This content is restricted to site members. If you are an existing user, please log in. New users may register below.
August 14 2019 Brunton's Blog
Call us
0845 1547188
Get In Touch
enquiries@spra.co.uk
Brunton’s Blog – SPRA Awards Recognise Excellence
14/08/2019
Brunton’s Blog – SPRA Awards Recognise Excellence
This week’s blog takes a look at how we inspire and support quality work in the single ply roofing industry.
The recent SPRA 2019 Conference and Awards Dinner in June again highlighted all that is great about our industry by recognising excellence across a range of important single ply roofing categories. Manufacturers and installers of single ply systems and components go to great lengths to ensure their products, perform well and look great when installed. This event, as always, lived up to the high standards, previously set.
But why have award schemes?
Recognising good practice and excellence is inspirational. The inspirational bit works on a number of different and important levels. If a project receives an accolade it generally reflects well for all involved from design through procurement to installation. Internally, within the roofing industry it inspires other companies and individuals, to also do similar quality work. This can only be good for the industry overall, increasing standards, demonstrating capabilities for others to emulate. Hopefully there is a self-perpetuating aspect also, suggesting that high-quality work inspires more high-quality work, with others wanting to improve and be recognised in the same way. This helps develop the professional side of roofing. The key objectives here are to inspire good work and showcase the available talent throughout our industry.
What are the judges looking for?
Next year’s 2020 SPRA Awards event will showcase a new batch of projects spread across different building types; new build or refurbishment in industrial, commercial and residential settings. It is more often the narrative that goes behind the project that has the greatest influence. It is not always the largest or most striking roofline or project that wins a SPRA award.
How great work was achieved, or adversity and challenges overcome are always interesting and meaningful in making judgements. There may be some very good examples of advanced technical design, onsite sequencing programmes, health and safety challenges or local project community involvement that would be important to the judging panel. Examples of good site collaboration and practice again provide judges with an insight to the management of the project as a whole. The information that supports the pictorial submission is extremely important in any award submission.
In 2020 there will be ‘Best Trainer’, ‘Best Trainee’, and ‘Outstanding Contribution’ categories highlighting individual achievement. These particular awards will only be presented if an individual really merits such an accolade and therefore the background narrative really needs to demonstrate to the judges the worthiness of the recipient in each category.
Focus on the key project issues
When judging within SPRA, we are really focussed on the category itself, whether it be ‘Innovation’, ‘Sustainability’ or ‘Best Detailing’ or any of the other categories, and the key project design or installing processes engaged that demonstrate good practice.
When choosing to submit a project for award consideration it is important to be clear on the attributes of the project and how it fits the award category. Many good projects are submitted where the key project issues relative to the category are not clear or the project would be more suited to a different category and as a result are irrelevant in the context of the submission. So, be clear regarding the merits of the project going forward and it’s suitability for the award category chosen.
For the ‘2020 SPRA Awards’ we really want to encourage our contractor members to get those project submissions in. Most projects are well documented (photographed) by our contractor members during the installation process for record purposes. Judges like to see the detail of the roof build up – you may have plenty of suitable photographic evidence that could form the basis of a great award submission – we’d love to see it and hear the background story.
No doubt as we go through the rest of this year and into next year we will be highlighting the 2020 SPRA Awards on a regular basis so start thinking ahead regarding a potential submission, or submissions, bearing in mind some of the points made above. If we can help, please ask!
Dr Ronan Brunton B.Sc MBA GMICE, Technical Manager