Build 2017 Heavy Construction Awards 8 eo-Environmental are a geotechnical and environmental consultancy, operating from Bristol, Birmingham and with their head office at Hurtspierpoint south of Gatwick, offering a comprehensive array of services. These range from desk studies through to on-site intrusive investigations, which are used to provide ground models for contaminated land assessments, foundation, pavement, road and drainage designs. In addition, the firm also undertake slope stability analysis and design, basement impact assessments, contamination remediation strategies and validation reports together with earthworks specifications and material management plans. Glyn has overseen the growth of the company from a sole trader to a £2.1M turnover consultancy that has grown by 100% since 2010. To date the firm have undertaken over six thousand investigations for a wide range of projects including; investigations of former gas works, petrol stations, landfills, chemical works, government sites, airports and railways, as well as schools, hospitals and green field sites. The company has built a strong team of Degree and Masters qualified consulting engineers, who on average have fourteen years’ experience. Recently the firm have started to become more involved in flood alleviation schemes, renewable energy installations, rock stability assessments for rail and number of highways projects which have seen it increase the number of staff who are new roads and streetworks qualified and IRATA trained for rope access. Glyn provides us with an insight into the factors which have set his firm apart from its competitors and contributed heavily to its success. “In an industry where the advice that you supply is so heavily relied upon, it is important that clients can have confidence that you work to a recognised level of quality, a recognised standard for health and safety, a recognised standard for environmental performance and that you conduct your advice in line with industry best practice. We have invested heavily in ensuring we have the right accreditations to achieve that level and this is further supported by our membership of industry bodies such as the ACE, AGS, EIC, IEMA, IoD, SoBRA, Green Growth Platform and CLAIRE. As a result of this we have been elected to Chair the SME group of the ACE (Association for Consultancy and Engineering) and the LOCASE Strategic Projects board of the Green Growth Platform.” “Whilst this ensures that we are at the forefront of our industry, ultimately we are aware that our staff are the most important asset to our business. We have a strong family ethos, staff development and satisfaction is very important to us and we have built a very strong team of capable and qualified consultant engineers. As a result of this we have very little staff turnover, which has created a stable and thriving organisation that offers great continuity of relationship for our clients.” As part of its focus on remaining at the forefront of industry innovations, Geo-Environmental has invested heavily in technology over recent years. This has included management software which has allowed the firm to make radical increases in our productivity – increasing turnover by £300K whilst maintaining the same headcount. From 2013 Geo-Environmental has been using BIM software which has enabled fieldwork, monitoring and lab result data to be handled according to AGS formats. The firm also uses a range of other modelling and analysis software to support its work which have further increased its productivity and ensured that we offer clients the very best service. Looking ahead, Glyn foresees a number of developments and challenges over the months and years ahead; despite these he remains confident that Geo-Environmental can continue to provide clients with the support that they need to succeed. “There is some uncertainty over the next 12 months, with the future of what environmental legislation will and will not be retained as a result of the ongoing Brexit negotiations. It is also uncertain how the industry will be impacted by the Brexit negotiations. Until we have more detail on these negotiations, it is very difficult to say just how we would be affected – positively or negatively. “Longer term, we expect the future to be brighter, as we anticipate greater levels of development to meet the shortages in housing and to facilitate Best Geotechnical Engineering Company - UK Geo-Environmental Services Limited is a UK based independent practice of qualified geotechnical engineers, environmental consultants and investigation contractors, bringing their specialist knowledge to European infrastructure projects. We caught up with Glyn Evans to find out more. G HC170004 Company: Geo-Environmental Services Limited Name: Glyn Evans Email:
[email protected] Web Address: www.gesl.net and www.gesl.eu Address: Unit 7, Danworth Farm, Cuckfield Road, Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, BN6 9GL Telephone: +44 1273 832972