JN Bentley has launched new guidance, providing paid carer’s leave for all employees. It is estimated that the number of unpaid carers in the UK has risen to 10.6 million, meaning that 1 in 5 adults are currently providing care. With 1 in 7 carers juggling work with caring responsibilities, we wanted to take action to help ease some of the emotional and physical strain that being a carer can bring. So that our carers can look after their loved ones while continuing to thrive at work, we have introduced paid carers leave for our colleagues. This means our people can take up to two days leave each year at full pay to cover caring responsibilities for dependants. Joan Tatters is one of our Liaison Coordinators and has previously been a carer. We asked for her thoughts on the introduction of paid leave for carers: “After reading the new carers leave guide, I just wanted to say how great I think it is that JN Bentley are offering this facility. Whilst we can't take a one size fits all approach, the availability of 2 days of paid leave a year is such a positive move for those of us who are carers. “I previously took advantage of the availability of flexible working which was a true relief to me. I had to be mindful of holiday entitlement to fit in appointments, so offering these extra days will certainly help to ease the worries of those currently balancing caring with work commitments.” We hope the introduction of paid carer’s leave will help provide extra support to those balancing their career with caring responsibilities. - Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up-to-date with the latest news from across the business.

Alan King, JN Bentley Plant Lead, received the community award for outstanding service from Barnoldswick Town Council, after donating almost £1000 to the West Craven Food Bank. Nominated by an anonymous member of the public, Alan was presented with his certificate at the Pride of Barnoldswick Awards alongside other community champions. Since joining the company in 2015 as a Plant Co-ordinator, Alan has progressed to Plant Lead, and now looks after Capex within the procurement team. He’s well known by his colleagues for his keen hobby of running, and last year he decided to set up and lead a Couch to 5k group at him local gym, KL Health Club, to get others moving and help them achieve their running goals. The gym owner wanted to pay Alan for his volunteering, but Alan instead chose to donate the money to the West Craven Food Bank, who support local communities by providing food to those who are struggling to afford it. So far, Alan estimates about £900 has been donated, and following the success of his first group of runners, he plans to continue his 8-week coaching programme to help more people. 12 of those from Alan’s first group are planning to run the Manchester 10k, with another running the Manchester ½ marathon and the Yorkshire marathon. Several members of the group have praised Alan, thanking him for giving them the “confidence, strength and support” to reach 5k and feel better both physically and mentally. Alan told us, “I wasn’t expecting to be nominated for this award – it’s been a lovely surprise. I enjoy getting people active and I feel a sense of satisfaction at seeing others succeed at something they thought they couldn’t achieve. Coaching others is something I take pride and joy in – I don’t do it for money. So it was a no-brainer choosing to donate my earnings to a local charity instead to support my community. I’m very grateful for this award and look forward to continuing my coaching.” Dean Holmes, JN Bentley Director, commented, “This really is a special award and one that Alan should be very proud of. I know he doesn’t do it for the plaudits but they really are well deserved. The work he is doing which is not only supporting his local community but is also having such a positive impact on so many different individuals truly is inspiring – well done Alan.” Councillor Jodie Marie Greaves, chair of the Town Council, who presented the awards, said, “The nominations recognise the outstanding contribution made to the life of the town by people and organisations who go above and beyond. They are well deserved.” Congratulations, Alan! Alan has worked for JN Bentley for 7 years now in the Plant department, based in Skipton. He’s applied for the company’s fundraising matching scheme 5 out of those 7 years, and plants to complete another entry shortly. The scheme recognises employees who volunteer their time to raise money for charity by boosting the funds raised by up to £100. Above: Alan with his certificate. Above: All the winners of the Pride of Barnoldswick Awards 2023 – Alan can be seen top row, third from right. Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up to date with news from across the business

