2. 2
WELCOME TO OUR 2014
SUSTAINABILITY
REPORT
AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE FROM OUR MANAGING DIRECTOR
As Prospect (GB) Ltd grows, and new opportunities arise, we want to ensure a structured approach to developing our workforce, engaging with commu- nities, and reducing our environmental impact.
Sustainability isn't just about looking back at what we have achieved, but looking forward and ensuring as a company we make positive steps towards matching and eventually outperforming our counter-parts.
By challenging the traditional, we aim to embed a new culture across our entire workforce which will help us to achieve these targets.
Neil Waddington - Managing Director –Prospect (GB) Ltd
Prospect (GB) Ltd is a residential, commercial, and social housing construc- tion developer which currently operates within communities in the North West and Yorkshire.
This sustainability update has been produced to share our success with our customers, employees and partners. As well as highlighting what we have achieved to date, this report also outlines what we aim to achieve over the coming 12 months.
Contents
02 A Note from the MD
03 Our Values
04 Our Workforce
05 Providing Learning Opportunities
06 Encouraging the Next Generation
07 Supporting a Local Supply Chain
08 Considerate Constructors
09 Involving the Community
10 A Green Approach
10 Contact Details
3. 3
BECOMING ONE WITH RIVERSIDE
Prospect (GB) Ltd is part of the Riverside Group.
Established in 2000, Prospect (GB) Ltd is helping to provide a good choice of homes for affordable ownership, whilst ploughing profits from its develop- ments back into Riverside.
Riverside are one of the leading registered providers of social housing in the UK, providing support and affordable housing to people of all ages and cir- cumstances throughout England. We are proud to be supporting an organisa- tion that really can transform lives and revitalise neighbourhoods.
As a commercial subsidiary of Riverside, Prospect (GB) Ltd wants to ensure that our values are in-line with our parent company. Over the coming year, we will be implementing a variety of steps including new policy, training and team building to achieve this.
Riversides Values
DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABILITY TEAM
Graham joined Prospect (GB) Ltd in February 2014. Having come from a community engagement and housing background, he has fresh eyes on the construction industry and Prospect (GB) Ltd as a company. By working closely with senior management, staff on site and the local communities in which we operate, we are sure that Graham will help to take our sustainability agenda forward.
Graham Dawson
4. 4
VALUING OUR WORK
FORCE
Prospect (GB) Ltd are focused on investing in the right people, from our
experienced management team to our friendly and dedicated customer
care and site staff. Professional, approachable and resourceful, Prospect
people combine strong core values with a commitment to excellence.
Some managers may worry about investing time and money developing
their colleagues in case individuals leave their organisation. Here at Pro-spect
(GB) Ltd, we work hard to ensure that not only are our teams train-ing
needs met, but that our teams are happy to work for Prospect (GB) Ltd.
We do this by acting upon data collated from our in-depth appraisal sys-tem
and from the annual best companies survey.
Our staff were happiest about their wellbeing. This encompassed
pressure at work, stress and work life balance.
Our staff were also pleased about the leadership at Prospect (GB)
Ltd, after we asked them questions around the company's senior
management and the company's’ principles.
Staff were happy with how they communicate and feel about their
direct managers.
The extent to which our staff felt that Prospect (GB) Ltd has a posi-tive
impact on society was also favourable.
Our staff were also pleased about the levels of training and their fu-ture
prospects.
Our staff felt as though they could get a fairer deal with their pay
and other benefits.
Our staff believed they could work better with their
immediate colleagues.
We could better engage with our staff about changes within
the company.
BEST COMPANIES SURVEY
Below are the results of our best companies survey for the beginning of 2014.
Aim for June 2015
Since the release of this survey we have already taken action to improve on
the above results by increasing pay and improving company communica-tions.
Our minimum target for next year is to address the 3 main concerns
and increase our Best Companies Index Score.
PROSPECT CASE STUDY
Team Building
5. 5
PROVIDING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS
PAUL ALDRIDGE
Paul is studying hard towards a Masters in Quantity Surveying at Liverpool John Moore's University. Prospect (GB) Ltd welcomed Paul onto a 4 week placement where he could get a real taste for the industry and the job, something that is difficult to learn from text books alone. Paul worked extremely hard during his time at ProspectGB and we hope that this work experience will accelerate his career upon his graduation.
Paul Aldridge MS QS Placement Student.
