Disenchanted with general contracting and out of a job at 50, basing ones future on offering a fee based, one stop, procurement route to money wise commercial business people was a step in the dark. In 1985, the prospect of an architectural practice advising a client in favour of a Construction Manager against traditional general contractors was not a likely scenario. Together with the public's entrenched perception that lowest bid is best, made the game plan decidedly risky.

Two years managing the Community Building Programme for Leeds City Council followed by a couple of years freelancing whilst we got off the ground with the main programme of making direct contact with prospective commercial developers, things began to move. We found younger business men, some smarting from negative experiences with traditional construction, readily adopted the proposal for collaborative, fully managed, self build projects and we were off.

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The need to start on site quickly and to build/rebuild plants within client time scales and budgets was also another driving factor for potential clients when adopting the "Management Construction" route for their projects. Plants destroyed by fire and new meat and food plants needing to be constructed/reconstructed to address government time scales and/or hygeine criteria were also a significant factor in progressing our man and wife business. Clients demonstrated their approval of the Management Construction method by returning to us with further business.

Currently semi retired, and after a life time living in North Yorkshire, we are relocating to the West Midlands where plans for the construction of our new house, near to family, are well advanced; another managed self build operation.

Over the past two decades, on both sides of the industry, there has been a growing recognition that collaborative business arrangements produce significant benefits for both parties involved in construction projects. Aware of this fact and after many thousands of hours expended successfully demonstrating the benefits of collaboratively managed procurement routes over traditional, adversarial routes, do we simply let Management Construction Ltd wither on the vine at Companies House, drop into retirement mode and forget about it?

Management Construction Ltd, retired at the end of its tax year in 2009, together with its group of incorporated regional companies lies dormant at Companies House pending procurement by parties with strategic ambitions coupled to a future in the UK wide Construction Industry.

(CD/KMcA)