Connect. The Total Utility Solution

Hello and Welcome to the revamped and improved website.

In this news section you’ll find some background information on some of Connect’s greatest assets – our staff. Peter Whittaker has joined us as Technical Director. He brings an extraordinary wealth of experience to the team and will see us move into new markets with a strong strategic and practical approach. Read more HERE.

We turn to architectural innovation with a visit to Chimney Pot Park in Salford where a radical approach to urban regeneration has literally turned the traditional terrace upside down. Read more HERE.

There are also interviews with Candice Woodland, one of our Area Support Managers and Stephen Maggs, New Business Manager. Candice manages a team who look after operations, whilst Stephen is responsible for a unit of Network Development Technicians. Read more HERE.

Getting connected to the gas mains is a milestone for any development. With the advent of competition, the withdrawal of Transco from the market and the introduction of a new system of accreditation, it has sometimes been a struggle to deliver our first class service to developers. Lee Kirkman, Connections Manager, explains how Connect is overcoming those obstacles. Read more HERE.

I hope you enjoy the new look. Don’t forget to email us on feedback@connectutilities.co.uk
if you’d like to know more about anything you read here.

Graham Jenkins - MD, Connect.

Upside Down, Inside Out

The humble terraced house has been with us since the late 17th century, where the first known examples in the UK were built as part of reconstruction work after the great fire of London. With the Industrial Revolution came a need for cheap and plentiful urban accommodation for workers, and the two up, two down terrace spread across the country, the dominant form of high density housing until the Second Word War. Other than toilets moving inside, the layout of Britain’s hundreds of thousands of terraces has not changed significantly in over a hundred years. Whilst the heavy duty materials and construction techniques of the Victorian era have ensured that significant numbers of terraces are still standing, many are in a state of considerable disrepair. In Salford, however, a radical new approach to urban regeneration has turned the terrace quite literally upside down. We visited the site to find out more.

Manchester is a prosperous and vibrant place in 2007, with a flourishing of architecture, tourism, art and commerce that amounts to nothing less than a second golden age. The city centre stands as model for post industrial regeneration and the process of renewal is now spreading outwards. Nowhere is this more evident than in Salford, perhaps not a location that one would immediately associate with architectural innovation. This city provided the inspiration for the soap opera Coronation Street; in fact, the real life Coronation Street is just opposite Chimney Pot Park, a new development from award winning developer Urban Splash that offers a brilliant twist on the classic terrace design.
Recognising that cobbled streets and rows of terraces are an iconic part of Salford’s heritage, this development has sought to preserve the best aspects of terraced living – the distinctive appearance of the house fascias and streets, the sense of community and shared space – and fused them with peerless contemporary design, clever space saving layouts and secure parking. The site covers eight existing streets and 349 dwellings, many of which were unoccupied and in a state of chronic disrepair. Preserving the frontage of each house, the rest has been completely demolished, with a new steel frame construction taking its place. The new internal layout is an inversion of the classic design – each house has two bedrooms on the ground floor, with the main living space now on the first floor, and a new mezzanine level in the roof space that can either contain a kitchen or lounge depending on the preference of the purchaser. There is also a balcony that leads onto a shared roof terrace, providing a secure space designed to foster a strong sense of community.

The development has proceeded with impressive speed, with the first completions due only 18 months after construction began. With such stringent timescales, effective project management is crucial. Nick Abbott, director of Simon Fenton Partnership, spoke to us about his firm’s role as contracts administrator and consultant on the project: “We do all the initial development appraisal costings, all the initial cost modelling, and then act as the cost consultant, placing all the subcontract orders and seeing those through to completion”.

He explained how utilities can frequently be a headache : “Without question, the biggest problem I’ve faced on all recent projects – not just this one – is the programming and cost for utilities and being let down for services or disconnections, having to cross my fingers and hoping we are going to have gas, water and electric live at completion. I know I’m not alone in that. One of the most disappointing aspects of the project for me was the initial quotes that we received from some of the utility companies –the local DNO’s. Six months before we started on site, people lived in those houses – they were using the gas, using the electric. These were existing properties with existing infrastructure in the streets. As part of the acquisition of the site by Salford Council, they spent a fortune disconnecting old services. One of the positives I thought we would have from the huge amount we spent is connections; because we are retaining the existing facades we’ve got services in the street, meter positions thereabouts where we need them - but they insisted on treating it like a new build scheme, and wanted new build prices for utilities.”

