The Client:
Breakspear School (est. 1937) is a community primary school based in the London Borough of Hillingdon, Ickenham, which currently has 650 students, aged between 3-11 years old. The school building is a two-storey structure in a quadrangle formation, situated on grounds that cover 4 acres of land.
The Breakspear School prides itself on having a happy, friendly atmosphere, and on ensuring that the children, parents, and staff all feel safe and secure at all times.
KCS Projects was proud to partner with Hillingdon council, The Breakspear School, and Concertus to facilitate a continued focus on maintaining this exceptional level of safeguarding.
The Brief:
Breakspear School contracted KCS Projects and Security to complete a comprehensive project involving the installation of a new L2 Fire Alarm System, Emergency Lighting, and Fire Door Replacement.
The initial 8-week programme, scheduled from July to September 2023, was extended to completion in December 2023 due to a late award. The project was valued at £450,000 and required meticulous planning and execution - particularly due to the added scope of incorporating CCTV and Intruder Alarm systems.
Our Work:
The project included the removal of an old fire alarm system, installation of emergency lighting, fire door replacements, and the addition of CCTV and Intruder Alarm systems.
To carry out the work, we needed to source the required materials and equipment. Here, our strong relationships with suppliers ensured a seamless supply chain, with contingency plans in place post-Brexit. Plus, as we were equipped with extensive storage facilities, we could make bulk purchases with minimal delays.
We carefully managed all design and installation aspects of the fire alarm, emergency lighting, and fire door replacement systems. For instance, throughout peak school times, we were required to strategically plan our site access and material delivery schedules.
In addition, the late project award necessitated our team working out of hours to accommodate the school term time - showcasing our commitment to meeting client needs, our ability to be flexible, and our dedication to minimising disruption to the students' learning.
To complete the job more efficiently, we subcontracted the fire door replacement works to Patrias Construction and Interiors Ltd. - a trusted partner with BM Trada accreditation. All subcontractors underwent rigorous vetting to emphasise our compliance with health and safety standards, and were subject to detailed performance tracking through an online project management system.
Throughout the project, we prioritised quality assurance, performance monitoring, and quality control procedures, utilising our 50+ years of expertise and ISO9001-compliant Quality Management System to ensure high standards across all areas.
The performance monitoring involved monthly progress meetings, and presenting operational reports and KPI statistics. We were able to exceed our KPI targets by engaging in continuous improvement processes, proactive issue rectification, and regular communication with staff at the school.
We also held weekly internal reviews, and operated an open-door policy for senior management, to ensure a customer-centric approach. This resulted in a 100% customer satisfaction rating and zero defects. In addition, our Project Manager oversaw daily programme updates and weekly reviews to ensure swift responses to any changes.
To guarantee effective Quality Control, we implemented a 'zero defects' policy. This was supported by a Project Quality Plan and Quality Inspection Sheets. Our Project Manager also carried out weekly inspections to ensure adherence to specifications, while the extensive experience of our Finance Director, Tim Hacker, in material sourcing enabled quick defect reporting and replacement.
Throughout the works, we complied with all site regulations and the parking allocation we were given.
The Outcome:
KCS Projects and Security successfully delivered a complex project at Breakspear School, showcasing our expertise in fire safety and security systems, our commitment to quality, and our ability to adapt to challenging circumstances.
Furthermore, being able to complete the project following a late award and the resulting need to operate out of hours - around the school’s daily routine - demonstrates our capacity to work to the client’s schedule and ensure minimal disruption to their operations.