Harrow Green was appointed principal contractor for the move of Thurrock Council offices.

In a step designed to save more than £18m by 2015, Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation has moved into Thurrock Council’s Civic Offices in the first stage of a transition that will see the council take over the powers and responsibilities of the Development Corporation.

The move required interior office design and fit-out, contractor management, regulatory compliance and the relocation of people and offices. Harrow Green was invited to tender for the work at very short notice and provided a quotation within five days enabling the client to meet its tight project timeframe.

Harrow Green was appointed principal contractor with the responsibility to tender individual elements of the works to approved contractors and to work within the constraints of a limited budget.

The brief was to fit out the space to accommodate the Corporation’s 44 staff. The office layout included executive offices, meeting rooms and open plan office space. Harrow Green took responsibility for liaison with Building Control, managed and co-ordinated contractors and suppliers for the construction of new solid wall and glazed partitions, and provided new ceilings throughout with energy saving LED internal lighting panels and emergency lighting. Work included the fitting of new carpets, window blinds, alterations to the existing M&E services, door entry and security systems, time-phased PIR movement detectors and decoration throughout. 

“As principal contractor we were able to take the burden away from the client by managing the appointed contractors,” said Steve Anstee, project manager, Harrow Green. “This left the Corporation free to concentrate on their business objectives. Because Harrow Green can call on not only office design and construction expertise, but experienced move managers within the group, we are well-placed to bring all the benefits of integrated project management to our clients.” 

“We were delighted with the services of Harrow Green throughout a full strip-out, reconstruction and fit-out project, which had a very short time frame for completion and little margin for error,” said Jason Oliver, Chief Information Officer for Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation. “The Harrow Green team contributed to the smooth delivery of the project, with specialist expertise brought in as and when required. They took pains to ensure that contractors from other firms understood how they fitted into the project at each stage. This relieved me of a huge burden, and allowed me to concentrate on the business aspects of relocating our organisation.”