After receiving such disappointing service, Nick came to Connect to provide a workable multi utility solution – and he hasn’t been disappointed: “Connect have been a tremendous benefit to Chimney Pot Park. My day to day worries on every other scheme seem to be about services – on this project I have just not had the worry – I know that you’ve come when you said you’re going to come. Connect have been excellent value for money in terms of the service we’ve had.”

Simon Price-Thomas, Connect’s Key Account Manager for the North West, is very enthusiastic about the development: “It is a privilege to be able to play a small part in such an exciting project.

Looking at the site now, you can see how stunning these houses are going to be when they are finished – it gives you a real sense of satisfaction to know you were responsible for ensuring gas and electric infrastructure was delivered to these homes smoothly and on time!”

As Chimney Pot Park nears completion, there is no question as to whether or not this radical design will be a success – in fact, the whole site sold out within 2 ½ hours of it being released to the public, at an astonishing rate of 83 seconds per house, and this design will surely be adopted in future regeneration work across the country. Perhaps the real question is what Urban Splash will do next – from Will Alsop’s ‘Chips’ in New Islington, Manchester, to the Birmingham Rotunda, they have consistently delivered first class, innovative buildings that help keep Britain at the forefront of architecture and design – and long may they continue to do so.

FIND OUT MORE

www.chimneypotpark.co.uk
www.sfp-mcr.co.uk
www.urbansplash.co.uk

Peter Whittaker - Technical Director

What were you doing before Connect?
I’ve had a long career in the utility business. I started out with the Central Electricity Generation Board (CEGB) and went to University through them at Aston. After that I went into research, followed by a stint designing and building power stations.

After leaving CEGB in 1982, I went on to look after construction, contracts and distribution networks for companies such as Eastern Electricity, Thames Water, DCE (Dewsbury Civil Engineering), Enterprise PLC, YEDL (Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Ltd) and East Midlands Electricity. Additionally, I was involved in delivering water rehab schemes, green generation schemes and a number of other strategic projects over the years.

Tell us about your role at Connect.
I’m looking to achieve step change in terms of both delivery of strategic projects and development of major client portfolios and consortia as well as the area of contract award, predominantly in terms of developing the multi-utility market.

The speed of change here is phenomenal – the needs of the company and clients alike are ever-evolving. The role I have is full of variety – I can be talking about generation plants one minute and communications networks the next; It certainly keeps me invigorated and enthused!

Being part of several teams at once – and seeing the team camaraderie - is an absolute revelation in working life these days. The people working here are the company’s biggest asset of all. It’s all about ‘team’.

Who are you responsible for? Who’s in your team?
I’m in charge of the new Strategic Projects Group comprising Project Directors, Senior Project Managers, Project Managers and Materials Procurement. I’m also responsible for the delivery of the DC (Direct Contracting) Resource for the whole of Connect. I have a performance and process team that owns all the operational processes for Connect and feeds the information on such things back into the rest of the Connect team to ensure we’re meeting internal targets.

What brought you to Connect?
I was approached to come here as Technical Director. When I saw their operating model I was completely taken with it – their business model is the future as far as the delivery and operation of assets goes.

Moreover, the time for change in the marketplace is right now. The fact that the regulator is promoting competition much more aggressively than in the past makes a difference to the way companies like Connect can work. Smaller operations and overheads means flexibility to deliver and adapt to customer requirements whenever they want it.

I welcomed the opportunity to join a smaller company where I have much more ability to instigate change – Connect is a company that has big – but achievable - aspirations and the Inexus Group has the ability to be the market leader in both asset management and delivery throughout the UK for the foreseeable future.

What kind of place is it to work?
The sheer enthusiasm of the staff is absolutely breathtaking. They want to win – it’s amazing. There’s so much ability amongst so many nice people – it’s incredibly refreshing and has completely exceeded any expectations I had before I joined. This company has the ability to be a World-beater for generations to come.

Get Yourself Connected

What is a CSEP?

