Invicta Building Services Ltd were delighted to be appointed work on behalf of Southern Housing Group with the residents of the 2 separate blocks of Heathway and Church Elm housing complex in Dagenham RM10.
This was a BEIS-funded HNES Demonstrator project intended to improve heat network performance and efficiency through a range of measures recommended by Chirpy Heat.
The £327,000 project involved:
In the plantroom – the recommissioning of the BMS, the Grundfos Magna D shunt pump, installation of 2No Elysator side stream filters, installation of Danfoss AB-QM control valve, differential pressure sensors,
In the 82 properties – the installation of Ideal Pod D60 Heat Interface Units (HIUs), connection from isolation valves in the communal corridor, installation and relocation of pre-settable TRV’s, Installation of heat meters, installation of thermal insulation, all associated builders work.
The project started in November 2023 and was completed in advance of the agreed finishing date of March 2024
The project was overseen by an SMSTS qualified Project Manager and an SMSTS qualified senior site manager who ensured daily supervision of ongoing works, sub-contractors, and budgeting, and regular updates and progress reports were provided to the client.
An experienced Resident Liaison Officer was appointed to this project to provide residents and other stakeholders with an available on-site point of contact to ensure smooth and immediate communication concerning all aspects of the refurbishment project.
All risks were managed through our construction phase H&S plan by way of Risk Assessments and Method Statements and all documentation was constantly monitored and updated as required.
Our Nebosh certificated Health and Safety Manager conducted random bi-weekly unannounced Health and Safety inspections to ensure H and S standards were maintained and all relevant legal requirements were complied with, and reports were provided to the client.
There were no accidents reported for the duration of this project.
Tight control of cost planning and management was by the way project job costings and procurement schedules overseen by the project manager and procurement manager to enable us to keep up-to date records of expenditure and applications etc.
Handover was carried out with the client, Stephen English of Southern Housing and during a site walk and demonstration meeting, to ensure that all works had been completed to the client’s requirements.
As part of our final inspection with residents on completion of the works we always conduct a resident feedback questionnaire following a common set of measures to identify their level of satisfaction with different aspects of the project.
Our Key Performance Indicators include the quality of work, disruption caused, appointments kept, service provided by staff, communication re works, housekeeping in the property, overall satisfaction, and willingness to recommend, and the residents are requested to complete the following questions contained in the questionnaire with 3 responses:
1. Unacceptable.
2. Satisfactory.
3. Excellent.
We completed the modernisation works within 82 properties and handed these over to Southern Housing Group. Of these, over 70% of the residents responded to the resident feedback questionnaire.
The results are as follows: we received scores all above 97.82% satisfaction and when all the scores were totalled, we are extremely pleased to state we received an average across all categories of 98.36%.
Finally, the question “How would you rate the services provided by Invicta Staff” received the highest score of a superb 100% (one hundred percent) satisfaction score which justifies our ethos to always putting the resident at the heart of everything we do.
The table below shows the scores as a percentage that we achieved.
Furthermore, we were pleased that at the fortnightly progress meetings with our client, Stephen English of Southern Housing Group, we were regularly informed of the positive feedback received from the residents.
Social Values always play a part in our relationship with clients and residents, and we tailor these based on the project and consider where it can have a visible impact. In this case, we supported the Heathway and Church Elm project in a number of ways.
Residents were able to take advantage of our Open Office Policy and visit the site office on the third floor with enquiries or just sit and have a coffee with the team.
As our legacy we provided a steel security gate controlled by a digital keypad for the communal waste area.
Testimonial from Stephen English of Southern Housing.
Stephen English commented:
“I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Invicta Building Services Limited for the work they’ve undertaken at Dagenham Heathway.
I’m especially grateful to them for the way they coordinated and programmed the project to ensure we came in with the timeframe, as this was critical.
The site team were always on top of everything, and it was a pleasure working with them. They demonstrated a positive “can and will do approach” throughout.
I’d have no hesitation in recommending Invicta Building Services Limited on future projects and therefore look forward to working with them again.
In conclusion, please forward my thanks to your team for their contribution to making this project the success it is.”
