The McAvoy Group is one of the UK’s leading offsite construction specialists. An independent, family-owned business and an established principal contractor, McAvoy has been providing bespoke offsite solutions and interim modular buildings for nearly 50 years
We asked Graeme O’Doherty, Offsite Housing Specialist, at The McAvoy Group about his experience of BOPAS.
What was the driver for applying for BOPAS?
The McAvoy Group, one of the UK’s leading offsite construction specialists, has expanded into the residential sector with the launch of a new modular solution for all housing tenures – affordable homes, market sale, build-to-rent, student accommodation, and emergency housing. Following an extensive R&D process, we have developed a steelframed offsite housing solution for multi-storey apartments, detached, semidetached and terraced family homes.
We believe BOPAS certification is the industry benchmark for quality and durability. It provides invaluable assurance to lenders that the McAvoy building system will deliver consistent performance for at least 60 years.
What challenges did you face?
Throughout the process we worked collaboratively with assessors from BLP from the initial research stage through to the detailing of technical solutions. This collaborative approach was paramount in developing an understanding of how new processes and technical detailing fit with our manufacturing systems, whilst maintaining high levels of productivity.
What benefits did you expect and were these realised?
More developers and public sector housing providers than ever before are recognising the benefits of offsite construction to deliver affordable, high-quality properties in less time. The BOPAS accreditation for the McAvoy building system will ensure mortgageability, giving investors and developers the assurance of the quality, reliability, durability and energy efficiency of our building solutions for housing.
Our first project is now on site and with the BOPAS certification, we were able to meet the client’s requirement for independent accreditation.
How will the accreditation benefit the business in the future?
This accreditation is important for us to be able to access frameworks and tender opportunities. It gives the developer, housing association and occupier assurance in their investment.
How did LR help?
Lloyds Register provided valuable support from the outset, which continued through the auditing process with the assessor and service delivery team on hand to ensure documentation and evidence were provided in a timely manner.
How did you find working with the LR and BLP teams?
With the support of both the LR and BLP teams, the process was well managed to ensure we gained full accreditation within the agreed timescale.
