Warwickshire–Arup partnership: the first five years

Abstract

Warwickshire is a rural county in the UK Midlands with a population of around 535 000 and an area of about 2000 km2. Warwickshire County Council, through its Design Services Group, has been working in partnership with engineering consultancy Arup since August 2001. A successful relationship developed over the first five-year contract, with both organisations perceiving value beyond that envisaged at the start. Major benefits have been gained in achieving project targets of the local transport plan and in staff development and training. The scope of the relationship expanded to include additional technical disciplines and more client groups, bringing challenges in communication and management. The objective of the second partnering contract, running from 2006–2011, is to build on the success, learn from the difficulties experienced and develop the relationship to add value to both organisations.