Southwark Council award consultancy services to Armstrong York

Southwark Council– Asbestos Consultancy Contract

Value: £420,000 (per annum) – £1.65 Million Total contract value

Armstrong-York is required to provide our services in council owned corporate buildings and depots owned by the Council and housing residential stock. The London Borough of Southwark are one of the biggest landlords in the country, owning nearly half the total area of the borough and are responsible for almost 55,000 domestic premises. There are also a high number of corporate buildings and depots owned by the Council. Armstrong-York provide services in conjunction with the appointed licensed removal contractor to ensure asbestos remediation works are carried out in a safe and controlled manner. Access on-site is dependent on the specific instruction and within one of the following timescales:

– Within 4 hours (emergency basis) of instruction.
– Within 72 hours of instruction.
– As soon as reasonably practicable, after liaison with the licensed asbestos removal contactor and after the 14-day notification period to the HSE.

Armstrong-York arranges access through liaison with the licensed asbestos removal contractor, through the London Borough of Southwark asbestos compliance team or other contacts within the council. This is in accordance to the terms and conditions of the contract. The asbestos compliance team inform us via email of works required with a full address and contact details for access. A description of the services provided by Armstrong York to Southwark Council includes:

• Taking air monitoring (sampling), leakage and smoke tests at premises;
• Analyse the results of the air samples;
• Issuing a final test certificate when compliant with HSG 248
• Monitoring the asbestos removal process including auditing the Licensed Contractor’s Method Statement and site operations for the removal or encapsulation of the asbestos.
• Armstrong-York are responsible for reporting any concerns or non-compliance with the Council’s Code of practice for the Management of Asbestos
• Works are to be undertaken to corporate buildings and depots owned by Southwark Council as well as in residential properties
• Armstrong-York provide asbestos awareness training for the Council’s staff
• Advice and expert witness in litigation cases
• Telephone advice to tenants and occupiers
• Provide an emergency service 24 hours a day 365 days a year
• We have named and approved operatives for this work
• Works to be carried out according to UKAS to ISO17025 and HSG 248
• All work will be undertaken with discretion and due regard to the emotive nature of asbestos.
• Suitable and sufficient P.P.E/R.P.E. must be provided and maintained
Armstrong-York has appointed a named Person in Charge, to whom directions can be given by LBS and who is empowered to act upon such directions. Armstrong-York’s Person in Charge is responsible for all supervisory and analytical staff for the duration of this Contract to ensure adequate supervision during the site work, they give their whole time respectively to the supervision of the service and are able to receive and act promptly upon all instructions issued.
Armstrong-York is required on a daily basis, to update the Council’s computer system via the terminal/citrix key provided. The information to be processed includes the Order number, location or address, priority code, a full description of the works, time and date order received, time and date order completed or anticipated to be completed, detailed valuation of the works carried out including variations and information relating to special circumstances such as elderly or at-risk occupiers, disabled occupiers or dangerous animals affecting access etc. Armstrong-York are required to record the “completion” of Orders on the Housing Department’s computer system in accordance with the following time periods:-
a) Emergency Orders: Within twelve normal working hours
b) All other Orders: by the end of the next normal working day

Armstrong-York is required to record on iWorld within two working days, any variations to the original order value. Armstrong-York can only make ONE application for variations to the original order. A PDF version of each monitoring report is made available to the client and to the licensed asbestos removal contractor within the timeframe specified. All air monitoring reports are placed on our web portal for viewing by LBS via a secure log in. The format of certification follows the requirements laid out in HSG 248.

Armstrong-York’s analysts hold the BOHS P403 and P404 qualifications and have commensurate experienced in undertaking including air sampling, fibre counting, clearance testing and the issuing of certificates of reoccupation as required. Individuals undertaking asbestos air monitoring and clearance works must be shown to be competent through site auditing. Individuals carrying out the works must have

at least 3 years’ industry experience. Analysts must have a full working knowledge of the requirements of HSG248 and HSG247. Training is carried out in a manner in accordance to regulation 10 of the CAR-2012, HSG248 and in-house approved standards. Armstrong-York are required to quality assure all of our work and carry out 5% site audits of all clearances conducted. A list of sites audited is presented to LBS on a quarterly basis. A desk-top review of all reports received is conducted by the Asbestos Compliance Team.

Armstrong-York has recently re tendered for the Southwark Council Analytical contract (Contract B) through a competitive tendering exercise and is pleased to announce that we were appointed as the sole provider to provide our analytical services for a further five years.

