{"id":502713,"date":"2024-08-02T12:08:13","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T11:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=502713"},"modified":"2024-08-13T17:11:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T16:11:17","slug":"mclaren-boss-we-dont-want-to-forget-who-we-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/sections\/long-reads\/interviews\/mclaren-boss-we-dont-want-to-forget-who-we-are-02-08-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"McLaren boss: \u2018We don\u2019t want to forget who we are\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tier one firm isn\u2019t getting distracted by the bright lights of London<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

These are busy times for contractor McLaren. The firm is engaged in a host of projects throughout the country, staying true to its roots in the logistics and warehousing sectors. At the same time, it is working on high-profile new-build, refurbishment and expansion projects in London.<\/p>\n

These include the \u00a3132m transformation of the former House of Fraser store at 318 Oxford Street into a commercial and retail development for Publica Properties Establishment.<\/p>\n

But when meeting Construction News<\/em> in McLaren\u2019s plush site office there, group chief executive Paul Heather pushed back at the suggestion the scheme is the firm\u2019s \u201cflagship\u201d project. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to forget what we are,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we also don\u2019t want to turn our back on any of our history. There\u2019s an industrial logistics thread that runs through the business, particularly in the Midlands and the North. And the relationships the senior team have in that part of the group are the best I\u2019ve seen for repeat business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heather\u2019s career saw him spend 18 years at Skanska, followed by four more at Sir Robert McAlpine. He joined McLaren two years ago as group managing director of construction, moving up to the group chief executive role last November.<\/p>\n

With McLaren approaching the end of its financial year on 31 July, Heather reflected on difficult market conditions. \u201cWe\u2019re doing what we said we\u2019d do at the start of the year,\u201d he said, adding that the firm should\u00a0 \u201cthere or thereabouts\u201d meet its target of \u00a31bn turnover in 2023\/24.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only challenge that we have along the way \u2013 and it\u2019s an industry-wide issue \u2013 is that projects are taking longer and longer to start. I\u2019d say that in the past five years the average time to start on site after a contract award has doubled from three to six months.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year has been tough, Heather added. \u201cWe don\u2019t seem to see or feel any respite in terms of the amount of time, effort and energy that needs to go into delivering and winning projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tough tenders<\/h3>\n

Rather than a sprint, every tender is now a \u201cmarathon\u201d, in Heather\u2019s view. \u201cSo it\u2019s tough and you\u2019ve got to be on your \u2018A\u2019 game. You\u2019ve got to have the right personnel, skills and expertise to demonstrate you can deliver, and you\u2019ve got to know the scheme inside out in a technical sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that people can get a bit battle-weary along the way in a lengthy tender process, but there are still benefits to be gained, especially in forming alliances with supply-chain partners. In
\nhis opinion, the journey to a contract win almost matters as much as the additional turnover. \u201cIt\u2019s very important. We spent time building relationships even if we didn\u2019t win every tender \u2013 but we have a reasonable strike rate in winning them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with tricky projects, Heather said it is possible to gain from adversity. \u201cWe know of projects that have been challenging and very difficult. But these are the ones you have to wrap your arms around even more, because the people involved will benefit from the learning experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery project will have challenges \u2013 it\u2019s how you overcome them that\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The tier one firm isn\u2019t getting distracted by the bright lights of London These are busy times for contractor McLaren. The firm is engaged in a host of projects throughout the country, staying true to its roots in the logistics and warehousing sectors. At the same time, it is working on high-profile new-build, refurbishment and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135716,"featured_media":502727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[570,559],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n