Are you doing the very best you can to win industry awards? Check out our 10 top tips to win the CEW Awards. 

Winning awards is something everyone aspires to – it doesn’t matter how much people protest that they don’t regard the industry awards highly, or care that much. If you are recognised by your peers for your expertise, success, or your commitment to best practice it is a great achievement and something to feel justifiably proud of. 

So doesn’t it make sense to give yourself every chance of winning by completing your entry in the best possible manner? To help you we have compiled ten top tips to guide you through the entry process. 

1. It might sound obvious, but make sure the argument about why you win is based on the award criteria. Does your entry fit the brief? Have you answered the questions? Put yourself in the shoes of the judges
    
2. Demonstrate ambition – make it clear that you have clearly gone beyond the competition and you are leading the pack
    
3. Give a clear sense of what differentiates your company from others in the field
    
4. Provide as much evidence of benefits or improvements as possible.
    
5. Make the case compelling – really demonstrate excellence, don’t just give an aggregation of all the activity being done
    
6. Make your entry simple and easy to read with no jargon – do not fall into the trap of using marketing and management speak. Focus on using plain language – stick to the facts. If in doubt cut out the adjectives.
    
7. What are you doing that marks you out as different? We are looking for things that mark out a winner by doing something new and different, not someone who is delivering to industry best practice
    
8. Recognise the part others have played i.e. collaboration - it’s always good to see a client and other members of the supply chain saying it was wonderful and how it benefitted them
    
9. Demonstrate continuous improvement – think about what did you do better this year than last and what are you planning to do better next year?
    
10. If you were to summarise your submission into a Twitter message in 140 characters, what would it be?

With flooding and drainage dominating the news now is a chance to help CIRIA to stop the SuDS construction calamities – take part in their survey. 

Stopping the SuDS construction calamities - survey for CIRIA RP1028 SuDS construction guidance

CIRIA would like to capture your or your colleagues’ experience of constructing SuDS. They would like to know problems that you have encountered, how they were resolved and how you avoided further pitfalls. 

The outcomes of this survey will feed into CIRIA's research project on SuDS construction guidance (RP1028) that will improve the construction and ultimately performance of SuDS. Survey responses will help CIRIA scope and plan the content of the guidance, and the way in which it can effectively be presented to end users. Examples of good practice that you are happy to share with CIRIA are always welcome.

The wider uptake of SuDS is dependent on confidence that they can perform as specified and anticipated. A critical factor is that they are constructed correctly. Failures during the construction stage of any project can undermine confidence in future implementation, especially for SuDS.

You have until Friday 22 January 2016 to return your responses. CIRIA’s survey link can be found here

Next month CEW will be hosting SuDS workshops outlining the Welsh Government’s new non-statutory guidance. The breakfast seminars will be held: 23rd February 2016 – South West Wales 25th February 2016 – North Wales 29th February 2016 – South East Wales

Please register your interest and stating preferred location by emailing our events team

Constructing Excellence in Wales is inviting expressions of interest from civil engineering schemes keen to be included within the Enabling Zero Waste initiative.

Constructing Excellence in Wales is inviting expressions of interest from civil engineering schemes keen to be included within the Enabling Zero Waste initiative. We are particularly interested in hearing from projects in Wales which will involve the movement of excavated soil and would be keen to explore the possibilities for the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and/or the CL:AIRE code of practice.  The team are looking to appoint projects in February 2016, applications are invited via Sell2wales   

The Enabling Zero Waste initiative provides practical, positive and active assistance to construction, demolition and civil engineering projects in Wales. The aim is to establish if, and how, the construction industry can achieve the zero waste targets established in the Welsh Government’s waste strategy, Towards Zero Waste.  CEW is working in collaboration with the construction industry to provide a detailed insight into the achievability of zero waste. The goal is to share best practice solutions and opportunities, along with identifying any barriers associated with achieving the Welsh Government’s targets. 

The application process is now open; applications should be made via Sell2Wales. Projects should be based in Wales and ideally be in the final stages of design and aiming for project completion by the end of 2017.

The Welsh centre of excellence for sailing proves once again that construction is the great enabler for all elements of our society – sporting, economic,  environmental and the local communities. 

The best construction projects are those that add something to the community and that enable people of all ages to discover a new pastime and to boost the local economy.

The development of the Welsh National Sailing Academy & Events Centre at Pwllheli over the past few years is just one such example and the CEW North Wales Club showcased the story behind the scheme before Christmas. Pwllheli has evolved into one of the finest sailing venues in western Britain. Pwllheli, positioned on the south side of the Llyn Peninsula, is one of the best locations for Olympic class dinghy sailing in Britain and is one of the UK’s centre of excellence. Its site provides a gateway to the sailing waters which include Cardigan Bay, Anglesey and the East Irish Coast. It is regarded as being world class and has hosted a significant number of successful national and international sailing competitions, raising the area’s profile as a sporting and tourist destination and providing business and employment opportunities to the area. As a centre of excellence for sail training it required state of the art facilities for sailors of all abilities – but what was built also had to create economic opportunities for the town and the surrounding region.

The Welsh National Sailing Academy & Events Centre was funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) with match funding from Welsh Government and Gwynedd Council. Key criteria were that the Academy Building was iconic and achieve the BREEAM Excellent standard: it has achieved all of this and more.

Call the CEW team on 02920 493322 to access the background story of the Welsh National Sailing Academy & Events Centre.

A new guide has been developed by RenewableUK Cymru with the aim of encouraging development of the onshore wind supply chain throughout Wales.

The Good Practice Guide to Welsh Supply Chain Opportunities in Onshore Wind is available on the RenewableUK Cymru web site and has been developed in conjunction with industry. It sets out the range of opportunities in the onshore wind sector for Welsh companies and is intended as a guide to suppliers wishing to enter or expand their presence in the sector.

David Clubb, Director of RenewableUK Cymru, said: “We’re delighted to have this opportunity to demonstrate exactly how onshore wind can be a key driver of local growth and also benefit the national economy.

“We have produced this guide to showcase the extraordinarily diverse range of opportunities available to firms in Wales to get involved in the sector, whether they are well-established companies or new entrants. We recognise some companies may need a little help in finding out how they can get involved with the sector so we hope this guide will help to demystify things and highlight how local businesses can benefit significantly from the opportunities onshore wind presents.”

The guide is available for download here in English or Welsh.