South Western Ambulance Service award consultancy services to Armstrong York

NHS Foundation Trust – Asbestos Consultancy Contract

Value: £150,000

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) provides emergency and urgent care services across the south west of England, from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly across to Dorset and up to Gloucestershire. The Trust serves a resident population of more than 5.3 million as well as over 17.5 million visitors to the south west each year. The Trust covers an area of 10,000 square miles, which is 20% of mainland England. The area that SWASFT cover is predominantly rural, with the Cotswolds, Dartmoor, Exmoor and significant coastline, but also includes large urban centres, such as Bath, Bournemouth, Bristol, Exeter, Gloucester, Plymouth, Poole and Swindon. SWASFT employs more than 4,000 staff across over 100 sites, including 100+ ambulance stations, six air ambulance bases, two hazardous area response teams (HART) bases and three emergency control rooms (clinical hubs). In addition, to providing the emergency 999 service, SWASFT also provides a range of urgent care services, including

• Out of Hours Services in Dorset only
• Tiverton Urgent Care Centre in Devon

The Trust has a mission to respond to patients’ emergency and urgent care needs quickly and safely to save lives, reduce anxiety, pain and suffering. Last year SWASFT dealt with more than 867,500 emergency and urgent incidents. Like many public sector bodies, the Trust generates large volumes of information, much of which comprises sensitive patient details. As a provider of emergency 999 and non-emergency 111 services, the availability of electronic data by the Trust is critical. Maintaining clean rooms and infrastructure where the data and supporting infrastructure are housed will contribute to the overall resilience of the services delivered by Armstrong York. The

objective of our appointment is to provide to South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust with the following services:

• Management, Refurbishment and Demolition surveys
• Re-inspections and Asbestos Management Plans
• Bulk sampling and in house analysis of samples
• Incident investigation services
• Emergency site attendance and 24 hour call out
• Asbestos management training and awareness training
• Day-to-day monitoring works in association with day-to-day asbestos encapsulation, monitoring or removal.
• Providing ad-hoc advice on asbestos related issues.
• Dealing with emergency situations with regard to asbestos
• Attending progress meetings with the Client.
• Quality checking asbestos removal Service Providers’ plans of work and on site performance.
• Checking all Service Provider certificates and relevant paperwork.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital consultancy services award

Willmott Dixon / NHS Foundation Trust – Asbestos Consultancy Contract

Value: £45,000

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a 430-bed teaching hospital located in Chelsea, London. Although the Hospital has been at its present site since only 1993, the Hospital has a rich history in that it serves as the new site for the Westminster Hospital. It is operated by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and has close ties with Imperial College London. Many of the hospital’s employees hold research contracts with Imperial College London, and the hospital plays an integral role in teaching students at Imperial College London. The hospital’s operating revenue for clinical activities alone was £378 million in 2014/15. The hospital has often been regarded as one of the leading hospitals in the country based on a number of metrics, including having the lowest operative mortality rates in the country, and one of the best performing A&E departments in the country. Armstrong York is appointed to provide a full range of consultancy services including initial structural report, desk top study together with a full project management service provision. Other services provided to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust includes:

  • Preparation of initial structural report on form of the existing structure, lateral stability of the existing building and highlight any adverse effects on the surrounding area due to the proposed works.
  • Preparation of a desk study report on available information.
  • Highlight further information requirements to progress temporary works and permanent works design.
  • Address the structural requirements for the following structural items:- New services penetrations through floor slabs and in risers, Support requirements for new plant on the roof and Installation of new below ground drainage
  • Refurbishment and Demolition surveys
  • Bulk sampling and in house analysis of samples
  • Incident investigation services
  • Emergency site attendance and 24 hour call out
  • Providing ad-hoc advice on asbestos related issues / Attending progress meetings with the Client

Babergh & Mid Suffolk Councils contract

£1.7 Million Contract Awarded with Babergh & Mid Suffolk Councils

Armstrong York is pleased to announce our appointment as the sole provider for Asbestos Consultancy Services to both Babergh & Mid Suffolk Councils. The new contract award will commence in August 2015 and will run until July 2019 with an option to continue for a further two years by two single year extensions.

Babergh District Council covers the South central area of Suffolk. The District comprises the towns of Hadleigh, Sudbury and Lavenham plus rural parishes covering approx. 310 square miles. Babergh District Council owns and manages around 3,500 homes and various Adult Care provision and office accommodation, depots, industrial units, Tourist Information Centres, bus stations and sports centres.

Mid Suffolk lies in the heart of the Suffolk countryside, to the north–west of Ipswich, with a population of 86,800. Outside of the main towns of Stowmarket, Needham Market and Eye it is sparsely populated with 70% of the population living in villages or rural areas. Mid Suffolk Council owns and manages around 3,500 homes and various corporate and commercial buildings.

Babergh & Mid Suffolk Councils

The services to be provided by Armstrong York include:

• Asbestos surveys testing and analysis to dwellings, garages, communal (non-domestic) areas

• Re-inspection surveys  of dwellings, garages, communal (non-domestic) areas and corporate buildings

• General asbestos advice for Client and training on asbestos

• Mobile laboratory and strict turnaround of survey results on voids and responsive works

• Surveys to comprise management, refurbishment & demolition and re-inspection surveys

• Emergency service to be provided 24 hours 365 days per year.

• Electronic web enabled asbestos register available for client and contractors to access

• Ad hoc advice, practical interpretation of regulations and codes of practice and management

and auditing of remedial/removal works undertaken by others.

• Importing existing asbestos survey records from other systems into web enabled asbestos register.

The JCT Measured Term Contract 2011 will form the contract terms. The anticipated expenditure for both Councils for the period of the contract and potential extension is £1.7m. Armstrong York will partner and work collaboratively with both Councils to embrace and refine their core values to provide value for money and the best quality service delivery at all times to all residents and leaseholders.