Our Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) team at Bewdley Bank Service Reservoir in Wales were delighted to scoop the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Wales Cymru 'Designed in Wales' award. To increase the resilience of Hereford’s water supply network, we designed and built a 34 megalitre service reservoir at Bewdley Bank for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. The ICE in both the West Midlands and Wales recognised its excellence, awarding the project the Innovation and Designed in Wales Awards, respectively. The latter is presented to the best project designed in Wales and constructed elsewhere (either in the UK or overseas). By taking a procurement-based approach to project delivery, several efficiencies were realised, including an enhanced focus on quality and right first-time delivery. Standard designs already successfully deployed elsewhere in MMB were used where practical and accelerated the design programme. Using supplier expertise and early input minimised re-design further down the line. Our workforce learnt from colleagues’ experience on previous reservoir sites – bringing first-hand knowledge and best practice to work at Bewdley Bank. The design itself incorporated a semi-precast structure which allowed significant programme and health and safety benefits during construction. The judges praised the scheme’s strong sustainability focus with a public health driver at its core and an emphasis on landscape considerations, materials re-use, sustainable drainage, and ecology. Jamie Colwell, Design Director at Mott MacDonald Bentley, commented: “Winning this award is great recognition for both a fantastic project and a superb team effort – especially having been previously praised for innovation on this scheme. It’s rewarding to see our relationship with DCWW progress from strength to strength – and being recognised by the ICE really highlights this.” The ICE Wales Cymru Awards were held virtually on 1 December 2021, recognising teams and individuals that have delivered some of the best civil engineering projects/work across the country. Find out more about the awards here. Read more about our work at Bewdley Bank at Water Projects Online. Overhead view of Bewdley Bank Service Reservoir Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news from across the business.

JN Bentley foreman, Jody Belcher, has scooped United Utilities’ Award for Outstanding Contribution to Health, Safety and Wellbeing. Presented by United Utilities Capital Delivery, Commercial and Engineering Director, Jane Simpson, at their Health and Safety Step Up Day, the award recognises Jody’s commitment to health, safety and wellbeing, the standard of his morning safe start briefings and the positive culture he’s helped build on site. Jody told us, “I was delighted to win the award – even if it came as a bit of a surprise! “For me, I was picking it up on behalf of the team, not just myself. “On this project we’ve created an environment where everyone looks out for one another and cares about their mates. There’s mutual respect between everyone, which means people take ownership for all aspects of their work, including safety. “The briefings we have every morning are key to this. Everyone – including subcontractors and the client – contribute to the discussions, ideas are taken on board, and it sets us all up for a good, safe day on site. “I’m passionate about health, safety and wellbeing and genuinely care about my team. I’m pleased this comes across and is helping us to deliver a really strong project.” Director, Nick Lister, commented, “Having been a part of Jody’s morning safe start briefings, it is not surprising he won this award because they are fantastic. “2022 saw JN Bentley’s biggest improvement in health and safety performance. We ended the year with an All-Injury Frequency Rate (AIFR) of 0.93, the lowest we have ever recorded. “This was only possible because of the engagement and dedication of colleagues like Jody and his team on site – so thank you and well done for leading by example.” Jody has worked for JN Bentley for 20 years. He began as a general construction operative before qualifying as a joiner. He’s now a foreman and has enjoyed spells delivering projects across the UK, including reservoirs in Yorkshire, pipelines in the East Midlands and now a major water treatment works upgrade in the Ribble Valley. Well done, Jody and his team. You can learn more about the project Jody is delivering on WaterProjectsOnline. - Just like Jody, could JN Bentley and Mott MacDonald Bentley be just the place to develop your career? Check out all current vacancies online. Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up to date with news from across the business.

JN Bentley has been awarded Van Excellence Operator status following a recent audit from Logistics UK. With a fleet of over 350 vehicles, comprising of Ford Courier, Transit and 4x4 Rangers this award recognises excellence and helps continually improve our operational standards. At the heart of this scheme are the Van Excellence standards which outline ‘what good looks like’ in terms of van operations with safety and efficiency being at its core. Van Excellence is an award-winning industry-led initiative, developed by Logistics UK alongside some of the UK’s best van operators. The scheme aims to raise standards within the industry, improve the perception of vans and light commercial vehicles and enhance the reputation of organisations operating van fleets. To receive the Van Excellence accreditation, participating organisations’ van operations are subject to an assessment by Logistics UK’s auditors which examine their procedures against The Van Excellence Code. The Code represents the minimum standards required to ensure the safe operation of van fleets. It covers everything from driver licencing, competence and behaviour to vehicles standards, equipment and maintenance. Nicola Wilson, Procurement Manager said: “The scheme has been beneficial for keeping the team focused in terms of managing and maintaining the fleet but it’s also key to our drivers, reinforcing the importance of operating a safe and efficient fleet.” By joining the scheme, JN Bentley is demonstrating its commitment to safer, more efficient and sustainable van operators. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitterto stay up to date with the latest news from around the business.

