When roasting hot weather delayed construction work, we still managed to accelerate the ICT delivery so this new-build school was ready to open in September. We also used our excellent supplier relationships when the school asked, mid-project, for a change to the plans: we delivered a phone system integrated across two sites without delays.
The Client
Buckinghamshire Council
The Building Contractor
BAM
The Project
St Michael’s Catholic School, High Wycombe - Aylesbury Campus
Weedon Road, Aylesbury, Bucks HP199PG
1,080 students (at full capacity), 11-18 age range
Project Type
Capital programme
The Contract
Start: January 2018
Handover: September 2019
Project ICT value: £750k
Project overview: Design and deliver the ICT solution for a new-build school
Nexus Associates worked alongside the building contractor, BAM, to deliver the St Michael’s Catholic School, Aylesbury Campus, new-build project. Nexus designed and delivered the ICT solution, including equipment procurement and installation, and end user training.
The solution included:
Infrastructure: switches, wireless, UPS
Server infrastructure, including back-up
End user devices: desktops and laptops
Main Hall projection solution
Digital Signage
Interactive Screens
Visitor ID system
Telephony
The challenges: roasting hot weather and changes requested by the client
Managing legacy equipment decant: The new school opening was planned for September 2019, with the decant from the temporary accommodation at the end of the previous Summer Term. Due to the unexpected, exceptionally hot weather, the new building was not completed for handover in July or prepared to accept the equipment, as planned. To avoid any interruption to the start of the new term, Nexus re-sequenced the decant programme, to ensure the bulk of the equipment was installed ready for the start of term, with the remainder installed in September, without any disruption to teaching and learning.
Managing client changes: The client originally requested and approved a standalone and isolated telephony system. Part the way through delivery, the Business Manager advised Nexus that they required a system that would provide an integrated solution across their two campuses. Through our excellent supply chain relationships, we were able to accommodate the changes, sourcing an alternative solution without incurring additional cost or a delay to programme.
Our innovative approach to meet all project requirements
We controlled the timescales
Managing legacy equipment decant
The new school opening was planned for September 2019, with the decant from the temporary accommodation at the end of the previous Summer Term. Due to the unexpected, exceptionally hot weather, the new building was not completed for handover in July or prepared to accept the equipment, as planned. To avoid any interruption to the start of the new term, Nexus re-sequenced the decant programme, to ensure the bulk of the equipment was installed ready for the start of term, with the remainder installed in September, without any disruption to teaching and learning.
Managing client changes
The client originally requested and approved a standalone and isolated telephony system. Part the way through delivery, the Business Manager advised Nexus that they required a system that would provide an integrated solution across their two campuses. Through our excellent supply chain relationships, we were able to accommodate the changes, sourcing an alternative solution without incurring additional cost or a delay to programme.
We worked around constraints
Innovative approach to meet timescales
Javid Mahdavi (Nexus Contract Manager) led our team of experienced new-build, ICT Project Managers to support this complex project, across two concurrent building projects. With sound knowledge of Capital Build projects, Javid was able to balance the demands of the client and the practical requirements of both builders as the project progressed.
He sat centrally, in an integrated team, ensuring all deadlines were met, including the installation of technology solutions for:
- a 1,080-student Secondary School, with a 2019 September opening
- with a short-term solution, taken from the overall requirements and used in temporary accommodation, decanted at the end of Phase 1
- a July 2018, 3-day induction event, in part-complete temporary accommodation.
The long-term ICT solution was cost-effectively used in the short-term (for one age group in temporary accommodation), without incurring additional cost. Nexus ensured all of the short-term ICT equipment (bar a £1,000 temporary server, out of a total £114,000 budget) was successfully decanted from the refurbished building and used in the new.
How we met the challenges
Working with the client to develop the solution
Challenged with limited initial information, Javid led the client team, including Buckinghamshire County Council’s (BCC) Project Manager, Hanka Stanford, and the School’s Head Teacher, Garret Fay, and Business Manager, Tracey Wiggins, to create the IT Responsibility Matrix. From here, our Technical Architect, Simon Barclay led workshops to develop the high-level solution and indicative budget, gaining client approval for the solution. Nexus supported BCC through the approval process. When challenged with a change in manufacturer line-up (resulting in unavailability of selected desktops), we drew on our well-established supply chain relationships to source an alternative solution of a higher specification, for the original budget.
Our innovation to resolve the Multi-campus school challenge
St Michael’s Catholic School High Wycombe, when expanding into the Aylesbury campus, would be supported by some staff common to both. We worked with the Trust to understand their needs and develop a solution that was cognisant of the Trust’s wider technical requirements, which would result in the integration of the new school into the Trust services with minimum disruption to teaching and learning. For example, we developed harmonised wireless networks so that staff could move seamlessly between the two campuses.
How we delivered value for money
The Aylesbury Campus was to open to Year 7 pupils in September 2018, following a 3-day induction event in July, at the end of the Summer Term. With the Trust’s concerns over a large amount of kit being left in the unoccupied site over the Summer break, Javid developed a solution that incorporated a phased delivery with the required kit delivered for the event and the remainder in time for the start of the new term. He ensured all necessary kit was installed and up and running for the event and held back the laptop delivery until September, which also preserved the warranties.
“We worked with Javid from Nexus Associates as part of the St Michael’s Catholic School (Aylesbury Campus) project. Javid worked to ensure that the ICT solutions provided by Nexus, as part of the project, met the technological needs of the school but more importantly supported pupil learning and the vision of the school. It was essential that the solution design both integrated and complemented existing ICT services at the High Wycombe school. Javid and his wider team brought professionalism, clarity structure and consistency to the ICT parts of the project and this ensured the delivered solutions represented both value for money and fitness for purpose.”
Hanka StanfordCommissioning Manager, Buckinghamshire Council
