Accelerated mobilisation

The client communicated the need for an accelerated mobilisation period. Our management engaged early, leading collaborative programme planning meetings and running workshops, enabling us to mobilise within 4 weeks instead of the projected 12 weeks, ensuring programme and investment certainty within the financial year.

Our Hillingdon Delivery Team was built from several key team members from the previous contract and relocating members of our existing team, which allowed for knowledge and experience transfer. Early establishment of collaborative behaviours and culture facilitated forward planning and opened lines of communication throughout the contract.

Early involvement to enhance working practices

During the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) stage for the London Borough of Hillingdon contract, we evaluated working practices to consider any improvements to efficiencies and value that could be made to the operations.

One area identified during the ECI stage was the option to have the lanterns pre-wired at the factory to reduce on-site installation time. McCann collaborated with the supplier, local authority, and the design team to have the lanterns pre-wired, which accelerated on-site installation, minimised time-consuming assembly work, and enhanced the lighting’s reliability thanks to the systems being factory-fitted and pre-tested before dispatch. This approach resulted in a 25% increase in output for on-site installations.

Snapshot of our Work Delivery:

Our lighting programme required the replacement of 600 life-expired columns on a one-for-one same-day replacement basis throughout the borough, which was carried out using our own pedestrian and traffic management control. Each location required DNO works, removal and replacement of life-expired columns and lanterns, and trenching in the footpath or carriageway, where required.

One key part of our contract was the upgrade of 23,000 existing lanterns to LED lanterns. A detailed programme was developed in association with the lantern supplier, Phillips Lighting Ltd, to agree on the dates each lantern type would be supplied to, enabling the installation process to operate efficiently and ensure the smooth running of the operation. Through our skilled and experienced team, we averaged around 1,200 lantern upgrades per month, with dedicated installation teams. We completed the 23,000 LED upgrade in 18 months, six months ahead of schedule.

As part of our contract, we completed a luminaire upgrade for the Harlington Underpass, adjacent to the M4, which provides an essential pedestrian path under the main road through the district. By upgrading the existing ageing 70W SON-T fittings, which left many areas of the underpass in darkness, we are supporting the council in its efforts to create safer and stronger communities.

Reducing the outage repair period

When we started work on the contract, the outage repair period was five days. Through direct communication with the Service Manager, it was noted that this was too long and repairs needed to be completed in a shorter timeframe. Using our strategic supply chain partners, we ensured we had sufficient stock of the necessary lanterns and recruited operatives who lived close to the contract. McCann worked tirelessly to improve the outage service and has successfully reduced the time taken to resolve an outage from five days to just one across the duration of the contract.

Emergency call out/reactive works

Our scope of work for this contract involved emergency and incident response, and should an incident happen, McCann ensured that we had the necessary staff available to carry out any immediate repairs by creating:

  • Duty rotas (complete with contact details of all staff and operatives), with key skills retained for each shift.
  • A list of contingency staff and a list of on-call staff during night-time hours.
  • A list of all supply chain partners, complete with contact details.
  • Real-time resource map showing locations of all our qualified and competent workforce, plant, and materials suitable for dealing with incidents on the network.

We maintained a complete overview of our workforce and vehicles via satellite tracking, which enabled us to identify the closest appropriate resource.

McCann has proudly delivered a comprehensive street lighting maintenance service for the London Borough of Hillingdon for almost 10 years. Covering over 25,000 assets, our work has included LED upgrades, emergency response, and infrastructure improvements. Through early engagement, accelerated mobilisation, and collaborative delivery, we achieved significant efficiencies and reduced outage repair times. By combining experienced personnel, innovative methods, and strong local partnerships, McCann continues to help build safer, smarter communities across one of London’s largest boroughs.