KCC have a challenge to reduce their operational costs by hundreds of millions of pounds over next few years. In order to do this they have instigated a programme of ‘Doing things differently’ to change the way they operate and use their property. The ‘New Ways of Working’ estate rationalisation is part of this programme and Mouchel have been commissioned to Programme Manage the NWoW programme across the Kent Estate. Contracted to Mouchel, Lamb & Partners are providing pre-construction project management services to the team delivering the estate rationalisation programme and have been specifically tasked with procuring the project to refurbish and re-stack Invicta House, a 1960’s 6-storeyhexagonal building adjacent to County Hall in the centre of Maidstone. Knowing that most of the plant in the building is original and therefore long past its operational life expectancy, surveys and studies were commissioned to establish the exact condition of the building’s plant and its operational limitations, before the M&E design was developed. The building currently houses circa 550 people and this is set to be doubled by installing a new desk layout that encompasses new ways of working at its heart whilst refurbishing the space, mending and replacing broken parts and replacing and overhauling items of life expired plant, to provide a light and airy new working environment that enthuses the workforce, maximises the use of the property and reduces running costs per head. Having spent 10 months investigating, scoping, designing, programming, procuring, value engineering and tweaking the product, a contract was finally signed with London fit out specialist Overbury on the 20th June. Mobilisation has commenced and the work to the 1st floor will start on the 7th July and is programmed to complete at a rate of 9 weeks per floor, whilst the building remains occupied and operational with a 24/7 call centre located in the basement. Kent County Council