The Construction News Awards 2021 Construction Consultancy of the Year – Proud Finalists
16 September 2021
We are delighted to announce that Faithorn Farrell Timms were Construction Consultancy of the Year finalists at the Construction News Awards 2021.
Up against stiff competition amongst eight other shortlisted finalists, and following an in-depth interview with two of the awards’ judges, Dr David Hancock, construction director of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority at the Cabinet Office, and Louisa Finlay, managing director at Kier Construction Southern, it has made us all very proud to know that we are ranked amongst some of the most successful organisations in the industry.
In whittling down the shortlist, judges were looking for evidence of business success and development, together with proof of the quality of the work undertaken for clients.
Judged on the likes of contribution to exemplar projects, action taken to reduce carbon footprint and increase sustainability, development of a positive workplace culture and diverse workforce, commitment to training and development and good supply chain relationships, FFT was able to give a glowing account of itself in every respect.
Practice growth a standout point
One of the standout areas that caught the judges’ attention and won us a place on the shortlist was our ability to demonstrate how the Practice successfully continued to grow during the pandemic. Determined not to let the developing situation spell disaster, we took steps to secure the business financially, protect jobs, maintain our reputation for service excellence, and to make certain that the FFT family was kept together as best as possible.
Reflecting at the end of the year, it was clear that we proudly achieved all of that, and more, with repeat client contracts, new business streams, recruitment and training and development all increasing and our social value and charity commitment sustained. In fact, despite the challenges of the pandemic, 2020-2021 has been nothing short of exceptional as our second highest grossing financial year since the practice started 20 years ago.
In a challenging year, our workforce increased by more than 10% and we implemented a salary increase and staff bonuses. As part of our Twenty for Twenty anniversary programme, we committed to a £100,000 investment in a variety of projects spanning people skills development, workforce health and well-being, technology and charity and social value initiatives.
Notable achievements
There were a number of specific achievements for 2020-2021 that stood out as part of our award submission and got us into the finals.
These included the fact that we had won new and repeat framework clients, securing opportunities to 2025 and beyond; that we received 1,060 project commissions during the year from 187 clients; that our client satisfaction ratings are at an all-time high, up from 93% to 96.2% provable by our client satisfaction questionnaires; our launch of Forum for Thought, the online training initiative that has provided added value to our clients; our £25K investment in social value and charitable initiatives and, our achievement, with merit, of an International Safety Award 2020 from the British Safety Council.
Whilst it was certainly not all plain sailing during the COVID-forced lockdowns, and we struggled at times to maintain the exceptional levels of communication, pastoral care and personalised support that we had become known for, we did learn to adapt, embracing technology and listening to our workforce to ensure we understood their individual challenges.
Our success is thanks to YOU
We are proud to be able to continue to support so many long-term clients, many of whom have trusted us for more than ten years. This is testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire FFT family.
We acknowledge that, without the support of our clients, our suppliers and of course our staff, we would not have made it through such a tough year intact, and we certainly would not have been in a position to make it to the finals of such a prestigious award. Thank you everyone!
