We are delighted to announce that Van Elle are finalists in all 3 categories entered for the 2010 Specialists Awards. The categories are Ground Engineering, Business Growth and Project Excellence (value greater than £25m).

In a year when the industry as a whole has seen an unprecedented drop in workload and many companies are fighting for survival Van Elle have diversified within the geotechnical sector and have increased the services/techniques on offer.

Vic Handley, Group Director commented “Being one of the few large independent Ground Engineering contractors in the industry has meant that during this difficult economic climate, we have not had the benefit of a parent company's contracts to rely on, so the quality of our work and our experience within all sectors of the construction industry has enabled us to remain competitive, retaining and expanding our client base. Many of our competitors have diversified over the years, however, we have made the decision to concentrate on where our experience and expertise lies and to remain true specialist contractors. Keeping this focus has enabled us to grow organically and undertake much larger projects offering clients a complete ground engineering package. We have invested heavily in recent years in more efficient, larger equipment and innovative, sustainability-led solutions i.e. geothermal piles & boreholes. We have also helped design and have implemented IT packages which allow us to maximise efficiency by reducing materials & costs through value engineered design right through to monitoring site activities in real-time from our various office locations around the UK”.

According to Nick Edwards, Editor of Construction News, “This year has seen an exceptional level of entries, both in terms of quantity and quality. Our finalists are the companies that are truly excelling in their fields, whether they are scaffolders, steelwork specialists or roofers”.

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at The London Hilton Park Lane on 4th March 2010.