Thought Leadership: Early Engagement Drives Project Productivity

26th, February 2025

Productivity remains a universal goal in the construction and infrastructure sectors. Projects often face delays, inefficiencies, and rising costs due to fragmented processes and misaligned priorities, no matter how well they are planned. However, early collaboration between suppliers and contractors can transform project outcomes. By addressing productivity at every stage of the project, stakeholders can streamline logistics, improve safety, reduce environmental impacts, and achieve significant cost savings.

Conquip promotes early engagement as a pillar for boosting efficiency, safety, and sustainability across the industry.

How Early Engagement Improves Projects

Early engagement involves suppliers and contractors working together during the earliest stages of project planning, often at the bid phase. This collaboration enables suppliers to assess project requirements holistically and implement tailored, coordinated solutions to overcome challenges. The benefits of this proactive approach include:

Improved buildability: Clear sequencing enables smoother installation, reducing complexity and on-site challenges
Cost and time savings: Eliminating inefficiencies while meeting project budgets and timelines
Streamlined logistics: Reducing delays and improving workflows
Enhanced safety: Identifying and mitigating risks before they occur
Sustainability improvements: Improved sequencing reduces CO₂ emissions and unnecessary equipment usage and manufacturing

By adopting early engagement, projects can be approached as cohesive schemes, ensuring decisions are made at the outset that ensure long-term benefits, and often increase the potential for innovation.

Project Sequencing: Precision in Planning

Space, plant and clash detection are key to effective project sequencing. Equipment must fit into the chosen methodology and reduce accidents by removing the human element and people-plant interfaces. Project Managers and Construction Managers need to work closely together to have the right technology in place for each project. Focus must include ‘buildability’.

An example is the One Liverpool Street project, where advanced programming tools were used to refine the sequencing of temporary works. By digitally modelling each stage of installation, daily operations, and extraction, Conquip provided the contractor with a clear 3D visualisation of the works sequence. This enabled better planning, reduced delays, and improved overall project efficiency.

Dig Programmes and Muck Away: Maximising Efficiency

Even processes that are seen as routine, such as spoil removal, benefit from early engagement and planning. When Site Engineers are open-minded to new technologies, they can improve efficiencies into how things are done. This was the case on the project at Stepney Green for Crossrail, where Conquip’s BulkX system shortened the dig programme by an impressive 12 weeks.

Early planning at the tender stage enables methods to be optimised; minimising double handling and tailoring logistics plans to project-specific outcomes.

George Critchley, Group Director at Conquip, notes: “If you engage early enough at the tendering stage, a change in method can have a dramatic impact on efficiency rates.”

Read more about effective muck-away with our tunnelling event report from our Director George Critchley and Robbie McGorgan, Head of Work Winning and Business Development at Joseph Gallagher, where they hosted a roundtable entitled ‘Optimising site management and muck away’.

Logistics of Plant Movement: Shouldn’t be an afterthought

Efficient logistics planning is a foundation of productive project management, but the logistics of plant movement can often be underestimated in the initial planning process. As projects develop in scale and/or complexity, pre-planning plant movement ensures that equipment is optimally organised, reducing congestion and downtime on-site.

By addressing plant movement logistics early on, projects become streamlined, with site teams knowing what they need from their suppliers at the outset, as well as unnecessary emissions being reduced and significant savings on cost and time realised. Adam Hicks, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Major Projects at Conquip, said, “Early contractor involvement drives the business case – improved buildability, cost savings and efficiencies from the start.”

Real-World Impacts

Consultative Collaboration in Action:

Conquip’s engineering expertise was instrumental in addressing unique challenges on the HS2 project. SCS Railways required a solution to safely waterproof a ventilation shaft, which posed obstacles relating to access, material handling, and worker safety.

Through early collaboration, Conquip developed a bespoke working platform designed specifically for the project. The platform featured a half-moon shape to fit the shaft walls, pneumatic wheels for smooth movement, and an A-frame for managing heavy waterproofing membranes. Integrated harness points ensured worker safety while operating at height.

This innovative working platform significantly boosted productivity and provided a safer more affordable alternative to conventional scaffolding.

Read the full HS2 Working Platform case study.

Early Collaboration Leading to Impressive Results:

Conquip’s early collaboration with AJ Morrisroe during the Camden Goods Yard project demonstrated the value of rethinking inherited designs. The original two-level temporary propping scheme included 20 props, which Conquip re-engineered into a streamlined single-level system with just 6 props. This redesign eliminated the need for raking props and the associated remedial work that raking props would have required and enabled site operatives to work without obstruction in the basement.