Congratulations to Adam Slowinski, Apprentice Quantity Surveyor at JN Bentley, who has won Leeds College of Building’s Level 4 Apprentice of the Year award. Adam received the award on September 28th, at the Centenary Pavilion at Elland Road. This is as a result of his exemplary work ethic and his proactiveness when creating his work portfolio, leading him to complete a ‘first class’ portfolio. The Building Industry Greats (BIG) Awards celebrates the work and achievements of students throughout Leeds College of Building during the previous academic year, and is a monumental opportunity to showcase the industry’s rising stars. Adam’s tutor at Leeds College of Building commented, “Adam started his work based portfolio early and was proactive in his approach to collecting evidence. This placed him in good stead, as he completed well ahead of schedule. Adam listened to any advice given to him and in some cases went away and came up with better and stronger evidence. Adam behaved in a professional manner throughout his KSB sessions. As a result, Adam has completed a first class portfolio with an excellent range of evidence. Congratulations!” Helen Bradford, Lead Learning and Development Advisor at JN Bentley, added, “This is a great achievement by Adam and testament to his hard work, determination and engagement in his apprenticeship. Well done.” Adam is pictured above with Anthony Nutty (Director), Arthur Devine (Commercial Manager) and Helen Bradford (L&D Advisor) (left to right). Our apprenticeships Apprenticeships have long been a part of JN Bentley‘s history and our culture of promoting from within. Our apprenticeships provide a gateway into the construction and civil engineering industry. Hands-on from day one, earn while you learn, with dedicated mentors to support your development throughout the course, you'll have the opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into the real world of work that will help you to build a successful career in the industry. We offer apprenticeships in civil, mechanical, electrical and process (MEP) engineering, quantity surveying and a range of business support roles including Finance, IT and construction health and safety. Find out more here. Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up to date with news from across the business.

JN Bentley has been appointed to two new frameworks with Associated British Ports (ABP). ABP’s five-year industrial building framework could be worth up to a total of £415m and covers design and building work at their 21 ports across the country. 11 partners have been appointed to five regional lots, with JN Bentley the only partner to be appointed to each. JN Bentley has also secured a place on ABP’s minor civils framework to deliver projects at their four ports on the Humber at Hull, Grimsby, Immingham, and Goole. One of the UK’s leading port operators, ABP’s network of ports around Britain offers marine, road and rail access to domestic and international markets. They handle around one-quarter of the nation's seaborne trade and contribute £7.5 billion to the economy every year. Securing the frameworks represents a move into a new sector for JN Bentley, to which it can bring fifty years of engineering and construction experience in a variety of fields including industrial building, water and highways. Ian Bester, JN Bentley director, said, “We are delighted to secure places on these two important frameworks with ABP. The frameworks give us opportunity to demonstrate the value we add as an experienced contractor with skills and knowledge directly transferable from other sectors such as water. “We look forward to supporting the significant contribution that ABP make to the UK and playing our part in helping Keep Britain Trading. We are excited to get going and look forward to forging a long-term successful relationship together.” Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up-to-date with the latest news from JN Bentley.

Following a recent audit, JN Bentley – including Mott MacDonald Bentley – has received ISO 27001 accreditation for information security management. ISO 27001 is an internationally recognised standard that provides a framework for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) to provide continued confidentiality, integrity and availability of information as well as legal compliance. Achieving ISO 27001 builds on our existing suite of accreditations and will help us to improve the security of our information and systems, ensuring we maintain continuity of work and our reputation with clients. Neil Coupe, Head of IT at JN Bentley said: “Receiving this accreditation recognises our continued commitment to managing information safely and securely for our clients, partners, employees and the business. Ahead of the audit we ran several company-wide campaigns, aimed at raising awareness of information security and providing colleagues with the knowledge and tools to help keep our data secure. “We shared various resources with colleagues, including posters, information flyers and stickers on machines and screens to act as visible reminders of information security risks and best practice. “As part of our company incident reporting procedures, employees can now report information security related events in the same way as health, safety and environmental events, which will encourage safe behaviours and working practices. “Our Information Security journey will be continual, as we endeavour to equip our colleagues with the knowledge and skills to help being secure. Our continued campaigns will help to remind and further embed best practice, as well as help to drive continual improvement and re-certification." Find and follow us on socials – LinkedIn, Twitter – to keep up with the latest news from across the business too.