Connected Systems Exit Points – or CSEPs - mark the intersection between local developments and mains operations. Their importance to the smooth workings of gas infrastructure delivery cannot be underestimated – get it wrong and whole streets and districts can be affected. When you are developing a plot of land near a mains supply, you need to get the entire development connected to the mains – CSEPs are the connection point between the parent supply and your development. Where, in the past, all such operations were undertaken by a centralised operation, deregulation means that individual private companies can do the work themselves, albeit under strict regulatory control.

Getting gas flowing to the show home is a milestone in the life of a new development. In order to get those home fires burning the whole site needs to be connected to the gas mains, a major operation that can only be undertaken by specialists. Connect is committed to making sure that things go smoothly on all of our customer’s projects – we met with Lee Kirkman, Connections Manager, to find out more...

In the past, only Transco was permitted to carry out gas mains connections, or CSEPs. When a house builder wanted to get their site connected, there was no choice, regardless of who had actually constructed the network. In 2003, a full ten years after the advent of competition in the domestic marketplace, it finally became possible for independent operators, like Connect, to carry out such work.

It was not, however, a seamless transition. Transco withdrew from mains connections abruptly; simultaneously, new accreditation systems were put in place that led to a temporary scarcity of officially endorsed installers. The result was a backlog of work, and, in some cases, delays getting sites on mains gas. As Lee Kirkman explained: “Connect had to respond to the changes in regulation, and knew they needed to react quickly to make the system work for their clients and consumers.”

Firstly, Connect addressed the problem of labour shortages by setting up its own in house accreditation solution, as Lee told us: “We’re currently using a mixture of labour-only contractors under our direct control, vetted by our own rigorous validation policy and GIRS [Gas Industry Registration Scheme] registered contractors. Connect’s industry-leading standard in accreditation and validation is an industry benchmark, and ensures we have enough qualified and competent teams to carry out this vital work.”

The other main problem facing Connect in delivering the highest standard of work are the increasingly complex administrative and technical processes involved in this newly decentralised system. The key component in Connect’s solution is Lee himself and his team of experts, who are dedicated to negotiating the maze of red tape and getting results for their customers.

Lee has been in the gas industry since he left school. A British Gas apprentice craftsmen, he then ran his own businesses and later used his expertise to work in training. He now looks after onsite and offsite connections nationwide for Connect.
The procedures are relatively straightforward in principle, although the processes involved mean it’s a specialist job, as Lee explains: “Having identified the nearest suitable main, we have to apply to add our load to the parent network. Once approved, we submit an application to undertake a ‘self-connection’, so we can do the work ourselves.”

It isn’t always quite as straightforward, however. “Some things - such as IP (Intermediate Pressure) systems – need a different approach. In such cases we have to request the parent operator undertake it themselves, and then we carry out the excavation.” However, it’s the attention to detail on such projects that ensure that even these third party operations run according to plan. “That’s something we specialise in,” says Lee. “It doesn’t matter to us how complex a job is, there’s an answer for every issue.”

These processes are all relatively new. In the past everything was done via the network operator, which meant – for the most part - a fast and effective procedure; but, as Lee points out: “there was no flexibility. Occasionally you’d get to a point where they couldn’t get the connection done within our timescale. It meant that we were reliant on other people doing their work before we could do ours. Moreover, it was often much more expensive.”

Where are we now? The industry still isn’t back to levels of efficiency that existed under the old system – and this is a big problem. The main effect is delay: gaining approvals means any party undertaking CSEP work needs to deal directly with the local council and Highways agencies. With some side streets you can apply for notice today and work on it tomorrow. Some other streets might take 30 days to get approval because they are on major traffic or bus routes. Lee’s team does everything in its power to speed things along, but sometimes there can still be hold-ups. Continual improvement is the goal at Connect, however, and the CSEP team are constantly finding ways to speed the process up and offer a better service to customers – as you would expect from the UK’s number one utility infrastructure provider.

So how much of this kind of work is handled by Connect?” We do more CSEP connections than any other company. We are doing between 5 and 10 connections every day – significantly more than our nearest competitor. We’ve achieved this because the methods we have employed are so effective – we are incredibly competitively priced – we offer the best value-for-money for on-site work and this is clearly something the clients recognise. Add to this efficiency on delivery and first-class customer service and I think we’re offering a winning solution” smiles Lee.

