Double boost for McGoff and Byrne
FAMILY construction company McGoff and Byrne has won a £4.5m contract to design and build a new sixth form college as part of a pioneering deal.
The firm based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, will work with the students at Great Sankey High School, in Warrington, to ensure that the new building meets their specifications while also forming part of their education.
McGoff and Byrne – which is run by four brothers – has also become the first construction company in Britain to win the ‘customer first’ award, which is presented by a national standards agency for customer service.
Pupils at Great Sankey High School will have input during the design and construction process which will provide them with on-site work experience.
The firm won the contract after being interviewed by a student panel.
Commercial director Dave McGoff said: “The Great Sankey project is a great example of raising the bar in terms of stakeholder engagement and we anticipate that it will be well received within the local community”
“We have worked extremely hard aligning the business with our clients objectives – and we hope it will be perceived as an exemplar project within the construction industry.
“Smaller businesses can represent better value to public sector clients. I genuinely feel an increase in public sector spend with locally based SME contractors, who embrace their corporate and social responsibilities will increase productivity within the economy as well as benefiting the procurer.
“It is no longer good enough just to be a quality construction company, you have to have the other focuses, such as sustainability, corporate and social responsibility and investing in your people.”
McGoff and Byrne is run by Dave McGoff, 40, managing director James, 43, land director Christopher, 36, and operations director Declan, 42, and employs 80 staff.
It has seen its turnover drop by 20% from over £16m to £13m over the past year as a result of the recession
James McGoff said: “Instead of cutting costs through redundancies we invested in partnerships and industry accreditation to help us bid for public sector contracts.
“Only 16% of public sector contracts go to SME’s, but we are changing that.
“We always had the experience and reputation, but now we have the badges to go with them – and it all helps with the pre qualification process in areas such as quality management, sustainability and health and safety.
“It has been a big commitment for an SME such as ours, but turnover is growing again and the future is looking bright. We have shown clients the difference it can make using SME’s with a local supply chain.”
Frea O’Brien, chief executive of Customer First, said: “We’re proud to be associated with a company leading the way in their sector through commitment to best practice, strong values and building long term successful relationships with customers.”
McGoff and Byrne, have worked on numerous education projects throughout the North West and have preferred supplier status with the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford.
Some of the projects it has worked on in Manchester include: the Chinese Arts Centre in the Northern Quarter; restoration works on a number of listed buildings in Albert Square; and Dukes 92, in Castlefield.
