Royal Mail hub, Rugby: one operator, 3.5 years

The challenge

A large Royal Mail distribution hub near Rugby ran through construction and fit-out under principal contractor Buckingham Group Contracting Limited. Over three and a half years, Ascent Onsite Group grew from a security provider into the site's multi-division support partner, supplying gate manning and security, welfare, cleaners and COVID marshals, along with site operatives and dumper drivers. It is our flagship example of one operator covering many disciplines on a single project.

A distribution hub in build is a busy, high-value site that needs far more than a guard on the gate. Access has to be controlled without becoming a bottleneck, the site has to be covered when the works stand down, welfare facilities have to be kept to standard, communal and finished areas have to be cleaned, and during the pandemic COVID marshalling had to keep people safe and compliant. On top of that the build itself needed labour on the ground. Managing all of that through separate suppliers adds cost, interfaces and risk, so the client needed disciplines that usually sit in different contracts to work as one team over a long programme.

Our approach

We built the contract up division by division as the site's needs grew, keeping everything under a single point of contact. Trained security operatives manned the gate and controlled access for staff, contractors, visitors and deliveries, with cover maintained when the works stood down. Welfare provision and cleaning kept the site presentable and to standard day to day, and COVID marshals were added to manage safe movement and compliance through the pandemic. Alongside the security and FM disciplines we supplied construction-support labour to the build itself, including site operatives and dumper drivers, so the same trusted supplier resourced both the perimeter and the works.

• Gate manning and security controlling access for staff, contractors, visitors and deliveries.
• Welfare provision and cleaning keeping the site to standard day to day.
• COVID marshals managing safe movement and compliance through the pandemic.
• Construction-support labour including site operatives and dumper drivers.
• A single point of contact coordinating every discipline across three and a half years.
• Direct liaison with the local police and CCTV-supported evidence when theft incidents occurred.

Working with the local police

On a large, high-value depot held over three and a half years, occasional theft is a reality rather than a surprise. When incidents occurred, our team worked directly with the local police and used site CCTV footage to support their investigations. We take the view that a long-standing project carries a responsibility to the area around it, so we engage the police proactively where a site affects neighbouring properties, rather than treating security as something that stops at the perimeter. That approach protects the client, the neighbours, and the standing of the project in the community.

The result

Over three and a half years the hub was secured, staffed and supported by one operator across security, welfare, cleaning and construction-support labour. Instead of managing a string of separate suppliers, Buckingham Group dealt with a single accountable team that flexed as the site's needs changed through construction, fit-out and the pandemic. It is the clearest illustration of the AOG model: many divisions, one operator, one relationship, held together over the full life of a major project.