RAP Office Contracts Construct a Better Business with Help from Train to Gain

Background

RAP Office Contracts is a specialist Construction Company, based in Maidstone, Kent who focus on office interiors and refurbishment. The company was formed 18 years ago by its founder, Richard Anderson and currently employs 11 staff in roles ranging from on-site labour to office support. They also employ a number of building sub-contractors on specific projects. After reading a case study involving one of their customer’s positive experiences of Train to Gain in her local paper, Julie Anderson the company’s business manager, approached Train to Gain to learn more about the offers available to construction based companies.

The Challenge

RAP had identified a need to grow their business to support their new business plans as well as
the need to compete with larger construction businesses across the South East. With a team of five employees, it was essential to improve the skills of the existing staff as well as plan for the team they hoped to recruit from the business’s success. Julie recognised that they needed an expert to guide them through the training and development maze as well as support their aspirations to achieve ‘Investors in People’. As a small company, Julie was unsure if RAP would be eligible for Train to Gain but soon learned that the organisation assists a variety of businesses from those employing two or more people, through to large corporates.

As a member of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) the team were aware of the building skills needed by the on-site team, but needed clearer identification of skills to improve team working, productivity, computer skills and general office management.


Commenting on the process, Julie said: "We then met our dedicated Skills Broker, Jay Kaliszewski who conducted an Organizational Needs Analysis (ONA) and has managed the whole process through the last 12 months. Jay looked at the needs of both sides of our business to develop a sensible and above all cost effective training plan."



The Solution

The ONA identified the need for courses in Customer Care, Assertiveness, Time Management as well as general IT skills through the ITQ NVQ qualification for the office based staff. From here, three local training providers were tasked with delivering much of the training on-site at RAP’s offices to minimize disruption to the daily business activities. Commenting on the solution provided, Jay Kaliszewski said: "After conducting the analysis I could clearly see where the business needed training support. As well as sourcing the correct delivery partners, I was also able to secure match funding for a variety of courses as well as tapping into financial support from the Business Leaders programme for customer care courses. More recently we have looked
at how we can move forward with the process and commit to a long term training strategy."

The Results

The Business has achieved the Investors in People standard and from here the management team have shown further commitment to learning by signing the ‘Skills Pledge’. Their aim is to grow both in number of staff and turnover, gain ISO accreditation and become an employer of choice for local tradesmen. As well as growth in turnover, the business has recruited five full time staff members, taking the number to 11, as well as managing an increased number of sub contractors. "From our perspective we have seen our business grow since we started working with Jay and Train to Gain. Our team is not only skilled, but more confident and we know
that they are all working more effectively as a team," said Julie.

"Our team feel more valued because we are now visibly supporting their own aspirations to develop through continuous training programmes. By working with Jay we developed a clear training plan, have the commitment from the management and above all have a document we stick to. It was written with clear budgets and Jay has helped us to gain additional funding to support the various initiatives. We have estimated savings of over £8,500 on our training budget as well as improvements in productivity."


"From my perspective Train to Gain is a hidden gem - so many companies just don’t realize how much support is available for small businesses. Without doubt, valuable staff make a company successful."

RAP at the 2008 Construction Expo

RAP were at the 2008 Construction Expo held at the Chatham Maritime Dockyard, Kent. Their virtual office was built on site and displayed a small seletion of the furniture available from RAP.

Valuable connections were made with main developers which will compliment the services available. It was very successful for gaining further contacts and resources which will enhance the service we provide to our clients.

Now you can afford that office refurbishment!

It can be a financial pain when your company really needs to relocate or refurbish your current office premises. Office refurbishments often cost an arm and a leg from even the most cost effective refurbishment contractors. And given the current credit crunch situation these costs go even higher.

Essential refurbishment costs can often exceed £10,000, including initial demolitions, electrical installations, building works and the rest. This is a lot of money to spend all at once but without the refurbishment your business won’t be able to expand the way it needs to. There never seems to be an easy solution.

However, at RAP Office Contracts, we offer finance for our office refurbishments which will preserve your current valuable working capital by spreading the cost of the refurbishment over a course of 3 or 5 years.

