Sedgefield, County Durham

A replacement 33,000 sq ft food and meat wholesale and retail complex for a major North East butcher in business.

Following destruction by fire of the original recently completed complex, it was important that the business was re-established as soon as possible.

Design and build tenders invited by the client were rejected on grounds of cost and lack of flexibility.

Following a strong recommendation by a leading meat plant design consultant, "Management Construction" was selected as the favoured delivery system. Following preparation of the cost plan to assess feasibility and for use by the client's financial advisors, the work commenced quickly on site. Cost information feedback to financial advisers throughout the build formed a vital feature of our service.

The complex comprises a fully equipped abattoir with cold rooms and freezers, cutting and preparation rooms, bakery, restaurant and a 9,000 sq ft shop and offices.

The client's principal requirement was to start on site before certain basic design problems had been resolved. Flexibility of programming was also a critical factor in avoiding major disruption to the programming. Unbiased management of, and ongoing dialogue with Trade Contractors avoided serious disputes and the inevitable claims for delay our client would have faced under other forms of contract.

In spite of the complexity of the building, changing design brief and other issues, Management Construction delivered the project which the client described as "1,000% better than the recently destroyed unit it replaced".

In the opinion of the lead design consultant, Management Construction was the only system capable of satisfying the client's changing brief and achieving a successful outcome to a particularly challenging project.