Page 10 - W M Donald Newsletter - Edition Thirteen

W M Donald and the Four Degrees!
As one of Scotland’s leading civil engineering contractors, W M Donald recognises it has a responsibility to attract and develop the construction industry workforce of the future. In addition to the widely- publicised apprentices programme, W M Donald has also recruited several graduates who are starting out on their construction careers.
Jennifer Pirie, Rachel Watson and Chris Benzie all graduated in 2021 with degrees in quantity surveying from Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University (RGU). Chris is no stranger to W M Donald having completed a six-month placement here as part of his degree.
The quantity surveying degree is a four-year degree with six months spent in industry. The Covid pandemic meant that Jennifer, Rachel and Chris had to complete the final year of their degrees online.
Jennifer has two border collies, Jed and Mack. She is currently working on a utilities project at Culter House Road, Milltimber. If she hadn’t studied quantity surveying, Jennifer would have taken a degree in veterinary science.
Rachel lives on a mixed beef/arable farm and is hoping to remain a hobby farmer alongside her work in construction. Currently working as an estimator in Inverness, Rachel has a passion for geology.
Chris has an eclectic mix of pastimes outside work: going to the gym, collecting Lego, and supporting Aberdeen FC. One of the projects Chris is working on at the moment is South College Street which is discussed on P7 of the newsletter.
Marcus McLellan graduated from RGU a year earlier in 2020 with a degree in Construction Management and joined W M Donald in June 2021. Marcus started off studying law but much preferred the hands-
on approach of the Construction Management course which included a placement with Dragados on
the Aberdeen Harbour Project. He is currently working in project planning where he creates project programmes and monitors resource allocation.
Marcus’ career at W M Donald was severely interrupted when he was involved in a serious motor accident. Major injuries to his femur and hand meant he was out of action for six months. Now on the road to full health, Marcus is looking to get back into tennis, football and hiking.
Chris Benzie
FROM THE GROUND UP
R to L: Rachel Watson, Marcus McLellan and Jennifer Pirie.
10
Scott Sorley is (not quite) half the man he used to be
W M Donald’s new Procurement Manager is Scott Sorley. Scott has worked in procurement positions in many countries around
the world including Norway, Netherlands and Dubai.
Prior to joining W M Donald in February 2022, Scott worked for Dragados on the Aberdeen Harbour Expansion Project. When that project finished Scott ‘took a sabbatical’ and lost 25kg (almost 4 stones)! Scott remains addicted to fitness training and often does two HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) classes before work.
Scott is having to deal with one of the most volatile supply scenarios faced by the construction industry in living memory:
‘Civil engineering is different from many sectors in that until the site teams break ground you’re never 100% sure what you are going to find. Consequently, many products and services are often required at short notice. There is always a tension between planned and ad-hoc procurement.
This situation has been made even more challenging by the pandemic, Suez Canal incident, the war in Ukraine and spiralling energy costs. There is significant price volatility across many materials, particularly anything with steel in it. Many quotes are now only valid for 24-hours. The construction industry is no longer entitled to use red diesel and this has further added to cost pressures.
Working closely with Alan (Dunning),
we are looking to make it as simple and straightforward as possible to get products to site and to minimise waste. I am also working with my procurement colleague, Alysha, to systemise procurement as much as possible using our Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) resource planning platform.’
Scott was a coastguard volunteer for thirteen years and progressed to the position of Station Officer within the Aberdeen team. Most of Scott’s work involved cliff rescue, water rescue and searches. Water is clearly in Scott’s blood as he is an expert paddleboarder, has taught SCUBA for the Scottish Sub Aqua Club, and enjoys occasional sea swimming!