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Outstanding Achievement Award 2008

The NCE/ACE Outstanding Achievement Award 2008 was sponsored by Kennedys Solicitors. Entries can be either individuals or teams and may be project based. The one thing that all entries must have is a demonstration of significant achievement. It could be groundbreaking work that is changing people’s lives for the better, outstanding work in raising the profile of consultancy and engineering in the community or the wider world or even an amazing project success with a real ‘wow’ factor. ACE member Parsons Brinckerhoff took away the Outstanding Achievement Award 2008 title for its long-term commitment to innovation that has benefited clients and the industry as a whole.

Parsons Brinckerhoff’s special projects group within the company’s bridges division has been researching new technologies and innovative solutions for the past decade, saving their clients millions of pounds and providing the consultancy and engineering industry with a number of new techniques now adopted as industry best practice in the UK and abroad.

Its most recent high-profile design is a fibre-reinforced polymer (FBR) footbridge over the main railway line at St Austell, Cornwall, the UK’s first self-supporting structure of its kind. Civil engineers have been searching for an alternative to steel and alloys to reduce the high cost of repairs to structures damaged by corrosion and heavy use. Network Rail has been testing the use of FRP in the rail environment and in 2004 commissioned a study by Parsons Brinckerhoff which highlighted a range of viable uses, covering footbridges, platforms, stairs, walkways and other structures. The key benefits identified include ease of installation, low maintenance and durability.

Judges of the award said: “For over a decade Parsons Brinckerhoff’s special projects group has worked at the cutting edge of technology saving clients millions of pounds and shaping industry practices.”

Paul Carter (second from the left) from award sponsor Kennedys presents Parsons Brinckerhoff’s special projects group with its prize.

Consultants of the Year Awards 2008

The NCE/ACE Consultants of the Year Awards are decided after analysing more than 300 questionnaires returned by consultants across the UK for the annual NCE Consultants File. Three awards – for Major Firm, Medium Firm and International Firm – reward growth and initiative on the business front. In 2008, 15 firms were short-listed across the three categories.
 
The NCE Consultants File is a unique piece of research into the health and value of the UK consultancy and engineering sector and underlines its enormous importance to the UK economy. Winners of the 2008 Consultants of the Year Awards are:
 
Major Firm winner: WYG
Major Firm of the Year was awarded to WYG, which successfully updated its graduate development programme in a bid to tackle the consultancy and engineering skills shortage highlighted by ACE’s Skills Shortages and Recruitment Agency Behaviours report. The programme supports the company’s “Big Idea” initiative which has seen WYG recruit 600 new members of staff in the past year. The company has also aligned its business objectives with issues surrounding climate change and put together a dedicated team of sustainability experts, as well as launching WYG Energy. Chief executive Lawrie Haynes said: ”At the heart of our business are our people.”
 
Other finalists were: ACE member firms Mouchel Parkman, Amey, WSP Group, Halcrow and Mott MacDonald.
 
Medium Firm winner: Colin Buchanan
Winner of this year’s Medium Firm award sponsored by Griffiths & Armour, Colin Buchanan, is a 330-strong consultancy responsible for helping to get Crossrail off the ground and a key player in the Edinburgh tram project. Over the past year, staff levels have grown by 40% and fees by 44% reflecting healthy business expansion. Chairman Michael Buchanan said: “Practical issues arising from the climate change agenda will become increasingly relevant and important to transportation policies and appraisal, as well as the design and delivery of schemes, and we are excited by the part we can continue to play in this.”
 
Other finalists were: Balfour Beatty Management, RSK, Ramboll Whitbybird, Opus International Consultants (UK) and SLR Consulting.
 
International Firm winner: Mott MacDonald
The award for International Firm sponsored by BST Global was taken home by ACE member Mott MacDonald which has seen 20% growth for two consecutive years. With 13,000 staff working on projects in over 250 offices worldwide including China, Russia, India, South Africa and the Middle East, Mott MacDonald is a truly international player. Group chairman Peter Wickens said: “It shows that we have moved from a UK consultancy doing international work to a global company with a network of expertise in offices around the world generally managed and staffed by local professionals.”
 
Other finalists were: Mouchel, WSP Group, Sinclair Knight Merz, Royal Haskoning and URS Corporation.