Commissioning Specialists Association (CSA) and its members demonstrate strong resilience
Everyone will agree that it has been a rough couple of years. But – and it’s a BIG but – once again the construction industry has shown its willingness to adapt and adjust. The general consensus is that it has done pretty damn well to be where it is today.
The CSA and its Members have more than played their part and shown great flexibility and a ‘Can-Do’ attitude. Our members have managed to progress commissioning on most of their major projects such as Crossrail, the Northern Line Extension, Battersea Power Station, and UoM Manchester Engineering Campus Development to name just a few - all while working within the Covid constraints and keeping themselves and others as safe as possible. We have maintained services to the commissioning companies via the secretariat turning their homes into makeshift offices and using lots of video conferencing and traditional phone calls. We’ve kept going throughout, including keeping our highly respected training courses fully operational and well attended.
Unfortunately, the pandemic did cost us in some particularly important areas. We reached our 30th Birthday in 2020, and we had plans for quite a celebration of such an important milestone. Sadly, those plans had to be put aside, and now we are in 2022, celebrating our 32nd Birthday doesn’t quite have the same resonance. Never mind, we’ll look forward to our 40th celebrations!
Another casualty for us was our Conference which was due to be staged at the end of March 2020 under the headline title of ‘Making Buildings Work’. Fortunately, we’ve managed to keep it all together and there is a full day’s program in place, whereby eminent speakers from across the construction industry will be providing insights into how commissioning interfaces and interacts with each and every stage of a construction project. The presentations will be supported by a range of trade stands and product displays by leading suppliers, so it promises to be a highly practical and informative day.
The event, which is supported by MBS magazine, will be held at 30 St Mary Axe, in the building in the City of London known as the ‘Gherkin’. Most people don’t realise that there are very well appointed and serviced event spaces on some of the upper floors. Delegates can even treat themselves to some fine dining afterwards in Searcy’s Helix restaurant. The conference will take place on Wednesday 22nd June, so if you haven’t yet booked your place, you can do so by visiting the dedicated website - https://www.csa-conference.co.uk/ - and completing the online booking form. Heavily subsidised by us, this is a ‘must-attend’ event for anyone involved in property development, architecture, services consultancy, main contracting, MEP services and of course commissioning.
Our third casualty was the Awards Evening which had always previously been held in June of each year. Having launched the awards programme in 2015, it had evolved into a significant (and extremely enjoyable) celebration of the achievements of our Member Companies and their staff over the preceding year. With awards for both companies and individuals – sponsored by major organisations in the commissioning and wider construction industry – this occasion is a great evening spent amongst very convivial people.
A couple of years ago, after using various venues both in and out of London, we found an ideal location in the Guoman Tower Hotel, right alongside the Tower of London. It’s a really nice hotel, the event accommodation is flexible and there are coffee bars and restaurants in the locale. We first visited the venue in 2019 and had already booked to go back there in June 2020, but of course, we were scuppered by the pandemic.
Luckily for us, the relationship with the venue was maintained throughout and we were back there last November. Given that the country wasn’t fully out of the strictures of Covid we were delighted at the level of support the event received and an incredibly enjoyable time was had by all. We have therefore gone straight back to them and arranged for this year’s event to not only remain there this autumn, but also to have access to more space. So, it’s looking like a bigger and better celebration of business and professional excellence for 2022. The value and importance of the event is clearly demonstrated by the fact that all the sponsors have stood by us and are retaining their engagement.
The all-important call for nominations is now fully underway, so why not start investigating the various categories and see which ones you will be entering. Award entry is completely free of charge and is undertaken through the completion and submission of the simple online entry forms, which are available via the dedicated awards website - www.csa-awards.co.uk
The Gala Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday 6th October, so why wait, secure your attendance today and ensure you and your colleagues are part of this important industry event.
Some of the real successes of the past couple of years that need to be celebrated include enduring relationships. Two of those include MBS magazine, which remains our media partner and has always supported our aims and aspirations, and Touchwave Media which has continued to provide valuable assistance in maintaining our profile. Our thanks to both and long may we continue to aid and assist each other.