Kevin Ryall, Senior Bid Manager said that the ire-engineered design “was a massive benefit to the client not only in terms of cost saving, from the reduced amount of equipment and assets needed, but in terms of programme time.”

Read the full Camden Goods Yard case study.

The Value of Early Engagement

The added value that early engagement brings is unquestionable. Conquip is committed to early collaboration that delivers measurable results: streamlined processes, enhanced safety, lower costs, and reduced environmental impacts. By leveraging our expertise at the very outset of projects we continue to set the standard for innovation and productivity in the construction industry.

To learn more about how early engagement can transform projects, visit our Pre-construction and Engineering Design page.

Need support? Want to discuss an upcoming project? Contact the team today: 0333 300 3470 | sales@cqegroup.com

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  string(4152) "In this Q&A, we speak with Reuben Fleet, Supply Chain Director at Conquip, to understand how our Fuel Eco-Hub provides a smarter, more sustainable approach to fuel management on-site.

Q. How did the idea for the Fuel Eco-Hub come about?

Firstly, it’s been designed to look like any other store on site – and designed for both fuel and ad-blue and any other containers.

We were asked to create a self-sufficient, safe solution which would help contractors to have better visibility over their fuel spend, allocation and security of that source on-site – conversations that started when

The solar panels on the roof charge the batteries and an electricity inverter stored in a handy cabinet inside the unit, making fuel pumping from the 2000L or 3000L fuel bowser fast and efficient.

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Q: What were customers looking for?

On 1 April 2022, the UK government phased out the use of red diesel in the construction sector, mandating a switch to ‘cleaner’ white diesel as part of their Net Zero strategy. This change was exacerbated by fuel price increases. While the amount of fuel consumed remained constant, the cost per litre increased dramatically, becoming an even more critical number in the organisation’s overall financial performance.

'Fuel theft'

Contractors had been plagued by fuel theft, so they needed to find a way to prevent theft as with increased costs and often lower availability of fuel, constant break-ins could cause machine downtime on site.

Also, with the fuel being used by machines now the same ‘white’ diesel that could be used in a domestic vehicle, there was a need for monitoring theft internally within the business, as well as make sure that fuel was not being ‘used’ by other contractors on site.

'Lack of real-time fuel data and cost control'

Contractors lacked a real-time monitoring system to track fuel usage across different machines and sites, making it difficult to analyse fuel costs associated with a specific project and to track fuel consumption by vehicle.

This also presented difficulty in managing and reducing CO2 emissions and fuel waste.

Q: How does the fuel management system improve efficiency?

The Fuel Eco-Hub comes with a smart fuel management system. This allows users to:

• Manage user access by adding or revoking permissions instantly.

• Track fuel usage by user, vehicle, and site.

• Receive low-fuel alerts, triggering automatic reorder notifications.

This streamlined approach eliminates manual tracking and improves fuel security.

Q: Can fuel levels and usage be monitored remotely?

Yes, the Fuel Eco-Hub connects to a dedicated app, syncing data to the cloud. This allows for real-time fuel monitoring, usage reports, and automatic refill alerts - all accessible from a phone or computer, ensuring seamless fuel management.

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Q: What makes the Fuel Eco-Hub great for a more sustainable site?

It has a spill tray and a fully-bunded tank to avoid any ground contamination. There’s also a fire extinguisher and spill kit for emergencies. The unit is a solar power system which reduces the reliance on a fuel generator. Additionally, the fuel monitoring and tracking allows customers to order what they need, avoiding over ordering or wasted fuel.

Q: What sort of savings could contractors make when using the Fuel Eco-Hub?

On an example 2 year project, where machines are filled up 20 times per week. Pump uses 0.336kW. 0.336 x 2 minutes (0.033 hours)  = 0.0112kWh. 0.0112kWh x 20 uses  = 0.224 kWh / week.  0.224kWh x 104 weeks (2 years)

= 23.3 kWh saving

To learn more about our Fuel Eco-Hub, click here."
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Fuel Eco-Hub Q&A: A Smarter, More Sustainable Approach

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  string(6073) "Introduction

Ever feel like your site could run smoother? With tight deadlines and complex tasks, every moment matters. We spoke to Andy Greener, to give you insider tips that can improve your site’s efficiency. Here’s what he had to say.

