Acorn Working with Kier Senior Leadership Team on HMP Glasgow Project
Over the past 25 years and more, Acorn have worked across a broad spectrum of industry sectors and the leadership teams behind numerous high profile projects but, in a first for us, we have been appointed to support Kier Construction on the construction of HMP Glasgow.
In the summer of 2022, Kier was awarded the pre-construction contract to develop the design of the new prison and work to a timetable that will see the new facility completed and fully operational in 2026.
The new modern and fit-for-purpose prison will replace the largest prison in Scotland, HMP Barlinnie, to the north east of Glasgow’s city centre which currently accommodates over 1,000 inmates.
The masterplan for the wider project, designed by architects Holmes Miller, encapsulates a 54-acre site on the former Provan Gas Works and will see capacity at the prison increase to 1,200.
Acorn Coaching & Development’s founder Keith Longney: “The focus for Acorn’s work will be creating and supporting a unified senior leadership team; they are collectively responsible for creating a collaborative culture which will cascade throughout the project.”
“By creating clarity around the role of the senior lead team, we can also create shared and agreed expectations.”
“Embedding the culture of these leaders, both within the organisation and through sub-contractors and project partners is a thread that will run through the project from today until completion and hand-over.”
“Initiating and developing this collaborative team will clearly position and communicate the purpose, with co-creation of defined objectives, ensuring, through shared accountability, that the team hold each other to account.”
“It is imperative that we ensure each team member recognises their own personal obligation to uphold the proposed intent, through defining a number of specific behaviours pertinent to the project and its interrelationship with the client and trade partners, whilst aligning with Kier Construction Values.”
The programme will commence with a 2-day residential for the senior leadership team in Dundee. Throughout the duration of the HMP Glasgow project, Acorn will be working with the senior lead team, sub teams and the client.
At interim points Acorn’s bespoke questionnaires will be utilised, indicating performance and highlighting areas where development investment is warranted.
This project sees Acorn working once again with Kier Operations Director, Matt Collins, with whom we worked previously at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire (when Matt was Project Director with Skanska UK).
“That was another multi-million pound project [£308 million], and our input was to help facilitate more effective partnering between Skanska, Defence Estates and the MoD to embed a culture of high performance that would prevail for the lifetime of the project.” Adds Keith.
The RAF Wyton project was voted ‘Project of the Year’ as one of the highest performing projects in the Skanska AB Group and also won an MoD Equipment, Support and Technology (MinDEST) Acquisition Award.
Photo credit: River Clyde, Glasgow, by Adam Marikar on Unsplash
Acorn Working with Kier SLT on HMP Glasgow
Over the past 25 years and more, Acorn have worked across a broad spectrum of industry sectors and the leadership teams behind numerous high profile projects but, in a first for us, we have been appointed to support Kier Construction on the construction of HMP Glasgow.
In the summer of 2022, Kier was awarded the pre-construction contract to develop the design of the new prison and work to a timetable that will see the new facility completed and fully operational in 2026.
The new modern and fit-for-purpose prison will replace the largest prison in Scotland, HMP Barlinnie, to the north east of Glasgow’s city centre which currently accommodates over 1,000 inmates.
The masterplan for the wider project, designed by architects Holmes Miller, encapsulates a 54-acre site on the former Provan Gas Works and will see capacity at the prison increase to 1,200.
Acorn Coaching & Development’s founder Keith Longney: “The focus for Acorn’s work will be creating and supporting a unified senior leadership team; they are collectively responsible for creating a collaborative culture which will cascade throughout the project.”
“By creating clarity around the role of the senior lead team, we can also create shared and agreed expectations.”
“Embedding the culture of these leaders, both within the organisation and through sub-contractors and project partners is a thread that will run through the project from today until completion and hand-over.”
“Initiating and developing this collaborative team will clearly position and communicate the purpose, with co-creation of defined objectives, ensuring, through shared accountability, that the team hold each other to account.”
“It is imperative that we ensure each team member recognises their own personal obligation to uphold the proposed intent, through defining a number of specific behaviours pertinent to the project and its interrelationship with the client and trade partners, whilst aligning with Kier Construction Values.”
The programme will commence with a 2-day residential for the senior leadership team in Dundee. Throughout the duration of the HMP GLasgow project, Acorn will be working with the senior lead team, sub teams and the client.
At interim points Acorn’s bespoke questionnaires will be utilised, indicating performance and highlighting areas where development investment is warranted.
This project sees Acorn working once again with Keir Operations Director, Matt Collins, with whom we worked previously at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire (when Matt was Project Director with Skanska UK).
“That was another multi-million pound project [£308 million], and our input was to help facilitate more effective partnering between Skanska, Defence Estates and the MoD to embed a culture of high performance that would prevail for the lifetime of the project.” Adds Keith.
The RAF Wyton project was voted ‘Project of the Year’ as one of the highest performing projects in the Skanska AB Group and also won an MoD Equipment, Support and Technology (MinDEST) Acquisition Award.
Photo credit: River Clyde, Glasgow, by Adam Marikar on Unsplash