The role of a principal contractor and how AIS Vanguard delivers it

As an industrial services specialist, we are well known for our lift and shift capabilities at AIS Vanguard. But our role on many projects encompasses much more than lifting and moving equipment and machinery: we offer a turnkey service that includes project management and often involves taking principal contractor responsibility. But what are the responsibilities of a principal contractor and how do we ensure we deliver them to the highest standards?

What is a principal contractor?

While it is often a term associated with construction projects, the role of principal contractor actually refers to the company that takes responsibility for safe project delivery of all elements of a project, including those undertaken by other delivery partners. Critically, the principal contractor is also responsible and liable for implementation of health and safety compliance and best practice on site, in addition to managing the programme and looking after cost management.

It is a role for which we have wide ranging skills and experience at AIS Vanguard and we have been the principal contractor for countless industrial services projects, including many that have included elements of construction, demolition and refurbishment. As principal contractor we are responsible for delivering the project in line with CDM (Construction Design & Management) regulations, which requires that all activities relating to the project on site comply with laws in place to maintain health and safety.

What does AIS Vanguard bring to the principal contractor role?

At AIS Vanguard, our skills, experience and company culture all provide the foundations for our capabilities as principal contractor. Here are a few of the reasons why we are ideally suited to the role:

• Health & Safety: The hazardous nature of what we do means that we have a well-established safety culture at AIS Vanguard with a team trained in best practice and focused on continuous improvement. That includes recording all near misses and feeding the learnings into toolbox talks. We combine our health and safety systems with the site-specific risks and protocols for each project, developing a risk assessment and safety plan as an integral part of every method statement.
• Project management: We assign a dedicated and experienced project manager for every project. They provide a central point of contact for the client and any third-party delivery partners, and are responsible for developing the programme and ensuring it runs like clockwork.
• Collaboration: teamwork is one of our core values at AIS Vanguard and that includes working across a multi-disciplinary team of delivery partners, in addition to working closely with the client. We are committed to clear and effective communication across the delivery chain, including providing full transparency and accountability for the client.
• Attention to Detail: this is another of our core values as a company and, when it comes to safe and on-time delivery of a complex project with multiple delivery partners, our attention to detail matters more than ever. We ensure that everything is documented and the right skills and equipment are in the right place at the right time
• Agility: the larger and more complex the project, the more likely it is that we will need to respond quickly to what’s happening on site to ensure the programme remains on track. Our core values of hard work and fairness mean that we will do whatever it takes to get the job done and work with both the client and third-party delivery partners to make that happen.
• In-house fleet and team: Our wholly-owned fleet of lifting equipment and vehicles and our skilled in-house team mean that we have the resources needed to deliver projects of any size and scope, without the risk of delays that can sometimes arise if contractors have gaps in resource.

If you’d like to know more about our principal contractor capabilities and how it we could help you deliver your project efficiently and safely, get in touch with our team on 01257 441111.