September 2017

36 BUILD / September 2017 , Strong Foundations Trading since 1965, Offord and Camp are a family business that has a wealth of experience in both historic andmodern forms of construction. The company was delighted to receive the exclusive ‘Best General Builder, South East England’ in the Cambridgeshire category, within the 2017 Industry Awards. Tomark this success, we interviewed TimOfford to discover more about the company’s work and his thoughts on the wider construction industry. The current partners of Offord and Camp, John and Tim Offord, are both chartered engineers who gained experience working for larger engineering companies before joining the business, set up by Frank Offord (John’s father) and Jack Camp. This means that they can take on almost any type of project and approach it with technical, as well as a practical experience. Tim Offord explains the scope of the company’s work and how the staff there are managed, as this in-depth interview starts. “We undertake work on a wide variety of projects on many scales, from changing a light bulb to large scale refurbishment of listed buildings and the construction of new dwellings. We also undertake works in laboratories, schools and manufacturing plants where programme management and working within live environments, are often critical to the project’s success. “We have an almost familial relationship with our staff, many of whom have worked with us for a long period. We find that by taking an interest in their lives, as well as how they perform at work, that makes for a much nicer workplace. Most of our staff are in full-time employment with us and as such, their turnover is very low for the industry. This helps us to be sure that we can place the correct people on the right job, which we find is particularly important when working in someone’s house, whilst they are still in occupation. “To try to ensure that this approach is maintained in the long-term, when people feel that it is time to move on, we endeavour to replace them with an apprentice wherever possible. This has the benefit of bringing more people into the trade (of which are too few now), as well as us being able to teach them how to work considerately as well as efficiently.” When undertaking a new client or project, Tim then explains how the company ensures that the best possible outcome is always achieved. He also explains the factors that set them apart from other competitors in the wider industry. “As a large percentage of the company’s work is domestic, there is always a personal attachment to the work, from a client’s perspective. We find that working with the client to establish what they require from a project, which may not always be what is shown on the drawings, enables us to leave them happy that the finished project is exactly what they want. “We also find that many domestic clients struggle to visualise the 3-dimensional image, from 2-dimensional drawings. We have used many methods, most of them very simple, to aid this interpretation and help clients make decisions that they remain happy with throughout the project and beyond. “Throughout the company, we have a good reputation for getting the details right. From attention to detail on finished floor levels to ensuring that there is a continuity of detailing on internal joinery and paint finishes throughout a property, we pride ourselves on being able to make alterations and extensions to existing buildings feel as if they were part of the original structure. “We also enjoy both technical challenges and problem solving. We regularly get asked to undertake projects by architects, as they want to use our experience to solve problems with potentially challenging details. We can often find safer and more economic ways to construct elements of a project, which can then be incorporated into the design at an earlier stage.” On winning the ‘Best General Builder, South East England’ in the Cambridgeshire category, within the 2017 Industry Awards, Tim details what this means to him and his colleagues. “We were surprised, but very honoured to have been selected in the Best General Builder, South East England’ in the Cambridgeshire category, within the 2017 Industry Awards. We are unsure who nominated us for the award, but it is very pleasing to know that clients or architects think that we deserve recognition for our work. We recently won an LABC award for East Anglia for the conversion of an old windmill and so the two awards will sit in pride of place at the office. “We would never expect to win an award. We have never self- nominated any of our projects for awards, so just being in the frame for one is always a pleasant surprise. However, it will not change the work that we carry out. Most of the company’s work comes from repeat clients, architects or word of mouth and as such, we will continue to put every effort into each project to try to ensure that the reputation that we have earnt over three generations is not lost.” On the wider construction industry in the UK today, Tim is keen to reveal his insights into this and how it has impacted the company’s work. “The construction industry around Cambridge is very buoyant now and has been for the past eight years. We are very fortunate to be working in this location, as the hardships caused by the economic downturn that are still ongoing in many areas of the country, have not been felt here. However, this local boom has reignited the debate about the biggest problem that the construction industry is facing now - tradesmen. There are simply not enough tradesmen in the area to undertake the volume of work that is currently available. “As a company, we have always taken on and trained apprentices. We have two now, who have just completed their NVQ level 3, one who is just going into the third year of his NVQ and a new apprentice starting shortly. However, we need the senior 1709BU03