Excellence in delivery

Following a business review of how we operate we have developed a business improvement programme to enable us to win significantly more work and deliver it more profitably. The programme covers key items such as client engagement and project excellence. As part of the programme we are working towards adoption of a common business management system (BMS) to enable us to implement a more consistent approach to common processes.

To help us deliver technical excellence consistently we have created 14 technical networks across the Group. These networks are chaired by our most respected specialists who provide leadership in their appointed subject or discipline, identify investment opportunities, and raise the profile of Atkins on technical expertise.

We continue to deliver complex exemplar projects, details of which can be viewed on our website.

All our businesses are required to make the transition to the revised standard of ISO 9001 by November 2010. The assessment programme, run by our certification body Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance, began last year. So far 80% of the Group has achieved approval against the new standard.

Supply chain

We recognise that our supply chain plays a significant part in delivering successful projects. For this reason we have developed a supply chain sustainability commitment to help us engage our suppliers on important economic, social and environmental factors.

The principles were applied to the Derby office move that was undertaken during the last year. Local suppliers were used extensively in the project, equating to 70% of the contract value; site safety was paramount, with all site workers required to have the Construction Skills Certification Scheme card; and minibuses were used to move workers to and from the site to reduce carbon emissions and vehicle movements around the area. The plan is now to embed the sustainability commitment within the supply chains of each business through a pan-business procurement forum.

We have also created a supply chain knowledge centre for our Highways and Transportation and Rail businesses. This provides extensive management information on supplier capability, pre-qualification status, and performance. This assists Highways and Transportation and Rail with their more stringent supplier requirements and enables them to provide the necessary assurance for clients.