JBA Bentley has been named runner-up in the Contractor of the Year category at the prestigious NEC Martin Barnes Awards 2022. The awards, concluding the annual NEC conference in London, celebrate great work carried out by individuals, teams and projects from right across the globe. The award recognises JBA Bentley’s delivery of the Great Yarmouth Flood Defence ‘Epoch 2’ scheme – one of the largest the company has ever delivered with the Environment Agency. The project has seen major work undertaken on the quayside in Great Yarmouth to renovate and replace flood defences that provide flood protection to 4,500 homes and businesses. A 70% reduction in carbon has been achieved on the scheme, through careful planning, innovative design, material reuse and a local supply chain. JBA Bentley director, Ian Bester, commented, “This is a fantastic achievement for a great project, made all the more pleasing in that the award entry was first initiated by our client’s PM. “The Great Yarmouth scheme is great showcase for the NEC - administered in the spirit of mutual trust and cooperation, no contractual escalations with both parties happy with the project outcome. “Well done to everyone involved.” NEC judge, Shy Jackson, said, “All the entries were of a very high standard and there was a wide range of project types from all over the world, including some where the parties used NEC for the first time…Well done to everyone who has taken part and has provided good examples of NEC in practice.” Congratulations to all the winners on the evening. Pictured: JBA Bentley contracts manager Glenn Harvey (right) with John Welch, NEC Users' Group Chair and Deputy Director Construction at CCS. The award is the latest in a growing list for JBA Bentley and Great Yarmouth – including Environment and Sustainability Initiative of the Year at last year’s British Construction Industry Awards. Read more about JBA Bentley and its focus on low carbon solutions on the JBA Bentley website.

Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) were presented with four awards – three wins and a highly commended – at the annual ICE West Midlands gala; an event that celebrates all aspects of civil engineering, projects, people and ground-breaking research across the Midlands region. Cinderford Wetlands – Winner – Team Achievement award MMB have delivered a biodiversity improvement scheme for Severn Trent Water in Cinderford, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Significant project risks were managed through collaboration with stakeholders at the Environment Agency, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Forestry England. These risks included a coal mining legacy, anecdotal evidence of contamination, high groundwater, difficult access and great crested newts. A key success from Cinderford was the identification of skill sets and areas of expertise that were needed early on, resulting in the appropriate people joining the multi-disciplinary project team. Frances Stephens (MMB Civil Engineer) – Winner – STEM Ambassador award Frances impressed the judges with her consistent support of STEM activities throughout this year, running a range of activities on behalf of the ICE and Mott MacDonald Bentley. This has included mentoring Year 9 students for the Industrial Cadets Bronze Award. Frances is also heavily involved with Girl Guiding and Early Career Professionals and she delivered a speech at Loughborough University to students about her journey to professional chartership. Frances has dedicated her time and effort into inspiring the next generation of civil engineers and has improved the education outreach of the ICE. Phosphorus removal programme – Winner – Innovation award As part of AMP7, Severn Trent Water have placed a focus on water quality schemes, especially focusing on the reduction of phosphorus (P) released into water courses to limit the risk of eutrophication. The P removal programme has used a dedicated delivery team across multiple MMB frameworks to manage the supply chain, and implement a standardised, digitally innovative design approach using Moata Intelligent Content (MIC). Throughout all MMB regions, 2,970 hours and £138,000 have been saved so far due to the implementation of MIC models into projects. Uttoxeter Water Treatment Works – Highly Commended – Medium Project award An impressive team achievement led by MMB and Severn Trent Water has provided new wastewater treatment facilities at Uttoxeter, ensuring compliance with a major tightening in discharge consent and contributing to Severn Trent’s commitment to improve the environment and ensure capacity for population growth. The inclusion of innovative processes including Enhanced Biological Phosphate Removal and a Hybrid Activated Sludge Unit has reduced infrastructure requirement and chemical usage resulting in a sustainably driven solution with a low carbon footprint. The adoption of MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) principles allowed off-site pre-fabrication of equipment to run parallel with on-site activities reducing installation periods and giving Severn Trent time to optimise the process before the new consent date. This AMP7 early obligation scheme is an excellent demonstration of how improvement of the environment can be combined with sustainable provision for future population growth. Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest from across the business.