Case Study - Business Relocations
A well-known UK company with over 400 staff needed a new office to support the growth of their home and overseas business. While finding their ideal premises and agreeing the interior design they began to realise how complex, disruptive and time-consuming the office move was going to be. They also realised that they did not have a manager with the experience to handle a project of this type but they did need somebody who would represent their interests to the organisations providing the fitting out and relocation services. They selected Brook Project Management to supply relocation management services to them.
The scope of the work covered all aspects of the staff and office relocation from fitting out the offices to settling the staff in.
It started by drawing up with the client clearly defined objectives for the offices' use and then mapping these onto the architects' designs and the supporting mechanical, electrical and other infrastructure plans. From this information the project manager put together a programme of sub-projects that could be prioritised and delivered in a sequence.
A steering group was formed from the client's managers, the architect, design consultants and chaired by the project manager. Their first step was the selection of a fit-out contractor to deliver significant parts of the work. A tender document was compiled and sent to potential contractors. Bids were evaluated by the project steering group and the winner selected. The project manager, working with the fit-out contractor, then finalised the plans for the sub-projects. These included:
- Office / room construction - building offices, meeting rooms, kitchens and anything else that was needed.
- Mechanical and electrical work - such air conditioning, heating, lighting and all other electrical work.
- Planning / installation of the IT equipment room - the layout of the room, the number of racks needed, ensure adequate floor strength, move existing equipment, arrange purchase and delivery of new equipment, testing.
- IT and data cabling - flood cabling to floor boxes throughout the building.
- Telephone and network cabling - similar to IT and data plus working with external telecommunications supplier to get phone numbers, lines installed, tested and available for use before the staff moved in.
- Furnishing selection and purchase - the process of consulting with staff, selecting office furniture etc, whilst managing the budget to a realistic objective.
- Flooring / carpeting - might sound simple but selecting the right material, considering where it would go, whilst managing a budget.
As these stages progressed plans were developed for the physical move of staff, materials and equipment; but of equal importance was arranging a series of communication activities with the clients' staff covering plans and progress. As well informing staff these were also aimed at giving them opportunities to ask questions and discuss issues such as - car parking, public transport facilities, where will they eat, where can they shop, if it's further for them to travel?
The logistical part involved finding potential removal companies, getting quotations, selecting the company and planning the move.
Through the life of the project there were regular verbal and written reports to the senior management of the client to ensure they were fully aware of progress against time and budget.
In the end the move was successfully achieved.
The main issues arising were people and money. Staff had personal concerns about the effect of the move on their office space, travel and so on. Suppliers needed chasing; and architects, consultants and staff (but not the senior managers and directors) often wanted to spend more than the allocated budget.
If you would like to find out more about our Business Relocations service, please contact us.