As an example a £10,000 refurbishment project could cost you just £321.07 per month for a basic 3 year lease. Overall you’d pay £1,558.52 over 3 years in interest which is actually tax deductable! So assuming the tax rate is 25% the tax to be claimed back would be £2,889.63 which more than covers the interest charge of £1,558.52. So it actually puts money back in your pocket!

This is great because it allows you to keep your business up-to-date with advancing technology and allows you to respond to changing needs now instead of later. It really is a no stress, no pain, and total solution!


At RAP Office Contracts we also provide Mezzanine Flooring, Shop Fittings, Office Storage Walls, Office Furniture, Relocation Services, Meeting Rooms, Entrance Lobbies, and we offer finance on all of it!

Discover more about our great service by calling 01622 663232 or logging on to www.rapofficecontracts.com

RAP Office Refurbishments - live at the O2!

Kent based company RAP Office Contracts Ltd, are delighted to have been successful in winning a competitive tender - up against a number of much larger organisations - for a full refurbishment project at the O2.

The project is the refurbishment of the O2 cafeteria to be stripped and converted to 517 sq metres of office accommodation for 66 staff for their client AEG Time Warner Group who are relocating from Canary Wharf. RAP are assisting them also with the move.

The site will be stripped and converted incorporating the upgrading of the toilet facilities, provide a new break out area, Boardroom, Meeting Room and MD Office. Full project management from their on site office, Scott Whiteley will coordinate the full electrical installation, lighting & power, Air conditioning, landscaping works to the exterior, Polar glass fronts to all 3 offices, ceilings & partitions.

The existing building has a floating raft section to the ceiling and RAP will install a ceiling to this to ensure the refurbishment is architecturally stunning.

Director Richard Anderson comments that "our success in this case was won on competitive tender but we pride ourselves on really listening to our clients needs at the initial stage. We provide prices to every item on a tender document and this was commented on at the tender analysis meeting. The project manager appointed for AEG was left feeling confident that we will deliver this refurbishment on time and to budget agreed."

Amanda Carter, Business Development Manager says "We have very high standards at RAP and constantly ensure these are maintained. Working to tight project programmes and budgets is an area we excel in"

Greener Office

With the emphasis on the UK to become more environmentally friendly companies are under pressure to eventually deal with sourcing suppliers who can offer sustainable materials.

Whilst more and more constructions are having directives from planning departments to incorporate elements of environmentally friendly materials, office interiors are not yet under this constraint but it is good for any company considering a refurb to at least have the options .

Made from sustainable sources of agri-fibres, using an environmentally friendly low energy process Strawboard is now being used in offices for floor to ceiling systems. Relocatable partitioning is being offered as this option for installtion by RAP Office Contracts Ltd based in Kent. These systems are quick and easy to install and are suited to all sizes of offices.

Combining wall mounted storage and shelving provides not only a coordinated solution to any office interior but also an ergonomic solution for business necessities.

Two systems of this partitioning is available in 75mm and 100mm thick – the latter providing ½ hour fire resistance. The partitions come in any size and colour with sound reducing panels based on a steel framework with solid, single and double glazed options.

Strawboard partitioning is easy to dispose of and 100% biodegradable and conforms to all relevant safety standards. Its acoustic performance and fire, moisture and impact resistance is 10% lighter than conventional alternatives.

Pre-fabricated door frames, standard/full height size with sound seals are incorporated into door stops and doors can be veneered, laminate or glass gung on steel coated hinges.

RAP has also started to offer solar window protection which offers value added solutions to shaping the future of the greener office.

For further information contact RAP on 01622 663232

RAP a Member of the AIS

RAP has been accepted into the 'Association of Interior Specialists'. Having had two projects inspected for quality of installation we passed the prequalification with flying stars. The Association of Interior Specialists represents companies involved in the manufacturer, supply and installation of all aspects of interior fit-outs.

For more details visit their web site

RAP INVEST IN PEOPLE 2007

'For outstanding commercial interior fit outs and office refurbishments'
RAP a locally based Maidstone commercial interior refurbishment company, and working throughout the UK, are delighted to have been accredited with Investors in People. They have been working hard for the last 10 months on reviewing their procedures to improve their commitment to customers and their staff.

