The Irish Construction Industry Awards is the benchmark for those demonstrating excellence and innovation in Ireland’s construction industry. Cork-based T&A Civil Engineering and Building Contractors tick both those boxes and are deservedly shortlisted in the Sub-Contractor of the Year category.Offering a comprehensive range of quality building services across Munster, T&A Civil Engineering and Building Contractors are an Irish owned family business operating in the Civil Engineering, Building and Project Management sector for almost 20 years having been established in 2002.
Headquartered in Conna, Co Cork, four miles from the Waterford border, T&A is conveniently located to cover all areas of the southern province.
They have a committed workforce of over 20 employees, while also utilising a trusted cohort of subcontractors and suppliers, to ensure all services meet client demands as well as their own high expectations.
T&A are expert Groundwork Sub-Contractors and their competitive advantage in this area is created through their longevity in the sector, their experienced team and their extensive fleet of modern machinery that has enabled them to become one of the leading Groundwork providers in Munster.
Founder and Manging Director of T&A, Tom O’Donnell takes responsibility for the overall delivery of all T&A’s projects, pioneering the organisation’s commitment to delivering quality services to their clients.
Some of T&A’s major Groundwork projects in the past include the development of a slip way in Newport East Quay, Youghal, Co. Cork, on behalf of the Department of Marine, developments at Kent Railway Station, Co. Cork, including Footpaths, Cycle lanes, Bridge Repairs, and Street Lighting, as well as being Main Groundwork Contractors for a multimillion-euro development at Coláiste an Chraoibhín secondary school in Fermoy, Co. Cork.
T&A are now looking to showcase their constant delivery of outstanding Groundwork projects to others in the construction industry, aiming to be recognised for their continuing contribution to the sector.
Under the supervision of their hard-working Managing Director, T&A have developed a proven track record in the delivery of Groundwork services, attracting attention and working on behalf of the largest contractors in Munster.
T&A’s Management team spearhead all Groundworks projects and are assisted by some of the most experienced and skilled operators in the field.
The most recent additions to their impressive portfolio of successfully completed projects include: Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork (Conack Construction Ltd), Fermoy Primary Care Centre, Fermoy, Co. Cork (FLYNN) and the construction of 16 No. Dwellings at Mitchellsfort, Watergrasshill, Co. Cork (Bridgewater Construction).
The three aforementioned projects have been conducted in a positive environment, with the Main Contractors in each case commending T&A for their contributions to the projects.
The work carried out on behalf of Conack, represents an instance of repeat work for this Main Contractor, acquired through their delivery of Groundwork services on a project involving the development of a 64 No. Housing Estate in Deanrock, Tougher that took place during 2018 and 2019.
While this is the first time T&A have worked for both FLYNN and Bridgewater, T&A are in talks with both firms regarding future work, with additional projects set to begin early in 2022.
These firms acknowledge T&A’s expertise in the area of Groundwork and trust them to complete the works to the highest standard. In return, they guarantee that all work is carried out to a high degree of excellence to ensure they create long term relationships with these clients. These mutually beneficial relationships are built on trust, respect and dedication to quality work.
Other valued long-term customers include O’Connell Transport Group, HBS Construction and Cork County Council, to name but a few.
While T&A offer a variety of building services, their competitive advantage stems from their ability to deliver exceptional Groundwork services. Their experience in this field is second to none, with many of their team being T&A veterans who have worked with the organisation for over 10 years.
These individuals have been able to transfer their knowledge and expertise down to their newer employees to ensure that all of their unique skills are retained within the organisation.
While all projects will experience setbacks and encounter obstacles, their staff are regularly commended for their professionalism and attention to detail, which is something Main Contractors have identified as a key skill in preventing timely and costly reworks.
Although T&A are confident in all their staff’s ability to continue delivering excellent Groundwork solutions, they also believe that they can always improve. That is why the company has actively invested in continuous development of their staff, which has seen two of their Site Managers complete part-time 3rd level education courses in Construction Management in 2021. One of these employees had previously graduated with a Level 8 Degree in Occupational Health and Safety at Work in 2019.
This progressive approach has allowed the company expand their industry knowledge, encouraging them to reflect on more effective ways of carrying out their Groundwork operations.
Just as their experienced staff have been able to transfer their expertise to the rest of the organisation, their Site Managers ensure the knowledge gained from their programmes benefits the entire organisation by encouraging implementation of new practices and principles across the team.
In addition, T&A boast an impressive fleet of machinery, which is perhaps their greatest competitive advantage over their competitors. The fleet has been developed by remaining extremely open-minded when it comes to their plant and equipment and not settling for the cheapest option, but instead focusing on developing a reliant fleet that allows them to perform.
By investing heavily in their fleet they have been able to develop a unique portfolio which they constantly upgrade by purchasing new additions every year, never settling with the current set-up, and always striving to ensure they carry out their services with the most modern and technologically advanced machines on the market.
Accruing such a portfolio of machines has reduced T&A’s reliance on hiring equipment to complete works, which is another reason why large contractors trust them to carry out the Groundworks on their projects, as they know they will have the availability and reliance of machines to carry out work as required.
No stone is left unturned either when it comes to Health & Safety and T&A have instilled a strong organisation wide emphasis on Health & Safety, understanding that the safety of their staff, clients and the general public is a critical component of everyday operations.
T&A’s H&S Officer Chris has a Level 8 Degree in Occupational Health and Safety at Work. He spearheads the company’s commitment to H&S by ensuring all staff abide by best practices and all operations are conducted safely. Their Safety Management System has been awarded the Safe-T-Cert Certificate and T&A follow all Main Contractors’ Safety Management Systems rigorously when carrying out work on their behalf. In addition, T&A are currently progressing with works on achieving the ISO900.
Understandably proud of the company’s achievement in making the short-list at the upcoming Irish Construction Industry Awards, Managing Director Tom O’Donnell revealed that the company has come a long way from humble beginnings.
“I set up the Limited company with my wife Antoinette, hence the name ‘T&A’, in 2002 but was operating as a sole trader before that. I purchased my first machine when I was 17 years old and started out from there. I have to admit that I never imagined that our company would continue to expand the way it has over the past 20 years and that my two sons (Chris and Steve) would be working full time with me as Site Managers in the business. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the office staff and all my hardworking employees on site. Without their effort and commitment T&A would not be where it is today. While we are nominated in the sub-contractor of the year category, 50% of our workload is main contractor work and it’s fairly busy now at the moment.”
What are the secrets of T&A Civil Engineering’s success? “I’m very much hands-on in my approach. I’m involved in all projects, whether civils or building, every day and I go around to every site. Having a good hardworking team around you is the key to any successful business, without them T&A would not be where it is today.
“On top of that, we’re a family-run business. Everyone at home at some stage, no matter what age has played their part in the business, be it summer work, Saturday work or during school holidays or their input at the dinner table. Having Chris and Steve’s input on sites has been of great benefit to the progress of projects.”
Not content to rest on his laurels, Tom revealed that there is much scope for expansion of the company and Chris and Steven will have central roles to play in any future plans. “I want to continue to stay involved but hand over more responsibility to the two boys. Yeah, I do envisage expansion with the two lads involved.
“Sub-contractor work is very important to us but you have better control over projects when you are the main contractor and that’s what we want to focus on going forward. I am grateful to everyone who has supported T&A over the years,” he concluded.
T&A Building and Civil Engineering Ltd
Main Street
Conna
Co. Cork
P51 P5K2
Tel: +353 (0) 58 69995
Mob: 087 8354284
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.tabuildingandcivilengineering.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, March 2022, Vol 8 No 3
