4 | VEC Civil Engineering the barriers” between the design and construct stages of a project. Their design engineers work closely with the team on the ground, in order to achieve the company’s vision of “designing to build, rather than designing and then building.” VEC clients benefit from that unity, which can be lacking within other civil contractors. They also benefit from constant interaction, Kees adds. “It’s all about communication,” he says. “We sit down with clients and discuss everything, and then we keep in touch with them. We let them know what the project problems are and offer solutions, without throwing the contract at them all the time.” “As a contractor you can see a variation and go very hard at it because there’s money in it, but we do the opposite,” he continues. “We avoid variations, so that the contract sum at the end of the job is pretty well the same as the contract sum at the beginning of the job.” VEC invests heavily in the company’s strong team and the clients reap the rewards. Currently, the company employs approximately 100 people, a number that comprises a “diverse mix of experience and youth – from the best graduates to knowledgeable and highly skilled long-serving employees.” “We all work as a team,” Kees says, describing his corporate culture – which he compares to a football club. “We’re all very important, and we all work together. The fullback not only has to stop goals, he also has to set up the goals for the forward on the other end. So he has to read the play all the way. And the forward has to read the fullback the same way.”
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