We have always been conscious of the impact that running a very busy company can have on your customer care and have constantly taken measures to hope this never becomes a problem. However, the guidance of John Cox at SEA and our mentor Janet Pink and with the CITB support we have been able to address this in a much more positive fashion.

The results have been clear for RAP: giving us a good focus on the future, offering customer care & Quality assuranceto our clients, training programmes for our staff and operatives with the huge potential to grow even more.

‘We have already set ourselves monthly tasks to review that our IIP does not slip in the future and that we can continue now with our head held high and be proud to offer a high standard of service and as ever first class refurbishments.’ says Richard Anderson MD.

RAP have doubled their staff in the last 12m to cope with their success in expanding to service the projects they undertake. We are successfully raising our profile throughout the SE and receiving lots of enquiries from locally based companies. Currently working at the Powerhub Business Centre, Doo Das hair salon in Loose, a large unit refurbishment at Medway City Estate, works at Margate Hospital, office alterations to Michael Rogers Commercial Agents at Sevenoaks, Dartford school refurb’s together with a full time project for Swan Housing in Essex RAP certainly have the commitment to exceed clients needs. RAP are a truly inspirational business and are known for being a full service provider rather than a singular service provider.

Our inspector’s final comments to us were
' Now you know what GOOD looks like you never want to lose it’- RAP 2007.'

£1 million Refurbishment for Swan Housing HQ

RAP Office Contracts, the Kent based refurbishment specialist, has completed its first £1 million redevelopment project for client Swan Housing. The 20-week refurbishment project was a complete remodelling of the three floors using all the internal design and build skill within RAP.

RAP won the project because of its excellent record of refurbishment work for Swan Housing. Key to winning this project was RAP’s demonstration of large project capability and a full service provision for office contract services. Throughout the project RAP demonstrated its ability to be flexible in its client communications and workflow planning.

Commenting on RAP’s capabilities on this project, Shaun Child, Associate Partner, Potter Raper Partnership who provided contract administration, stated. “I had previously found RAP to be a contractor which brought a high level of integrity and capability to projects. As this project progressed they time and again demonstrated not only a commitment to quality but also the flexibility to meet the client’s needs, and that impressed me.”

The transformation from the concrete shell into a modern head office required thousands of metres of pipe work; feed and new drainage and over four kilometres of Cat5e data cable, and the latest products used to create the walls and ceilings.

Regular client meetings ensured that changing client requirements were quickly communicated and solutions implemented. The new interiors included a state of the art, sound-proofed, glass-walled meeting room with high tech presentation equipment and remodelling of the management suite to include three enclosed glass-walled offices with floor to ceiling doors. This has given a modern open plan feel, but with the required level of personal privacy for each of the offices.

“The mark of a good office contracts company is not whether you have problems, but how you solve them when they appear because they always will. Fast response is something we pride ourselves on,” Stated Julie Anderson, Business Manager RAP Office Contracts.

Jim Cunningham, Swan Housing commented. “RAP were excellent to work with on this refurbishment, they understood our needs and when there was a problem they fixed it with the minimum of hassle.”

RAP provides the full range of office refurbishment services and works with large and small clients across the South East of England. The company has recently been awarded IIP (Investors in People) 2007 for its commitment to employees and customer service.

Swan Housing is a charitable housing trust which owns, builds and maintains a growing investment in social and private mixed residential developments in Essex, East London and the South East of England.

Charity Go Karting Event Raises £25k

Charity Go Karting event raises an amazing £25K for two local charities

Members of a networking group-Bizlinx hosted a corporate charity event at Buckmore Park on Thursday March 13th 2008. The day was sponsored and organised by Lis Joyce from Balreed Digitec Ltd and Julie Anderson of RAP Office Contracts. They have said “The board members invite a charity to support to the board in each area they serve, and this event has proved how seriously we take our commitment to ‘give something back to the community’.