“ I have benefitted from my experience at Prospect (GB) Ltd by developing my practical Quantity Surveying skills which, are only really gleaned by undertaking work experience or being a trainee Quantity Surveyor. My construction knowledge has improved a great deal as I was able to ask as many questions regarding Construction processes without being made to feel as though I am being overly intrusive with my ques- tions. I would recommend anybody to undertake a placement with Prospect (GB) Ltd as I was made to feel very welcome over the time I was there and made to feel part of the team from day one.”
In February we started a new and exciting partnership with Liverpool John Moores University. By supporting their World of Work programme, we hope to provide students with the skills, knowledge and competencies that will be invaluable to graduates and their future employees.
Our new partnership with Liverpool John Moores University has already enabled students to further their learning, by following and visiting our de- velopments or taking part in our work experience initiatives.
As our partnership develops we hope to help develop and review LJMU de- grees, provide case studies for students, have our Directors become guest speakers and give mock interviews to students in an effort to develop stu- dents’ confidence for once they graduate.
Aim for June 2015
Provide further placement opportunities.
Increase the number of site visits by students from Liverpool John Moores University.
Partner with other Colleges and Universities in the areas we work.
PROSPECT CASE STUDY
6. 6
ENCOURAGING THE NEXT GENERATION
Aim for June 2015
Ensure that we are only working with subcontractors who are sup- portive of taking on young people.
Set up and support more initiatives to promote the construction industry as a viable career option to young people.
Offer onsite work experience for college students.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Prospect (GB) Ltd are working with key partners to increase career aware- ness for the construction industry. This collaborative initiative between the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Prospect (GB) Ltd and River- sides’ Springboard, is designed to increase the knowledge of careers guid- ance professionals about routes into the construction industry.
This partnership kicked off with an event that showcased construction indus- try professionals sharing their career journeys, with the aim to address mis- conceptions around which gender, ethnicity or the amount of previous expe- rience you need to be successful in construction.
The event also highlighted how the construction industry is significantly safer than 20 years ago as accidents have been reduced by more than 70%. A tour of our nearby site allowed attendees to learn about the procedures we put in place to reduce the likelihood of accidents.
PROSPECT CASE STUDY
This year Prospect (GB) Ltd has tak- en direct action against the im- pending national shortfall of skilled labour in the construction industry. In recent months ProspectGB has welcomed two new members to the team as apprentices in the trade of Bricklaying and Quantity Surveying.
We have also reviewed our terms and conditions when tendering for subcontractors to work on our sites. Prospect (GB) Ltd now require our subcontractors to commit to providing opportunities for the young and unemployed. This could be by employing apprentices full time, providing work experience opportunities or by helping dis- placed apprentices finish their training
Apprentice Bricklayer - Thomas Wright
7. 7
SUPPORTING AND
LOCALISING OUR SUPPLY
CHAIN
Prompt payment is critical to the cash flow of every business, and especially
to smaller businesses within the supply chain. But it is not just the timeliness
of payment, though fast payment is always welcome, but rather the certain-ty
of getting paid that is really important, and enables businesses to plan
both for their short and longer term futures. The construction industry as a
whole has historically been badly hit by late payment. In order to address
this and to support our subcontractor and suppliers, Prospect (GB) Ltd has
signed up to the government backed Prompt Payment Code.
The Code is about encouraging and promoting best practice between organ-isations
and their suppliers. Signatories to the Code commit to paying their
suppliers within clearly defined terms, and commit also to ensuring there is a
proper process for dealing with any issues that may arise. Our commitment
to the Code is monitored via an external body that contacts our supply chain.
MEET THE BUYER EVENT: MAIDFORD ROAD
Ensuring that we employ local labour is a big item on the agenda for Pro-spect
(GB) Ltd. On each site we target a minimum of 40% of our workforce
to be from the local area. To us local is classed as living within a 20 mile ra-dius
of a specific site. So far in 2014 we have averaged 51.56% exceeding
our local labour targets.
One example of how we actively seek
local labour, is through our
Meet the Buyer events.
The meet the buyer events
enable Prospect (GB) Ltd to
meet representatives from
smaller local companies who
could then be considered as
suppliers or subcontractors on
a local build.
NEWSLETTERS
Our regular community news-letters
have also proved useful in
sourcing local labour. We recently
welcomed a fork lift driver who
lives under 100 metres away from
our construction site. He got in
touch with us after seeing our ad-vert
for local opportunities in the
area.
Aim for June 2015
Hold more ‘meet the buyer’ events.
Invite our workforce to access further training.
PROSPECT CASE STUDY
8. 8
CONSIDERATE CONSTRUCTION
The Considerate Constructors Scheme is a national initiative set up by the construction industry to improve its image.
