Let’s Hear it from... 11
out internally, both in our relationship with existing clients and business development and tendering. We won 15 major maintenance contracts last year, eight being new ones, plus the seven retentions. So now we go to the next stage, building relationships with consultants, architects and clients in advance of tenders to get ahead of the game.
Everyone we talk to at the moment says that sustainability is a big issue – what are your thoughts? It is very important but not always easy to define. Every person’s idea of what sustainability means is different. There are carbon footprint, landfill and recycling issues, but also conservation and restoration where an environment is turned into something that works. There are lots of different angles to sustainability
example over the years, will have had input from people like Angus before they are fully put into the market. In terms of materials we are improving relations with suppliers, treating them properly (like paying them on time!) and as a result getting better commercial deals. With regards to who is responsible for buying what; heavy, low-value materials, such as turf and soil, are best bought locally. With high value materials, such as granite and other ornamental stone, we talk directly to manufacturers on a national level.
In terms of specification – do you specify or does client tell you what they want ? This varies and is entirely dependent on what clients want. As an example, we recently completed the construction of the landscape surrounding Media City in Manchester, the new home of the BBC. This job was £4.5million excluding materials but £7million if you add those in which in this instance were purchased by the client – everything was supplied because the materials used had to be identical to the surrounding buildings. So here every last bit is specified. Generally speaking, materials aren’t specified down to the nth degree, though plants are often the exception. Every contract is different. Most of our construction contracts are designed
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by an architect, who normally works for the client. That said, there’s a huge amount of toing and froing and discussion over the design, and we have to work closely with them. Sometimes they’re very prescriptive about their designs and won’t change anything, so we give them exactly what they want (plus a little bit more) but others understand that the project can benefit from our experience and we work together to achieve the best result. Timescales vary according to the constraints of the job. For example, we’ve just completed a job on Sir Matt Busby Way in Manchester. a large paved area with the shop in front of Old Trafford Stadium, which very clearly had to be finished in time for the first match of the season.
So roughly what is the split between landscape construction and landscape maintenance? Currently 75% maintenance 25% landscape construction.
So what about winning work? Does The Landscape Group spend a lot of time talking to architects and making sure you’re in a position to win jobs? Well, yes. Businesses go through a development process and we are at a stage where we are sorted
and we are leading the field in terms of sustainable ways of working. For instance, measuring carbon emissions and the planting of trees to offset carbon. It’s completely necessary because it’s what the client wants so we give it to them. So where’s the little bit more? We are also trying to take the lead on biodiversity, working with the local Wildlife Trusts, going the extra mile in community based conservation projects, such as providing and monitoring bird and bat boxes and doing school talks and getting young people involved for example. The buzz word is sustainability and everyone’s idea of it is different but it’s quite simple really. It’s not about simply being seen to do something but encouraging all 1100 of us to do the right thing in every instance.
Is landfill a huge cost for you? It’s massive but decreasing almost by the month as we roll out our recycling initiatives. Let’s be brutally frank, we are green for three reasons. Firstly, we believe it’s the right thing to do, secondly, it’s what the customer wants but also because it makes good business sense. When all these things come together we will make inroads into true sustainability.
Growth opportunities for the Group? We intend to stick to the knitting – we’re not going to go off and buy garden centres or make compost (which I’d love to – because I was once Chairman of the Growing Media Association there therefore I guess “Mr Compost”). We’re going to stick with
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