Connecting the Dots

From humble beginnings in the early 1990’s, with a small office and employees working from their own homes, Connect became the UK’s number one provider of utility infrastructure and now occupies a 30,000 square foot operations centre in Cardiff Bay. We talked to Graham Jenkins, Connect MD, and Phil Gibb, Chief Executive of parent group Inexus, to get the inside story.

In a marketplace characterised by long-standing household names, it’s refreshing to find an independent company with a name that is little known outside of professional circles but has risen to be a market leader. Connect is a company whose history can be charted in human, as well as commercial, terms – talented people, with good ideas and the drive and ambition to make them a reality.

It was improving the service to developers that lay at the heart of Connect’s business model in the 90’s and is still at the core of the company today. Many of Connect’s staff came from British Gas and had seen how badly developers were treated. “We’d always thought housebuilders were getting a raw deal with utility installation” Graham told us, “with British Gas they were right at the bottom of the pecking order. Priority number one was always dealing with emergencies, then came renewal and maintenance and new developments were last in line. As a result, a typical housebuilder experience would be that you’d have people working on your utility connections, only for them to suddenly down tools and run off to an emergency, leaving you well and truly in the lurch.” Providing a first class service to developers has been the cornerstone of Connect’s success, as we will see.

Phil Gibb is Chief Executive of the Inexus group of companies, of which Connect is a part. A Liverpudlian by birth, his route to Connect was convoluted and “far from planned,” including stints in the Post Office and British Leyland, although “looking back all the things I have done involved new developments and having to build things from scratch.” One of the leading pioneers of competition within the utility industry, Phil laid the foundations back when the company was known as AGAS, as he told us: “As Development Director of AGAS in the early 1990s I had an item somewhere near the bottom of my to-do list - to look at owning gas distribution networks. I lived near Swindon where the Haydon development was to be built. By accident, I happened to meet the local planner on a golf course and got an introduction to David Thompson of Crest Strategic Projects and the rest, as they say, is history. I have to give a huge amount of credit to David. He saw both the short and long-term advantage to his company from ‘letting’ us in and thereby promoting competition. It was a big risk for him but the infrastructure savings on Haydon were worthwhile.”

Whilst Phil was working on the Haydon project, Graham Jenkins, now Connect’s MD, was still working for British Gas as a Regional Housing Manager. Despite years spent operating from Connect’s Cardiff HQ, he retains a hint of his native Brummie accent and is friendly and down-to-earth. Although he holds a commercial pilot’s licence, being a Birmingham City supporter must help keep his feet on the ground!

In 1994, however, Graham was planning to leave the utility industry and become a full time commercial pilot. Disillusioned with British Gas, he was about to move on when, by chance, he met Phil and found himself
very impressed by his plans: “I discovered we had a common vision. It was tremendously exciting to meet someone with a fresh perspective on the industry, who was eager to change things for the better”. Graham had already heard about developments at Haydon: “It caused a big stir in British Gas, that someone had the audacity to challenge their monopoly”. Based on Phil’s enthusiasm for the project, Graham decided to sign up as Sales Manager at this fledgling operation.

He remembers the first big project he brought in for Connect: “It was a company called Midland General, then part of Tarmac and now George Wimpey, which was building 50 houses in Nuneaton. They had been a customer of mine in my British Gas days and, although the quote was cheaper, it wasn’t that much cheaper. In fact, I think it was only about £50 a house. It was quite something for them to put their faith in a new outfit like us, although maybe it said something about the service they were used to. Obviously I was a great salesman,” he laughs, “But that was quite a moment, getting them to sign on the dotted line. I think it was four days later that I signed up the next big development and we were rolling. We went from a standing start to extremely busy in no time at all.”

In fact, as proof that they really did offer substantial improvement over existing suppliers, Connect’s sales rocketed. “In the first year of trading,” continues Graham, “we made 5000 sales. Next year, when I joined, it increased to 12,000, the third year 26,000 and then 40,000 the year after. It’s been a steady build ever since. Last year we managed 75,000 connections.”

What was behind such rapid growth? Was it the shortcomings of competitors or the strengths of Connect? Graham thinks for a second. “I suppose it’s really a combination of the two, but I’d like to think that we’re so customer-focused in a competitive marketplace that it makes all the difference. We’ve gone from just gas to electric too – with water on the horizon as well – and what drives us is consumer need. We apply the same “customer first” approach to all these areas and I think people recognise the difference.”

