Fit out of new 120,000 sq ft HQ for Quintiles.

The Challenge

To maximise operational efficiencies, Quintiles decided to reconcile their operation from 3 buildings in Bracknell to a single site in Reading. C&W were initially engaged to provide agency services which allowed the lease acquisition of a 120,000 sq ft building at Green Park in Reading. Following the lease acquisition, C&W were selected to provide Project Management services for the fit-out of the space.
Quintiles had a very aggressive programme for occupation as they wanted to realise maximum commercial benefit from exiting their existing buildings. The initial deadline was set as September 2011, but was subsequently revised to July 2011. As C&W and the project team were not engaged until September 2010, coupled with the size of the new building, requirement for a high quality executive area and a large number of offices, the programme was the most challenging aspect of the project.

The Solution

The tight programme was demanding not only from a delivery perspective, but also for managing client’s requirements and their internal sign off processes. From the outset, a clear project programme, including key sign off dates and responsibilities, was produced for the whole team.

During the construction phase, the fast-track nature of the pre-construction phase did mean that a number of changes were made by Quintiles which were controlled through a change order process. This allowed all required changes to be included in the works without any affect on the programme.

The Results

The works were successfully completed and handed over to the client on the 01 July 2011. This was only achievable through the project team working together and the implementation of the correct procurement strategy which ensured that the correct contractor was selected.