BAM Ritchies is celebrating after winning three awards and being highly commended for another at the Ground Engineering awards 2021.
The top accolade won by BAM’s ground engineering specialists was Contractor of the Year, in honour of the firm’s achievements on projects including Hinkley Point C Deep Dig and Rothera Wharf in Antarctica.
BAM’s commitment to upskilling employees and progress in addressing the gender imbalance both internally and industry-wide was also recognised.
The team picked up the Technical Excellence award for work carried out at Rothera Wharf for the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP), on behalf of the British Antarctica Survey. BAM used a grout infill for the construction of mid-wall (elephant) footing instead of using typical underwater concrete that would require sands and gravels to be imported onto the continent. This helped protect the environment’s sensitive biosecurity.
Jim Shields, operational manager ground engineering, won the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Champion award for his efforts to bridge the gap between degree-qualified professionals and those who hold vocational qualifications. The award also recognises his contribution to helping colleagues gain industry recognition for their skills and expertise, providing them with opportunities to reach their full potential and progress in their careers.
The Ritchies team was highly commended in the International Project of the Year category, also in recognition for the work at Rothera for AIMP. The extreme environmental, sustainability and logistical constraints that working in Antartica presented meant innovative solutions had to be implemented.
The Transpennine West Alliance, which both BAM Nuttall and BAM Ritchies contributed towards, won Geotechnical Team of the Year.
Ian Parish, MD at BAM Nuttall, said, “Congratulations to the BAM Ritchies team for their well-deserved accolade. This has been an impressive year all-round for our ground engineering colleagues and these successes are a justified tribute to their hard work and commitment to quality, consistency, and innovation. Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards this success.”
