The following article appeared in Northern Housing, Issue 71, October 2004.

Building For The Future

When it comes to the construction industry, no company can afford to stand still. Shifting government targets, advancing technology, and increasingly imaginative ways of partnership working have meant that it is easy for companies to find themselves operating to an out-of-date agenda.

But there is no danger of that happening at Arcus Consulting LLP, where enterprise, innovation and initiative are key to the company's success. Founded in 1970 as a practice of building surveyors, the firm has continually expanded and diversified, and now offers a multidisciplinary service via five offices in the north -located in Manchester, Preston, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle.

Arcus has seen several incarnations since its foundation - initially specialising in the building surveying element of property refurbishment and conversion, it soon became clear that clients would reap dividends from having a 'one-stop' facility where all their requirements could be met through a single point of contact.

Today, the company can manage every stage of the construction cycle from feasibility studies, through construction to the end of defects period, offering development, investment and management advice. But although Arcus has all the capabilities of a major corporation, it is solely owned and managed by the four board members to ensure a personal, hands-on approach.

The forward-thinking company provides a single source of consultancy services for the built environment - services which include building surveying, cost management, project management, architectural services, mechanical and electrical engineering. Expert strategic advisors and planning supervisors are also available, to ensure projects run smoothly from start to finish.

As a client actively seeking to expand their portfolio through the stock transfer process, Contour Homes (formerly Portico and Collingwood Housing Association) have worked with Arcus on six transfers. Phil Corris, regeneration services manager at Contour says: "We continue to work with Arcus in the delivery of our Stock Transfers due to their ability to provide a one stop flexible service from the initial bid stage through completion of works on site. They provide a high level of consultation, checking and understanding the needs of residents and working with them in the management, structure and delivery of these schemes."

With the government's 2010 Decent Homes deadline weighing heavy on the minds of many in the social housing sector, Arcus works in close partnership with local authorities, ALMOs, and housing associations to deliver tailored services through dedicated Housing Teams across the north of England.

Aware of the importance of keeping up with movements in the housing sector, the company continually develops its systems and services to cover initiatives such as Eco Homes Standards, Modern Methods of Construction, the Clients' Charter and Housing Quality Indicators.

Managing partner Andrew Riddington says: "We are working closely with many of our clients to look at different ways of working to deliver successful housing schemes to residents, challenging the norm to achieve greater satisfaction and long-term stability."

A company that is always quick to look at new and innovative ways of working with partners, Arcus was the obvious choice to come on board at Fusion 21 - a groundbreaking partnership of seven Merseyside housing associations including KnowsleyHousing Trust. Aimed at revolutionising the way that Social Landlords work with the Construction sector by providing a holistic response to the Government's regeneration agenda, the scheme got underway in 2002, and during its first year had already developed a unique procurement approach, achieving real savings in both time and money.

Arcus has been working with Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) on the delivery of its major improvement programme, utilising the holistic procurement model pioneered by Fusion 21. This financial year Arcus is assisting KHT with the delivery of a £34 million scheme to deliver more than 10,000 improvements across homes in Knowsley.

Maggie Howard, assistant director of regeneration at KHT, says: "Arcus has been innovative and proactive in working with Fusion21, a bulk purchase and supply chain management initiative. Fusion21 is delivering savings on our procurement and has already won national praise in leading the social housing sector in applying Egan principals. It has been a busy and exciting year and assisted by Arcus we are already working on our plans for 2005-06".

The programme of works for KHT includes replacement windows, reroofing, new central heating, installation of kitchens and bathrooms, insulation and structural work.

With 30 years' experience in the housing sector, it's not surprising that Arcus has clocked up some pretty impressive statistics. For example, the company has worked with 44 housing associations and 22 local authorities, was the first consultancy firm in the north west to complete a stock transfer and group repair scheme, and to date has been involved with 13 stock transfers - totalling more than £100 million.

With a reputation for quality across the board, Arcus has built up a solid base of regular clients, and brings in a lot of business through recommendations and word of mouth. One example of this is Arcus' work with Enterprise PLC. Having heard of the company's extensive expertise and reputation working within the housing sector, Enterprise employed Arcus as a 'direct service provider' to assist in delivering £8 million yearly in modernisation and repair works on homes for Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH). To kickstart the project, Arcus has carried out initial property typing surveys, decent homes and measured surveys on 4,000 properties in the Kirklees Area.

Chris Hare, project manager at Enterprise PLC, comments: "Arcus played an important role in enabling us to accurately identify the works and materials required for each property and to keep the project rolling on time and within budget. Tenant satisfaction scores are used as a key performance indicator and are currently running at over 90 per cent. This can be attributed to working successfully together as a team from survey stage through to completion."

It is undoubtedly one of Arcus' strengths that its partnership ethos is not a new approach, and the company's links with local authorities and social housing are well established. In Manchester, for example, Arcus has worked with the city council over the last 10 years, to deliver face-lift and environmental schemes in the North, East and South of Manchester. Delivery of facelift schemes requires a resident focused service and as a Consultant, Arcus is recognised as being an expert in managing both the technical and resident liaison aspects of such schemes.

Bernard Murtagh, Principal Renewal Manager, South Team at Manchester City Council, says: "Good regeneration is not just about bricks and mortar. If schemes are to be both successful and sustainable, residents and the local community need to be involved in the planning and implementation of schemes. Arcus has recognised the need to include this in its service, resulting in high satisfaction scores from residents and the community in respect of the schemes they are delivering for Manchester City Council".

Indeed, Arcus is well aware of the need to involve communities when making decisions that affect their future environment, and at the beginning of each project ensures that distinct and clear lines of communications are established with both residents and community groups. Through regular consultation at resident focus groups and weekly surgeries, Arcus listen to residents' concerns and ideas and together they develop and implement effective and sustainable solutions.

Arcus has a strong history of success in the housing sector - and in the wider construction industry - but the future looks certain to bring even greater success. Looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities the company will face over the next few years, managing partner Clive Sellers comments: "Our ability to provide an innovative and flexible approach has and will continue to position Arcus as one of the leading housing consultants. We understand the need to know our service and to ensure it is provided in a consistent manner, we achieve this through constant training and the introduction of information technology advances. We are looking to continue to expand the business and recognise the driver for this is the need to continually provide an enhanced, flexible and quality service to our clients and their residents"

Reproduced courtesy of Northern Housing

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