Construction sites and companies that register with the Scheme are monitored against a Code of Considerate Practice, designed to encourage best practice beyond statutory requirements.
The Scheme is concerned about any area of construction activity that may have a direct or indirect impact on the image of the industry as a whole. The main areas of concern fall into three categories: the general public, the workforce and the environment.
We were awarded as being a considerate constructor in 2014 for our work in Liverpool. We want to build on this success and ensure that every site is registered and that we work hard to achieve compliance or above on every site.
BLUEBERRY PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL VISITING OUR SITE
As part of our commitment to be a Considerate Constructor, with each site that we develop, our engagement team works hard to maximise opportuni- ties to engage with nearby schools and colleges. By giving a young people an insight to the construction industry we hope inspire, educate and safe- guard.
One example of this commitment was when Year 4 pupils from Blueberry Park Primary School, were given the opportunity to visit the Maidford Road site and learn more about the development on their doorstep. Fully equipped with the appropriate protection, the class learned about our on- site machinery and tried out our finger print entry scanner. This visit was combined with a safety talk which highlighted the dangers of playing on or around a construction site. We are happy to say that the children's behav- ior was exemplary; they are a credit to their school. As a reward for their behavior, the children were each given a goody bag that contained stationary and a site safety quiz.
Aim for June 2015
Achieve “preformed beyond compliance” on over 50% of our sites.
Set up a 3 year plan to be awarded bronze awards or higher on 10% of our sites.
PROSPECT CASE STUDY
9. 9
INVOLVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Construction projects can have a big im- pact on local communities. At Prospect (GB) Ltd, we work hard to ensure that our impact is positive.
One of the ways in which we try to achieve this is by involving local residents from the very beginning of a developments’ timeline.
By holding consultation events, attending residents groups, offering a dedicated liaison officer and producing regular newsletters for each site, we engage with hundreds of individuals before a single brick has been laid.
This helps to reduce anxiety about change within a community as there are no un-answered questions and therefore no unnecessary worry.
Aim for June 2015
Identify further legacy events so Prospect (GB) Ltd can have a long lasting positive impact on a community
Set up social media accounts to involve more people.
Team up with other local constructors working in close proximity in order to communicate with a wider audience.
MAIDFORD ROAD SCHOOL REUNION EVENT
Prospect (GB) Ltd were recently given the responsibility of building 46 afforda- ble homes for rent on a brownfield site in Liverpool. This location was special to many people as up until seven years prior, it was the location of Maidford Road Primary School where many local residents either attended or taught.
To celebrate a new be- ginning for the site, Pro- spect (GB) Ltd decided to launch the site with a school reunion event for past pupils and staff. As well as offering them a chance to catch up on old times over tea and cake, a special collection of memorabilia was put on show, celebrating the past of the site as it moves into its next phase.
The school as it used to be on the Maidford Road
PROSPECT CASE STUDY
10. 10
A GREENER APPROACH
Recording and minimising waste produced on our construction sites has al- ways been important to us. Not only does minimising waste reduce costs, but it also helps towards a cleaner environment.
During the first half of 2014 we diverted from landfill 91.78% of waste pro- duced across all our active sites. We achieved this by recycling 67.78 tonnes of material (61.29%) and turning the majority of the reaming waste into en- ergy (30.49%), resulting in a minimal amount of waste being sent to landfill.
Aim for June 2015
Introduce recycling across all our commercial sites.
Record the amount of waste produced at our commercial sites and take appropriate steps to reduce this number by educating our workforce and customers.
THANK YOU
Thank you for taking the time to read this year’s Sustainability report. If you would like to know more information about Prospect (GB) Ltd, please explore our website or feel free to contact us using the details below.
www.prospectgb.com
0151 448 5720
info@prospectgb.com
Prospect (GB) Ltd
Unit 5 Meridian Business Village
Hansby Drive
Liverpool L24 9LG
RECYCLING STARTS FROM HOME.
Although meticulously monitoring our waste is standard practice for Pro- spect (GB) Ltd across all our sites, we are now addressing new avenues of being green that have been previously overlooked. First and foremost as of September 2014 we introduced recycling to our Meridian Business Village which is the home to 9 businesses including Prospect (GB) Ltd.
By choosing a supplier that offered mixed recycling we aim to reduce the amount of recyclable waste that ends up in landfill.
PROSPECT CASE STUDY
We use the waste management company Circle across all our sites. Circle is part of the Riverside Group and offers an innovative approach to waste management and recycling. Based in Liverpool , Circle sort and recycle con- struction waste for customers with clear outcomes to benefit them, local communities and the wider environment.
