My Contribution

On the Balfour Beatty Living Places Southampton contract, road repairs often required multiple visits to reinstate road markings, increasing costs and disruption for residents. 

Site Supervisors Jake Greenaway and Brenton Mclean proposed a simpler approach through My Contribution: enabling our own teams to reinstate markings during the initial repair using heat-applied thermoplastic lining. 

The successful trial has helped reduce road closures, improve the experience for local communities and equip operatives with new skills. The idea is projected to save an estimated £30,000 annually, with other teams now exploring how they could adopt the solution.

At our Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick Off Site Solutions facility in Birkenhead, welding heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) duct sections traditionally required two operatives. Misalignment during the process could weaken welds, resulting in rework and wasted time. 

Sheet Metal Worker Sean Johns, developed bespoke purge boxes that securely clamp to the duct, creating a consistent seal and allowing the task to be completed safely by one operative. 

The innovation has improved efficiency, quality, and productivity, saving an estimated 450 hours annually while reducing argon gas waste and welding defects.

Preconstruction for major aviation projects has long relied on manual calculations, extensive spreadsheets and time‑consuming redesign cycles. Balfour Beatty in the US is advancing cost certainty and collaboration through Join, a digital project delivery platform that provides real‑time cost data and a single source of truth for project teams.

Lead Estimator Jorge Vargas discovered Join at an industry conference and immediately recognised its potential to improve efficiency and decision‑making. With strong support via our My Contribution platform from regional leadership, Join was adopted for the $140 million Sacramento Airport Pedestrian Walkway project.

The platform proved transformative, enabling rapid comparison of design options, clear visualisation of cost implications and fully aligned decision‑making. From structural revisions to multiple ceiling redesigns, Join helped identify meaningful savings – including a $358,000 reduction achieved through the selected “destination lift” ceiling concept. At guaranteed maximum price, the project was delivered $4,000 under budget.

On a tenant improvement project in Charlotte, North Carolina, Superintendent Paul Distante applied more than 40 years of field experience to transform a standard core drilling process – improving efficiency, reducing cost and waste, whilst also strengthening collaboration with our trade partners.

The project required nearly 800 core holes to support new data, power and AV systems. Traditionally, this work demands the removal and reinstatement of carpeting – a time‑intensive and material‑heavy process. Paul proposed a smarter solution: using clear carpet protector to shield flooring during drilling. This allowed the team to safely mark locations, scan for obstructions and complete drilling without lifting or damaging carpet.

The results were immediate. The team eliminated weeks of flooring labour, avoided carpet waste and improved workflow efficiency. Paul shared the innovation through our My Contribution programme, enabling wider adoption across special projects in the Carolinas.