organised early morning and late evening material and waste collection. This meant that no skip was required during the day, thereby maximising available space and minimising disruption
- As a result of our success on this project we were awarded another contract with Thurrock to install safety and security features at Coalhouse Fort
