Hobson & Porter, Innovation based on tradition

Hobson & Porter was initially approached by Hull City Council, who invited us to become part of a £1m partnered scheme to deliver much needed improvements to the educational facilities at Sutton Park Primary School and to extend the existing school buildings.

Hobson & Porters Estimating Director Russell Horner played a large part in getting the scheme off the ground with both the school and Hull City Council. Russell worked closely with the designer, structural engineer and the school, giving the project cost certainty and a programme of works to deliver the scheme in the quickest time practically possible.

The project commenced in March 2003, when Site Manager Bernard Porter was introduced as part of the team to drive the job forward on site. Working closely with the Headmaster Geoff Groom, Bernard developed a good working relationship with all the school staff, taking on board any problems, changes in sequencing and special requirements the school dictated. Part of the scheme involved the updating and refurbishment of an existing school building that was still in use, and this created potential problems caused by children coming into contact with construction staff. Through the co operation of the school and our Site Manager's experience on this type of project, any conflict or disruption was kept to an absolute minimum, with no real complaints or concerns raised by the school.

The end result is a value for money scheme that delivers all the key outputs specified in the original brief set by the school. This has been achieved through the vision of the head teacher, school staff and the local residents, who have played a supporting role in the planning and execution of the project. This scheme has recently been acknowledged by Hull City Council as one of its most successful schemes in terms of delivering Best Value, achieving some of the lowest recorded costs per square metre in the country when compared with DFES figures for comparable projects.