New contracts and co-workers in Omega Areal
Omega Areal signed several, new frame agreements and hired four new employees this fall; the biggest contract was signed with AF Group that won the contract for the building of the new home-care facility in Etne.
This fall saw Omega Areal welcome many new assignments and several new employees. Employees Ole Konrad Innvær and Thorbjørn Weltzin Pedersen, newcomers, Ole Martin Risanger and Rafal Kwiatkowski, and employees Frode Eike and Terje Lunde. Photo: Torleif Heggebø
We are happy with the contract that we signed at the end of October and we are now working on our part of the construction work," explains CEO in Omega Areal, Gisle Heggebø.
The assignment includes architectural work relating to the building, as well as the landscape architecture around the facility. Construction safety and building physics are also included in the contract, along with fire safety.
"Additionally, we have received requests for prices regarding water and drainage systems, which AF Group were initially planning on completing themselves,” says Heggebø.
The frame agreement is one of the largest contracts Omega Areal has signed.
"The plan is to be a part of the project throughout the entire building phase, until the fall of 2018. The majority of our involvement will take place during the summer of 2017; this is when 70 per cent of our assignment will be delivered," explains Heggebø.
More assignments on Stord
Omega Areal has taken on the role of Construction Manager on Stord municipality’s project to redevelop and rehabilitate the water and drainage system in Bjellandsveien at Leirvik.
"This is a large and somewhat complicated project. The challenges lie in the closely populated areas where we will need to dig ditches that are big enough and deep enough. With depths of approximately four to four-and-a-half meters, it is obvious that this will be a challenging job and a big responsibility for us as Construction Managers,” says Heggebø.
Heggebø is excited to see other important projects and assignments in Omega Areal’s portfolio this fall.
"We have secured the responsibility of being the builder ombudsman for Hordaland county municipality in relation to the building of a new collective facility for Stord and Bømlo. The facility will be ready by the summer of 2017,” explains Heggebø.
From Odda to Haugesund and Karmøy
Odda municipality has been an Omega Areal client throughout several projects and recently signed an agreement regarding advisory engineering services within construction and fire safety. A frame agreement within advisory engineering services within construction has also been signed with the Haugesund municipality this fall.
"Depending on how many of the planned projects the Haugesund municipality chooses to realize, this is a contract with a value of up to approximately one million NOK. The municipality has entered into a frame agreement with three contractors, where Omega Areal was the first choice, and will therefore receive most of the assignments. Other assignments will be divided between the other two suppliers,” says Heggebø, who also signed an agreement to be the second supplier regarding independent control within fire safety and building physics with Karmøy municipality.
As second supplier, he suggests the majority of the assignments will go to the main supplier and that Omega Areal will have limited tasks here.
"It is still an important assignment for us, where being able to list experience with municipal agreements will make a big difference when new agreements are entered into,” Heggebø adds.
Focusing on water and drainage
"We have chosen to focus on future assignments within water and drainage development and rehabilitation. There are many outdated facilities in the various municipalities, and these will need to be updated eventually. Despite being a difficult area to gain entrance into, due to many of the municipalities already having frame agreements for this kind of work, we have taken a chance and hired two new employees that specialize in this area,” says Heggebø.
He admits that hiring two engineers with a background in water and drainage is a calculated risk.
"The risk is not that high considering all the assignments ahead of the various municipalities. The access to qualified personnel is relatively small with few graduates with the right background in recent times. Combined with the fact that many of those who work in this area are not getting any younger, makes us believe in a good market in the future,” says Heggebø, who in addition to hiring the water and drainage engineers, also hired two engineers for the office at Frakkagjerd, and one employee with a Masters Degree in Urban Design at the office in Ølensvåg.
"We would also like to see an engineer within construction at our office on Stord, however, we have not found the right person," Heggebø adds.