Heron Bros’ Senior Contracts Manager, John Paul Higgins MCIOB, has been presented with the coveted Gold Award at the Construction Manager of the Year Awards 2019. John Paul received his medal at the CMYA Ireland celebration dinner at Croke Park Stadium on 20 June 2019.

The Construction Manager of the Year Awards (CMYA) in Ireland recognise the achievements of those leading complex and involved projects. CMYA is seen as a prestigious honour within the industry and one which is much coveted for its recognition of the excellence and exceptional skills of the recipient.

John Paul won the Gold Award for the category for Projects valued between €25m and €60m for his work on Foyle College, Ebrington Primary School and Nursery in Derry/Londonderry. The multi-award-winning project was completed in December 2017 after 28 months of construction in a contract with a final value of £27m.

The announcement of the finalists for each category follows a rigorous assessment process which sees the CMYA judges assess paper applications, as well as conducting site visits and panel interviews. The competition culminates with an awards dinner where the winners of each category are awarded gold and silver medals with one overall winner chosen from the gold medallists.

From the initial engagement, it was evident that John Paul was not only committed to delivering a successful project, but he was willing to go that extra mile, over and above expectations to see it reach completion and achieve the employer’s objectives.

John Paul critically reviewed and developed Heron Bros’ construction programme advising on buildability, functionality, logistics and resourcing. Using his extensive construction industry knowledge and technical ability John Paul led the project team to deliver the project on time and on budget.

Under John Paul’s leadership, Heron Bros successfully overcame several difficulties working within a brownfield site with complex inherent risks and in close proximity to residential properties. John Paul is solution oriented, any problem he faced with a can-do attitude and offered innovative solutions to complex challenges.

Being very mindful of health and safety concerns, John Paul liaised with the individual needs of the local community and gave up his own time to partake in community activities. John Paul and his team showed great courtesy and consideration throughout the Foyle College and Ebrington PS & Nursery project.

The project has won multiple awards including, arguably the most prestigious prize in the Northern Ireland construction industry, the ˜Overall Excellence Award” at the 2018 Construction Excellence Awards. John Paul was presented with the “Most Considerate Site Award 2017 for £10m – £50m Projects” at the Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards. This illustrates the ethos of the project team who worked while providing the very highest level of consideration in respect of the community, environment and workforce.

CIOB Director of Operations, Amy Gough, remarked:

“We need to take every opportunity we can to celebrate the excellence that exists in our industry. Not just to inspire the next generation or to help us create a movement that improves the whole performance of the industry but to tell society, at large, about the impact and long term legacy our projects deliver.”

Read the Foyle College, Ebrington Primary School and Nursery project profile here: https://www.heronbros.com/project/foyle-college-and-ebrington-ps-nursery/

Find out more about the awards here: https://www.ciob.org/cmya-ireland-2019