Get to Know Our Supplier CLM Fireproofing

In the second instalment of our new ‘Meet the Supplier’ feature, we sat down with the team at CLM Fireproofing, a supplier on Lots 1 and 5 of our Building and Fire Safety framework, to learn more about the company’s commitment to design and innovation, and social value, and to uncover its aims for the future.

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

CLM’s mission is focused on a commitment to innovation, quality and compliance in fire protection. CLM delivers traditional passive fire protective services in a compliant way and identifies modern ways of working using cutting edge technology and identifying new and innovative ways of delivering services to its clients. The company continually invests in new technology, giving its clients unparalleled visibility of their projects in line with the golden thread approach.

At its core, CLM believes that success is built around great people. The talent within its ranks and the customers it works with are what makes CLM the company it is today.

Can you give us a brief history of your company?

CLM was founded in 1989 by Clive Miles who is the Chairman of CLM , and is also current Chair of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection. In 1996, his brother, David Miles, joined to look after the operational side of the business. In the early 2000s, the company flourished, and it began working on some of the most iconic buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House and the Shard.

In 2017, the Grenfell tragedy struck, completely transforming fire safety as we know it. Before Grenfell, CLM would have had fewer opportunities to work with social housing clients. However, after the tragedy, CLM noticed increased demand in remedial work which led to the creation of a designated division led by Jamie Nalton, Head of Remedial.

The response to Grenfell led to the introduction of an early engagement approach, which at the time was extremely new to the sector and helped bring passive fire protection to the top of the agenda.

In 2023, Tom Gilbert was appointed as Group CEO and a restructure led to an expanded service line, the creation of a new fire testing laboratory, a BIM offering and a consulting division.

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

Once suppliers have joined the framework, there is instant peace of mind – for both CLM,its clients and the residents occupying the buildings. The framework works in accordance with the Building Safety Act and provides a quality list of pre-vetted, accredited contractors with a set schedule of rates.

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

CLM delivers fire door replacements, fire stopping, loft barrier works, and compartmentation surveys.

Can you share some key achievements or successful projects completed through the framework?

CLM has success of working on both Generation 1 and 2 of the framework.

On Generation 1, CLM completed several successful projects with the Hyde Group, Home Group, Ealing Council, and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

On the current Generation 2 of the framework, Home Group and Hyde Group have reappointed CLM, and the company is also working with Stonewater and Bournemouth Churches Housing Association, to name a few! Throughout the years of the Gen 1 and Gen 2 framework, CLM has provided numerous social value initiatives for several organisations and charities, having won ‘Supplier of the Month’ In December 2023.

What sets your business apart from its competitors?

From its administrative staff to its contract managers, CLM invests in its staff to help them gain a firm understanding of the industry. At its core, CLM has a focus on the education of its staff, including technical skills, innovation and best practice standards.

CLM specialises in solving HA issues and has expert account management on hand to help nurture client relationships. Its specialist labour force helps to ensure that residents are safe and understand the nature of the works being carried out.

CLM also has an unparallelled ability to bring new technology to housing, client education CPD’s, and an expertise in design which its clients benefit from.

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

CLM’s commitment to social value helps it deliver positive change to communities across the United Kingdom. From visiting local schools and care homes and renovating the gardens of vulnerable residents to offering painting and decorating services in the community and funding community initiatives, CLM is always keen to get its staff out of the offices and into local areas.

CLM is consistently recognised as a top supplier of social value and has invested in everything from pots and pans and bedding to Lego construction sets and playgrounds!

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

CLM will be working hard to support its existing framework partners with the new requirements introduced by the Building Safety Act. It will also be undertaking plenty more surveys and fire safety works.

CLM also hopes to help identify more new clients to bring through the framework.

Over the last four years, its in-house team has been investing heavily in a unique BIM plug-in that allows them to identify fire protection solutions and potential clashes during the design phase.

The new BIM plug-in provided by CLM Fire Consulting, a new division within CLM, allows for the simple and effective identification of compliant fire protection solutions using clash detection and technical data from all fire protection manufacturers. It saves time and reduces the resource requirements needed to deliver the design process, allowing for direct BIM integration rather than traditional 2D drawings. Its inception marks a significant step towards improving efficiency in design and construction.

As we mentioned earlier, CLM is also opening a UKAS accredited testing laboratory, which will be available to clients in November 2024. CLM is committed to investing in things that matter, and with a lack of availability for testing in the UK, it expects this laboratory to become a pivotal part of the business in partnership with the Fire Protection Association (FPA).

What are the biggest challenges currently facing the housing sector?

Regulations in the sector are ever-changing. CLM believes that the continued response to these changes will remain one of the top challenges in the sector.

How we identify and respond to defects, and the urgency of them, presents its own challenges.

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

CLM believes that the Building Safety Act has been one of the biggest issues affecting the company and supply chain partners.

A significant number of outstanding FRA actions will need to be delivered with a higher level of scrutiny by the regulator.

CLM also believes that some people will struggle to deliver works that they’ve previously costed. It’s plausible that contractors will have underpriced work which may cause issues in the delivery phase.

It has found that as technical expertise grows in scarcity, so does the cost to attract and retain the talent necessary to design a compliant passive fire protection detail. There is a risk that some contractors won’t have understood this growing expectation and will have priced for installation only.

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

CLM’s BIM and consultancy capabilities are truly unique, and the offering it can extend to its customers as a result is exciting. Its unique plug- in, which allows it to identify fire protection solutions during the design phase, can be offered to those on the framework that have development arms and design teams, widening the scope and increasing the works offered.

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

We’ve had 16 Housing Ministers in the last 14 years, so CLM’s first point of call would be to stay in power long enough to make meaningful change!

Its primary focus would be around building safety. CLM would make sure that all building safety issues are identified and that open FRA actions are remediated in a timely fashion to ensure that those at risk are adequately protected.

Making sure there’s enough money in the pot to deliver all of this properly and ensure residents are safe would be at the top of its priority list.

Can you tell us an interesting fact about your organisation?

CLM is the only passive fire protection company with an internally created plug-in in the world, and the only one in the UK that will have its own accredited testing laboratory.

The company also works on an incredibly diverse housing stock, from iconic London new builds and to some of the smallest housing blocks and councils. The company also works across England, Scotland, Wales, and Channel Islands.

What impact has the Building and Fire Safety Act had on the delivery of projects within the sector?

Historically, there was a concern that passive fire protection works were invested in as an afterthought. Since the introduction of the Act, clients are more educated on the importance of the services that CLM offers, and on the importance of certification, compliance, and assurance.

CLM was already ahead of the game, investing in innovative digital solutions to facilitate the best installations. As a result, clients get plenty of assurance that the works are done properly with the right certification.