Cambridge Assessment is an international exams group designing and delivering assessments to over 8 million learners in over 170 countries. They operate and manage the University of Cambridge’s three exam boards and carry out leading-edge and operational research on assessment in education.
Client Requirements
Cambridge Assessment had a requirement to appoint an experienced removal contractor to provide a fully managed relocation service for 2200 staff members from multiple office locations throughout Cambridge to the newly built Triangle Building on Shaftsbury Road in Cambridge.
The project would also require relocating its library and archives. It was imperative that the contractor could help maintain Cambridge Assessment’s service during the relocation. Preplanning works were to be carried out prior to the relocation by the relocating company, and therefore a communication model was required so that daily reporting of the progress of the relocation could be made to the Cambridge Assessment Project Team.
The relocation services were required over multiple move phases to ensure that each Cambridge Assessment department remained fully functional during key operational periods. The majority of the relocation works needed to be completed during Fridays and Saturdays, allowing for the completion of IT snagging activities on Sundays in readiness for the staff arrival to the new site on Monday mornings.
The scope of the services required included:
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The physical removal of effects from Cambridge Assessment’s six existing sites to its new site at The Triangle Building, in Cambridge
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A packing service plus supply of packing crates (including the packing and unpacking of files).
Solution
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Pickfords provided an experienced Project Manager to work closely with Cambridge Assessment, and to attend planning meetings to ensure a seamless transition to the new site.
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Move presentation sessions to Cambridge Assessment Staff to ensure they were adequately briefed.
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Over 60 operatives were deployed in two phases, and over two weekends (which included Sundays) to complete the moves.
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Pickfords provided nearly 7000 crates in order to move staff’s personal effects, and departmental filing (which included confidential files).
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Our highly trained staff carried out the decommissioning and recommissioning of IT equipment (including PCs and audio-visual) for 2200 users, and the mounting of over 4000 monitors onto supporting brackets of multiple monitor arms.
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A contingency plan ensured continuity, when unforeseen circumstances led to the client making changes to the timeframe at short notice.
Result
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The move was completed on time and within budget ensuring “business as usual” on opening day.
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After the main relocation, Pickfords moved additional furniture from the six old sites, and into an existing building in Coventry.