Meet the Supplier: Get to know Potter Raper

For the latest instalment in our Meet the Supplier feature, we caught up with Dave Spiller, Director at Potter Raper, supplier on Lots 5 and 7 of our Herts, Beds and Bucks Development Framework and Lot 3.2 of our Rooftop Development Framework, both developed with Contracting Authority Watford Community Housing. 

Not only are they the first consultancy in the UK to use the cutting-edge BLK2FLY drone scanner, but their headquarters, Duncan House, is named after Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew, who formally opened the office! Read on to discover more about their journey, expertise, and what sets them apart from the rest.   

What is your company’s mission statement/aims/objectives?   

We have a simple goal – to provide construction consultancy services of the highest quality.  

Our success is built upon the trust of our clients, long-term working relationships, and the certainty of repeat business. We prioritise the quality of our service delivery over short-term commercial gains; we do “whatever it takes” for each and every job and we aspire to be the best in everything we do.  

Ours is a modernising business in an industry that demands this. We are a diverse team, guided by experience, leading and investing in young people, committed to developing the careers of all who work for us.  

We believe in sharing our knowledge and experience with our peers and clients to the benefit of both ourselves and the industry as a whole.  

It is this ethos on which we have built a successful, trusted, and respected company and on which we will continue to build for the years to come.  

Can you give us a brief history of your company?   

Founded in 1970 by the late Gerry Potter and Mike Raper, we have continued to grow our Construction Consultancy and are proud of our continued success, and the quality service and outstanding reputation we have built.  

Our business has expanded from a single house, to employing in excess of 170 members of staff, operating out of five offices in Beckenham, London, Colchester, Brighton, and Cambridge.  

In May 2019 Potter Raper moved from a Partnership to a Limited Company and in May 2022 we became an ‘Employee Ownership Trust (EOT)’.  

With over 50 years of trading, the directors wanted a plan for the company’s future and to ensure our continued success, whilst sustaining our business philosophy and culture. With a desire to encourage staff involvement, it became clear that the EOT model was the right route to take.  

What are the benefits of being a supplier on this framework?  

As a supplier on the Rooftop Development framework we can bring our knowledge and expertise in this field. We have previous experience with build on top projects with various local authorities on constrained sites.  

We hope that being a supplier on this framework will expand our client base to deliver more developments in this cost-effective and sustainable way.  

As we are appointed on lot 5 (Employer’s Agent and Cost Consultant) and lot 7 (Principal Designer) on the Herts, Beds & Bucks Development framework, we can bring our extensive experience at all stages of new-build projects on both residential and commercial buildings.  

What specific products or services does your company deliver through the framework (s)?  

• Rooftop Development framework – Employer’s Agent services   

• Herts, Beds & Bucks Development Framework – Lot 5 – Employer’s Agent and Cost Consultant services and Lot 7 – Principal Designer services  

We currently deliver 14 in-house core services that offer added value to every project and client we work with.  

What sets your business apart from its competitors?  

The fact that we’ve been around since 1970 helps. Over the years we have built a reputation of integrity, reliability, and excellence for all of our services.   

The people who work for us are people you can trust to do the job properly, with confidence, authority, experience, and added value. When we talk about added value, this is not a throw-away management-speak term. Our role as construction consultants, in whatever discipline, is not limited by a schedule of services. Our clients are always given that extra time and effort that sets us apart from our competitors. We will get the job done and then some.  

We like to think ahead, pre-empting issues and resolving them before they even arise. Providing innovative solutions to the pressures and demands our client’s experience places us in a position of privilege.  

We retain the personal touch with ongoing involvement at the director level with all clients, ensuring that commissions are executed in a professional and business-like manner.  

We are proud that this approach has resulted in a client retention rate of over 90% and over the last 10 years we have delivered over 3,000 projects amounting to a total contract value of over £70 billion.  

How does your company contribute positively to the communities it operates in?  

We have a dedicated in-house social value champion who ensures we are integrating social value into every aspect of our operations. We believe it’s our responsibility to use our expertise and resources to create a better future for all.  

We actively seek opportunities to get involved in local initiatives and projects that support our communities. Whether we volunteer our time, offer free services, or make financial contributions, we want to make a difference.   

We pride ourselves on being a responsible company and our in-house Passivhaus Consultant & BREEAM Assessor ensures our commitment to doing our part in creating a more sustainable world.  

What will be the key areas of focus for your business in the next 12 months?  

Given the current environment, our new build team will be focusing on existing clients as well as expanding to work with new clients and new sectors.   

Understanding the pressure on registered landlords and local authorities in terms of compliance and understanding their stock. We are growing our Building Surveying and Health and Safety Services team in order to target our client’s existing stock and investment requirements.  

What are the biggest challenges currently facing the housing sector?  

The biggest challenges facing the housing sector in our opinion include the affordability crisis, with rising house prices outweighing wage growth, an insufficient number of new homes being built to meet demand, construction costs and labour shortages and homelessness. 

What are the biggest challenges currently facing your company and your supply chain partners?  

The biggest challenges facing our company are reassurance and funding. There are a lot of changes happening around the world that are impacting costs, supplies etc.   

Funding has and will always be a major focus. We believe there is not sufficient funding to support the needs of affordable housing in the UK.  

Are there any recent innovations or developments in your business that excite you?  

Due to the increase in demand for refurbishment/improvement works, we have invested more into our Building Surveying department to be able to provide the best possible service to our clients on capital works, retrofit and stock condition survey programmes.  

The biggest investment we have recently made, which is proving to be very popular, is drone services. We have two in-house drone pilots who have already made use of this method for several clients on roof and window surveys.   

Another innovation we are excited to announce is that we are the first consultancy company in the UK to use the ‘BLK2FLY’ which is a laser scanner attached to a drone to enable us to get accurate measurements of buildings from all angles and where the building is too high to gain safe access.  

If you were Housing Minister for the day, what would you change?  

If I were housing minister for the day, I would free up long-term funding for affordable housing and encourage stronger partnerships between funding, private and public bodies.  

Can you tell us an interesting fact about your organisation?  

Our head office in Beckenham was opened in 1984 by Olympic Gold Medal winner and local resident, Duncan Goodhew. We thought it was only right to name our office Duncan House in his honour.  

What do you think are the biggest barriers to developing the volume of homes that the UK needs to keep up with increasing supply? How can these be overcome?   

We believe funding and local issues (water supply, power, etc) are all major barriers to developing the volume of homes that the UK needs.  

We believe this can be overcome by firstly prioritising infrastructure works to ensure there is sufficient support for new housing in local areas. Viability is a constant issue in the current climate with build cost inflation far outstripping housing prices or additional grants etc, which are available.  

Additionally, planning, sustainability aspirations, and building regulations changes have impacted the viability of new development.  

In your opinion, why aren’t more rooftop developments being built across the UK? And what can be done to encourage take-up?  

We believe the market is challenging for rooftop development in terms of appraisals, leaseholders, design, and funding.  Landlords should be encouraged to explore rooftop along with retrofitting or refurbishment works to increase the unit numbers whilst doing major retrofit.