Their graduate jobs... managing £100m costs on the Blackfriars station
About the project
The Blackfriars project is central to improving journeys and easing travel congestion for passengers on the increasingly busy Thameslink route. The Victorian rail bridge (circa 1886) will be completely overhauled. It will be widened and strengthened to take longer trains and the platforms – enclosed by a roof that will use photovoltaic cells – will span the Thames. A new tube and rail station will be built on the north bank, and a new station entrance on the south.
Blackfriars remains a working station throughout the project, making the safety of the team and the public paramount. The east side of the bridge deck is being developed first, allowing trains to run on the west side, and then the situation will be reversed. The logistics of working over the river brings its own type of challenges and safety precautions too, including a lifeboat on 24-hour call.
Work experience student Marisa Rabbini reveals her role
It’s not every day that an undergraduate can say she works on a multimillion-pound project on the middle of the Thames. I joined the project as part of my sandwich year. I thought I’d just be given admin but I have proper responsibilities.
’I can step onto site and see the work happening in front of me.’
Playing detective
I’m working as the assistant quantity surveyor (QS) to the overall commercial manager. One of my responsibilities is the ‘envelope’ package – the part of the project that deals with the outside cladding at the north station, the roof and the blast-resistant glazing. I attend meetings and produce an ‘envelope matrix’, which lists each item that needs to be included in the envelope package, including specifications, drawings and design responsibility issues, among other things. This enables us to put together a detailed tender to send out to potential subcontractors.
I have fewer specific responsibilities than a graduate QS: my work ranges from producing spreadsheets and registers, working with drawings and plans, organising team folders and meeting minutes or doing detective work! I’m not stuck in the office all day. I can step onto site and see the work happening in front of me. I sit beside the commercial and construction managers for the north station and I can pick their brains when I have a problem. Unusually, we share an office with the client and design teams, something which makes communication easier.
Back to uni
This placement is ideal preparation for my final year of university: I have great access to resources I will need for my dissertation and everyone offers help and advice.
Marisa Rabbini is an undergraduate completing a year in industry with Balfour Beatty, working as an assistant quantity surveyor. She is studying a BSc in quantity surveying at the University of Reading and will graduate next year.
Graduate QS Greg Ward explains his job managing £100m costs
The challenge of delivering a project spanning the Thames is enormous and has called for great creativity. For example, we use the river to receive deliveries and will be the first people to use a 100 tonne crane mounted on a barge! The project requires sound management to deliver it to budget so it’s an amazing opportunity this early in my career. I’ve been working here since the day after my graduation weekend last year and am likely to stay until the project completely wraps up in three years’ time.
‘The project requires sound management to deliver it to budget so it’s an amazing opportunity this early in my career’
Managing £100m
Under the supervision of my manager, I manage the site-wide preliminary costs, valued at over £100m. This involves drafting contracts for subcontractors hired to do specific construction work, valuing the work done by them each month, forecasting future expenditure and managing the budget. I also value the cost of changes requested by our client.
I mainly work with other quantity surveyors; civil engineers such as Lizzie and Nick to check that subcontractor work has been completed; and planners to value the cost of delays. Construction is very teamwork oriented and it’s important to understand the work others do – listen carefully, take notes and ask lots of questions. Managing my time was a challenge when I first started, but I’m better at prioritising nowadays.
Working friendships
This project has been great for both professional and social reasons. I’ve covered many of the competences I’ll need to gain my professional qualification and I’ve made some great friends.
Greg Ward is a graduate quantity surveyor at Balfour Beatty. He graduated with a BSc in commercial management and quantity surveying from Loughborough University last year.
Read about the jobs of civil engineers on the Blackfriars project