Q: Please introduce yourself and your role.

I’m Andy Greener. As the Technical Support & Product Development Manager at Conquip, I work closely with our Technical Engineers and customers to design innovative solutions that solve problems we see occurring on a regular basis across various sites.

Q: What small changes can you make on-site that have a big impact on productivity?

Small changes can make a big difference. For instance, maximising the use of existing machines by adding versatile attachments makes a big impact on site productivity. By turning an excavator into a telehandler or a forklift into a mobile crane means you get highly versatile equipment. This approach reduces the need for additional machines, saving time and money.

When it comes to lifting, using a crane with a Goods Cage for loose items such as bagged sand or kitchen units to higher levels, or just across site, is another game-changer. This not only guarantees safer lifting by preventing material spills and accidents, but also means a smoother and more effective movement of goods.

Q: What’s an example of a project that significantly improved productivity through innovative equipment?

A great example is the Working Platform we designed for HS2. This platform significantly improved the efficiency of waterproofing a shaft. By tailoring the equipment to the task, we cut downtime and streamlined operations.

Our Excavator Drag Skip is a durable flat-bed skip designed to reduce wastage of shingle, sand and dry concrete and saves time by negating the need to track back and forth from stockpiles. It is a product that many of our customers use on civils and infrastructure projects, to improve their onsite productivity as well as keep their back pockets full.

Another good productivity example is the use of BulkX. BulkX was born out of the Crossrail project. We designed BulkX when traditional excavation methods were taking too long and delaying the dig programme. With BulkX we cut 12 weeks off the excavation programme at the Stepney Green site. It’s since been used as the go-to muck away solution for many of our clients, including internationally, with 50 trucks loaded each day on the Sydney Metro project and loading times cut by 30% at Parramatta Square, New South Wales.

Q: What are common mistakes contractors make that cost time?

A common mistake is overcomplicating processes or using the wrong equipment for the job. For instance, sites often struggle with brick deliveries because they lack sufficient pallets at the delivery point. This leads to double handling of bricks which can result in a huge amount of damage and waste. A simple solution? Having more pallets onsite for deliveries! Or using tools like the Conquip Block Grab to move bricks safely and efficiently. An easy fix to save your budget and manual handling time.

Q: What’s your top tip for anyone looking to improve productivity?

Planning, Planning, Planning!

Going back to basics, site planning is essential for productivity. Identify problem areas and ask: 1. Is this the most efficient approach? 2. Could someone suggest a better way? 3. Are you using the right equipment—and maximising its potential? These questions can uncover hidden productivity gaps. For example, having a CantiDeck on-site without properly planning the crane integration with the deck means the deck will not be used to its maximum capability.

Q: How can sites balance safety with efficiency?

Safety and efficiency go hand in hand. Tools like the Autolock Tipping Skip keep operators safe by eliminating the need to leave their cab, while also speeding up workflows.

Regular maintenance is just as critical—well-maintained and checked equipment means fewer breakdowns, better safety, and no delays. Check out our blog on extending equipment lifespan for more tips.

Also see our blog 3 steps to take - our guide to equipment safety, usage & compliance.

Q: What role does training play in boosting on-site productivity?

Too many operatives have the ‘I’ve always done it that way’ mindset. Training is key to both safety and efficiency; making sure best practice is being applied on site. When your team knows the right way to use the right equipment for the right job, you’ll reduce accidents and minimise downtime, ensuring smooth and productive operations. We carry out tailored on-site training sessions for this exact reason – we feel that it’s a priority that staff feel confident using the kit that they work with.

Ready to make your site more productive? Explore Conquip’s range of equipment and see the difference for yourself."
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Visit us at NCE Tunnelling Conference | 5th December 2024 | Hilton Bankside, London

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Thought Leadership: Early Engagement Drives Project Productivity

How Early Engagement Improves Projects

Real-World Impacts

The Value of Early Engagement

DON’T MISS OUT!

Visit us at NCE Tunnelling Conference | 5th December 2024 | Hilton Bankside, London

My Quote

Thought Leadership: Early Engagement Drives Project Productivity

How Early Engagement Improves Projects

Real-World Impacts

The Value of Early Engagement

MORE NEWS

Fuel Eco-Hub Q&A: A Smarter, More Sustainable Approach

Boost Your On-Site Productivity: Tips from our Expert

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