As part of a new series, we’d like to give you an insight about the people (and their roles) who work at Spaceway. All of our team of colleagues contribute hugely towards our success and are very highly valued. Taking centre stage

Taking centre stage first is Clive Verney who told us about his specific role as a Contract Manager and what happens once a customer has confirmed an order and signed off on their specific design plans.

Clive has been an integral part of the Spaceway team for 13 years and has seen the business grow from strength to strength. Initially, we asked Clive: “When do you become involved with a customer’s project?”
“Once a customer has placed and confirmed an order there will be an internal handover meeting involving the Contract Managers and the Sales team. It is at this stage where we will discuss the project in detail down to the minutest of details and all project specifics. Once this is crystal clear, we initially meet the client before engaging and instructing the contractors for this project as necessary. Then we ensure all orders are placed for materials and supplies to make sure the project is built to budget and timescale.”

Being a Contract Manager requires a specific skill set, we asked Clive his thoughts on some of the key traits required.
“Good people skills, good communication skills, planning skills, professional organisation, and the ability to keep a calm head when others are not. You really need to have the skills to see what other people can’t. I guess this comes down to experience and being able to predict every possible outcome or scenario.”

Spaceway can be working on various projects at any one time and is unique in the amount of work it can work on concurrently. Clive said: “Each Contract Manager can potentially be managing multiple projects at once. All of these will vary in time, complexity and value. Every client is different and it’s about establishing the exact needs of your client. There are some clients which like to know the very fine details and others which are happy to just see the end result and have the project managed in its entirety. It all comes down to evaluating what people need and working with the client in a way in which they prefer.
“Take Baker Barrack in Thorney Island as a prime example. One of the main reasons we were appointed by Kier, was our ability to manage the project from start to finish and allow Kier to concentrate on other areas of their contract with the MOD.”

Can you give us an example of a typical project?
“The quick answer to this is no. All our projects are bespoke and vary in time, complexity and value. Some projects will require project management on site for six months, whilst others will only take a few days to complete. The one common challenge we face on any project is managing the delivery. Working on smaller projects can be complex as the timescales for delivery are a lot shorter and if products or solutions are not on site at the right time, it can have a major impact on producing the end result.”

We then asked Clive, what do you enjoy most about your job?
“It’s the fact that every day is different, it is really varied. Also, I’ve been at Spaceway for over ten years now and have built up great relationships with our sub-contractors. Most of whom have had existing relationships with the company since I joined the team and together we all make a great partnership.”

Where does your role as Contract Manager finish?
“It is rare that my job will be complete once we hand over the project to the client. The aftercare takes time and is an incredibly important aspect of what I do. Often the client has requests for additional work and services, or on other occasions, it could simply be to return to the site to adjust doors which have expanded due to the heat in the building.
“Being the Contract Manager also means I’m always the last point of contact for the client. This in turns means I am often the first port of call for the client’s next job and often start the repeat business through myself.”