Direct Contracting was another innovation. “Best idea I ever had!” declares Graham, evidently pleased with the memory. “We essentially set up small independent teams that worked for themselves, on a franchise basis. It was a balance between the competitiveness of using independents, but with the stability you get from using highly-skilled personnel who are well-versed in company procedures and mechanisms. We made sure they had the requisite high level of training and tools. We’re still the only people that operate like this and we still pass on the savings to the consumer.”

So has the rest of the industry followed suit? Phil is amazed that it hasn’t. “For a start, nobody followed us into the domestic sector for three or four years. They failed to see the opportunity. After that Inexus has differentiated itself through its commercial astuteness, innovation – such as moving into electricity as a network owner and operator - and sheer determination to succeed.”

Graham agrees that Connect’s methods are still unique: “Within the industry I don’t think anyone operates the way we do. We now do over 1000 connections each week - around 1500 on a busy week. Each one requires an average of 10m of main, so that means we’re laying 10 to 15 kilometres a week on anything up to three or four thousand sites. It’s a huge logistical operation and it would be very easy to become inefficient. To counter that, we created an in-house IT department that builds all the software we need to run such a massive operation. That’s very unusual – we don’t contract out IT development to companies who don’t have any connection to the end consumer; it’s all Connect staff looking after Connect’s customers. The bespoke software we employ can keep track of every customer, every job and every piece of pipe we lay. It’s an extraordinary piece of technology. Nobody else has anything like it.”

Keeping track of the details has helped keep Connect’s competitive advantage. “Over the whole history of the company, the amount of income to us per connection has declined over the years from around £80 per unit to around £30 per unit, and yet the price to housebuilders has actually changed very little – where most companies pass on cost increases to consumers directly, we made it a company goal to improve efficiency and reduce costs to ensure that our customers don’t end up paying more. And in the last 14 years or so, they haven’t. I think that’s a remarkable achievement. What other companies manage to beat inflation so effectively on behalf of their customers?”

So what makes them proud when they look back at Connect’s history? As one, they answer “The staff.” Phil highlights the way staff were involved in share issues: “When the directors agreed that the shareholding amongst staff would be spread to as many people as possible, it showed the directors understood the need for sharing in the success of the company and it sowed the seeds for a superbly motivated workforce. Shareholders and employees shared in the increased value of the business - a real partnership.”

“It’s all very well having a good strategy and business model,” continues Graham, “but if you don’t have the people to carry it out then it’s worth nothing. We’re very fortunate – when you walk through our offices it’s a lively place, lots of communication and people seem to be happy with their work. The relationship between departments is sound and the feedback from staff is that it’s a good place to be.

“We’re very proud of our staff.”

Connect People

Candice Woodland - Area Support Manager

“It’s like working with a big family — you make proper friends here which is different from where I’ve worked before. Everyone knows your name and you know theirs.”

CV?
Before coming to Connect I was in a series of admin jobs – the usual call centre stuff! This was my first “career” job.

How long have you been here? What’s your role like now?
After 4 years in a variety of roles, I’m now an Area Support Manager (ASM). We do all the works planning, engage contractors, make sure the client is happy and ensure all the paperwork’s in place. Within the office, there are different geographical areas – I’m going to be on DC1 which is the South West – Cornwall to Swindon and over to South Wales, one of the busiest areas we cover. We have to ensure that we deliver on promises. It’s an exciting change for me.

What’s the working environment like?
It’s very demanding, but really a great place to work. You’re always busy, there’s constant pressure, but the fact that everyone from team members to senior management are so friendly and enthusiastic makes it a great place to work. It’s like working with a big family – you make proper friends here, and everyone knows your name and you know theirs.

Best moment at Connect?
Getting promoted to ASM. There’s something good that happens all the time, but the promotion seems like I’ve been rewarded with a more senior role after proving myself – I feel like I’ve worked hard and the company has recognised that – that’s so rare in any job these days.

You get positive feedback from people at all levels including the senior management. Money is a factor in every job, but recognition for hard work is so much more important. That makes me want to stay.

Goals for the future?
To embrace the new role and be as efficient and motivated in the future as I have been in the past. I’d like for people to look at me in a couple of years time and say “Candice is really great at her job.” That’s enough for me!