COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK
Exterior view of the redeveloped Emergency and Urgent Care Campus, completed in May 2025 under an NEC collaborative contract.
Reka Thawrani
monthly progress and commercial meetings, and problem- solving sessions. This created a collaborative environment where challenges were openly discussed and resolved through team-based solutions.” Chris Turton, Regional Commercial director at Tilbury Douglas, summed up the benefits of this approach: “The collective project team worked together using the contractual support of NEC to guide our way through to mutually acceptable solutions that provided the best outcomes for the project as a whole. “At all stages, the risks associated with these challenges were flagged up early enough to allow difficult decisions to be managed and addressed and avoiding a lot of the conflict that can arise from other forms of contract.”
Structure and adaptability He also highlights the benefits of good project management promoted by the use of NEC contracts: “This has been preeminent on this project, ensuring that as we got to successful completion of the works on site, the final
account was already agreed with no project issues left to resolve.” The new Emergency and Urgent Care Campus was opened on time and within budget in May 2025. The new campus has reduced waiting times and improved outcomes, enabling the hospital to achieve the national 95 per cent four-hour target for accident and emergency care.
Michelle adds: “The balanced approach between
structure and adaptability showcases how the NEC contract can effectively support the delivery of intricate healthcare projects without compromising essential clinical services.”
Greater collaboration on projects and the adoption of collaborative contracting is something we are seeing more and more on public sector projects. With the added complexity of working in a live hospital environment, mutual cooperation, improved decision making, enhanced information sharing and dispute avoidance are all highly valuable on these projects.
Rekha Thawrani, Global director of NEC Contracts joined Thomas Telford Limited in 1996, and has been responsible for NEC Contracts since 2004, with her role extending as the product and team have grown. Rekha was awarded an OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to infrastructure and British exports. The award reflects the contribution that NEC has made to UK infrastructure and how it has expanded overseas over the last decade with Rekha’s support. NEC is now increasingly used internationally on major projects across South America, Asia Pacific and Australasia.
November 2025 Health Estate Journal 59
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