There were 21 corporate teams with 126 people taking part in the adrenalin based sport. Many companies commented on how much fun they had for the day and some used it for a team building exercise. The overall winning company for the day was Hoddesdon Kart Club. The event was so sucessful that many companies have asked RAP & Balreed to host another event later in the year.

This event raised funds for two charities, The Heart of Kent Hospice and Demelza children’s hospice. Caroline Brinkman, Corporate Fundraiser at the Heart of Kent Hospice said “this event took a lot of hard work from our sponsors to pull it off but its worth it. This money will mean a lot to the hospice in order to continue our care in the community”.

Julie Anderson from RAP Office Contracts said’ both charities touched my heart and once you have become so inspired by the work they do and the care and support they give to patients and families it is important to do all we can to support the charities’.

Lis Joyce from Balreed said ‘ the event was a huge success and recognising the need to help such worthwhile charities was high on my agenda. Julie and I did not enjoy it until the day before when it all came together and we clearly saw the event raised money whilst all the racers had fun. Another event will be planned so watch this space

Bizlinx is beyond networking and unlike any other forum you have previously seen. Bixlinx helps higher worth white collar, high tech and entrepreneurial businesses build profitable strategic alliances with each other and work in master minding classes to always be pushing the boundaries of best practice and to increase the profits of all member companies.

The underlying philosophy is to ‘bring the outside world into your business’ a group of ten to twenty businesses work together in various areas and act as if they were non-executive directors of each others businesses.

For more information on this event or Bizlinx contact Lis Joyce on 01622 620850 or Julie Anderson on 01622 663232.

"Now furniture is a RAP as firm grows"

RAP Office Contracts – the Kent-based refurbishment specialist –has launched a new furniture division of its business. With increasing demand from clients to provide the complete refurbishment service the ability to give clients this facility has been essential to the company’s growth. RAP is able to offer furniture at every level along with in-house space planning using CAD, veneer and fabric samples upon request. Clients will now have the benefit of visiting showrooms with RAP in London, Essex and the South East. The furniture range includes:

Office furniture: Supply and installation including call centre furniture, conference and boardroomtables, receptions, office chairs, computer desks, orthopaedic seating, filing systems and breakout areas.
Space planning: Interior design and space planning including reconfiguration, relocation and installation services.
Hot desking: Find out how hot desking is the ideal solution for companies and
individuals whorequire a ‘part-time’ base.
Height adjustable desks: Adjustable workstations altered in seconds and adjustable desks help posture.
Storage Wall: because space is valuable Officewall offers spacesaving, cost-saving office storage solutions. Maximise the potential of existing walls and partitions with wall-abutting storage.

The inside story...

Ninety per cent of information is still generated in hard copy format so effective storage and document management is essential. Officewall fittings do this and more - effortlessly accommodating coffee points, coats, drawings and even display areas. The basic shelving unit can be fitted with various fixings and fitments to allow the following to be incorporated in the storage wall. Coffee point and sink unit, pull out filing frame, direct access drawer with suspension filing, lateral filing rails with combi shelf/filing, coatrail and much more. RAP is
exhibiting at the 20/20 business show on April 3 at Detling Hill, Maidstone, Kent and extends anopen invitation to anyone wishing to visit our showroom on the following Thursday, April 10. Please email amanda@rapofficecontracts.com for time and location.

RAP display the virtual office

RAP exhibited at the 20/20 to show their complete aptitude and capabilty to build an office on site. The event was extremely successful providing essential exposure for our company. The office itself consisted the core build materials for the modern office.

Walls: emulated TENON 75mm partition along with a double glazed section with integral blind, end wall section 12mm polar glass section.

Ceiling: constructed of 600x600mm grid with re-cessed lighting and a curved end section fitted with colour changing LED downlights.

Carpet: Heuga interface in Sycamore Green.

The stand is built in a modular form to allow the re-build, re-decoration, re-use as required fo future events . With thanks to Balreed Digitec for partnering with us on the day and providing the state of the art desk and chair and functioning photocopier - Tenon for supplying the paritition materials - BGF Contract Flooring for the carpets - Hallmark Signs for all the graphic signage.