Our vision remains on track
2020 was our 21st year in business. It’s fair to say it was unlike any other…
When I joined Complete Utilities and became the Managing Director, I was excited about the opportunities that lay ahead. We were making excellent progress in fulfilling a £90m fibre to the home contract for Gigaclear, and continuing to build relationships we’d developed over many years with a wide range of utility providers. All the talk at our Maisemore HQ was about the potential of the coming year.
Then along came COVID-19.
It pays to be prepared
Like many businesses, we began making contingency plans as soon as news of the virus spreading beyond China surfaced. The nature of our work meant we were designated as essential workers, and this was genuinely a time when we couldn’t afford to let anything stand in the way of our networks and the communities they served. By implementing our COVID plan, keeping compliant and diligently following health and safety procedures, we’re proud to say there wasn’t a single day when our diggers didn’t leave the yard.
When I initially engaged with CU I never imagined my first major objective would be to tackle a pandemic. All of my experience over the years couldn’t have prepared me for what was to come. But with the can-do attitude and positive approach from our CEO Steve Chaplin and all our people, I was always confident we could overcome this major challenge.
Since the start of the first national lockdown, the demand on our experience and expertise to deliver fibre networks has significantly increased. Coronavirus has radically changed the way we all live, work and communicate, with millions of us now spending up to a quarter of our hours in front of a screen. Copper networks simply haven’t been able to cope, and the roll-out of full fibre has become even more critical. We’re delighted to say we will continue to play our part in building the Fastershire network, and ensuring rural businesses and communities can access the speeds they demand – and deserve.
Coronavirus didn’t stand in the way of us rebranding and launching our new website either; and the office refurbishment and COVID-19 compliant workstations project is now also complete. On top of that, our 300+ team continues to grow, and we have a structure for the future. The final quarter of 2020 has seen a surge in new client engagements, and we are now heavily engaged in the final stages of the tender and award process with key clients across water, gas, power and telecoms. New opportunities are on the horizon, and we are excited to build lasting relationships with our new clients, while strengthening our current partnerships.
Our commitment to health, safety, quality and environmental has never been stronger. We have been successfully re-certified to ISO9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS18001, and 2021 will see us transitioning to the new health and safety management standard ISO45001. Future-proofing our business through sustainable methods has seen significant re-investment in our washplant facility, and the production and recycling of aggregate have reached new heights. Our dedicated team is working hard behind the scenes to implement new techniques and processes to aid the reduction of our carbon footprint: making Complete Utilities a greener operation.
Thank you to our clients and our team
Before I finish, a message from Steve Chaplin: “Make no mistake, our vision (to be the UK’s most sought after partner for the delivery of utilities infrastructure projects of any scale and complexity) is on track, simply because no other supplier can match our track record of success. With the adjustments we have made and efforts put in by the team to future-proof our existence, our business is well on its way to becoming the benchmark against which all other suppliers are judged. I can’t thank our clients enough for continuing to put their trust in us – and our team for showing such resilience and determination in challenging times, and never letting our clients down.”
As we approach Christmas it’s not only a time to celebrate our successes, but also to reflect. We must never forget the impact of COVID-19 on communities and the country as a whole. Some families will be without loved ones and we are thinking of them.
We wish everyone a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. With a vaccine being introduced, it could be an even busier and more eventful year for us in 2021.
Cathal O’Grady, Managing Director