A day in the life: the project management team

We specialise in managing business utility connections for industrial, commercial, and SME clients across all sectors, so we have an experienced project management team to plan and manage the projects we take on. Any of our services you may use, such as connections, BNO Networks, smart metering, site works or our end-to-end project management, including power, gas, and telecoms, all begin with our project management team’s planning. We will now hand over to Gary to talk us through the team and their duties.

Hi, I’m Gary King and I’ve been in the electrical industry for almost 25 years and have also worked in the gas metering industry for some time. I’m very passionate about energy and today I’ll be sharing what the project management team gets up to.

What is the project management team’s professional background?

The Projects team background is underpinned by a multitude of utility industry experience including electrical, gas, metering, telecoms, and water. This allows our team to provide bespoke utility management from placing initial applications to network operators, to a complete management of delivery for all our projects throughout the UK.

The team’s experience comes from all aspects including “hands on” technical expertise within a siteworks environment, to complete project management cradle to grave solutions, which allows Control Energy Costs to specialise in manging business utility connections for industrial, commercial and SME clients across all sectors.

What does your role as Head of Technical Projects involve?

My role includes building our relationship with the client, ensuring that we have both communicated our wants, needs, and requirements to guarantee that we deliver the project. I also look after:

• Planning the project accordingly and setting the goals and objectives to reach the best results or surpassing them
• Managing all parties involved so all milestones are achieved in a timely manner
• Discussing the work done to work out if a more efficient method can be undertaken and work out if any further improvements can be made
• Monitoring the progress of the project and meeting set deadlines discussed with the customer
• Managing risk – identifying them before they develop. Evaluating the situation to ultimately prevent or mitigate the risk towards the project

What does the team enjoy the most about their jobs?

Within the Projects team, every day is a school day, and we are constantly learning of new ways to achieve our goals. No two projects are the same, allowing the team to learn new things and adapt to different situations.

This comes together with another aspect that we all enjoy and that is working as a team. We are all strong believers in team building; build that relationship with your fellow colleagues and if there’s any information or situations that we’re unsure of achieving we can support each other to work more effectively/efficiently.

Ultimately, the most satisfying thing about being a project manager is seeing projects through to completion, when all the hard work from everyone involved comes to fruition.

What challenges do you face in your job?

As with any live project, there comes with the challenges of deadlines and achievable timescales. Goalposts can move daily due to external influences which need to be managed by the team not only for third party suppliers but also most importantly for our clients who place trust in our team to deliver.

Communication is critical within our role in Projects, ensuring that the client is fully aware of all progress updates and solutions which have been explored by the team to ensure that all projects are delivered on time and within budget.

What is your team dynamic?

We’re very open and supportive of each other. The team is extremely friendly and affable, if anyone is struggling with any parts of their project, the rest of the team immediately hops on to help and support. This harks back to what I enjoy most about the job - I think broadening knowledge is key in any profession and this team is highly supportive of that.

What developments is the team currently working on?

The team is currently working on more than 100 projects UK wide. These include de-carbonisation projects for high profile branded restaurant chains, infrastructure redevelopment projects for industrial sites requiring over six MVA (medium voltage accessory) electrical supplies and refurbishment projects for established retail centres who we have provided services on behalf of for many years, whilst forging strong relationships.

What’s next for you in your journey at Control Energy Costs?

We have a very exciting 12 months ahead of the team as this year we continue to grow the Projects team in size, implement a new Project Management tool within the company, which in turn will allow the team to streamline our processes, allowing SMARTER working whilst increasing the volume of projects that we can undertake at any one time.

Utilities connections and siteworks

For clients who seek fully managed projects from small to grand in size, our team can deliver high-quality, compliant, and hassle-free solutions, liaising with any necessary parties, whether it’s your in-house site and/or project managers or a third-party contractor.

Control Energy Costs can deliver excellent results and help you reduce your energy costs by implementing bespoke proactive solutions for your business.

For businesses looking to relocate, upgrade, or streamline their energy solutions, our team will achieve your project aims hassle-free. 

Get in touch with us to learn more about how you can take your business to the next level.