BAM Nuttal Ltd – J.Purvis, Site Agent

We recently appointed DA Johnstone as our preferred supply chain partner, for the package and discipline of operated plant only. During the initial enquiry and tendering stage, DA Johnstone were not on our approved vendor list. With that said, this required a lot of documentation such as insurances, policies, procedures etc. which were all supplied in a timely manner. This streamlined the procurement process and ultimately showed an active profile within the visible vendor list.

During the pricing negotiations, details of all plant we had requested, along with specifications were issued. We were invited to their depot to physically inspect the condition of their plant and equipment, as well as what was available within their fleet.

Once the commercial and contractual aspects were finalised, we discussed our programme requirements and coordinated things to accommodate the project. The team at DA Johnstone worked collaboratively with ourselves, not only supplying plant, but also assisting with the order of certain materials which we were finding difficult to procure (covered under separate subcontract instructions). This ensured there was no detrimental effect on the overall programme and built up a good rapport and a open and transparent working relationship.

If there was ever an issue (which was not often at all!) , they were always available and on hand & ensured it was rectified at the earliest opportunity. The team are very knowledgeable and can assist with solving complex problems/situations and ensuring the correct bit of plant and equipment is utilised for the required task/activity.

The commercial dealings with the financial and accounts team continued in the same vein and without issue. Invoices were submitted in line with the contract requirements.

In summary, I have a very good working relationship with the team at DA Johnstone and can only praise their work ethic and pragmatic approach, regarding all aspects of their works. I will certainly be using them again on future schemes, which they are currently in the process of pricing. In addition to this, I would also strongly recommend them to other contractors, as the level of service throughout was exceptional.

Northumberland County council – M.King, Highways Manager

D.A Johnstone have played a major role in our delivery of schemes and to date have never let us down working on major schemes as well as minor reactive works. They regularly go above and beyond their contracted status and have assisted the Castle Morpeth Team on a number of emergencies including the recent Winter storms of 2021/2022 and as far back as storm Desmond. They are available 24/7 which is well received by NCC as due to the size of our workforce we are unable to provide a full out of hours service for major emergencies, however D. A Johnstone are always on hand to support if required.

D.A Johnstone are as professional as any other contractor I have ever had the pleasure too work alongside. They are reliable, approachable, and knowledgeable which makes for a very successful working contract and partnership. Due to the nature of Local Authority work we often ask for late assistance with our delivery procedure and D. A Johnstone are always willing to assist. Their workforce and management also very helpful in our planning of works and we often discuss the correct plant required to undertake works. This was probably best seen for us whilst undertaking a flood defence program for Morpeth. D.A Johnstone provide valuable support to the Construction Manager on the delivery process which seen a saving of almost 10%.

As well as the larger works we also employ D. A Johnstone to undertake minor reactive works generally construction of Vehicle access crossings for members of the Public, I have had a number of reports of their workforce being approachable and ensuring the best quality for the completion of these works. This benefited our reputation due to the speedy and professional delivery of the works.

Probably the most important aspect of Highways Construction is Health and Safety, and I am happy to state that we have never had any reason for concern of any works undertaken. D. A Johnston staff seem very well trained and follow all Health Safety regulations.

I am aware D.A Johnstone are also regularly used by my colleagues within other areas of Northumberland.

Finally, we currently employ machines and operators at our Goosehill Parking development, this scheme is very high profile and as such I instructed my construction manager to ensure to ensure that only our most trusted sub-contractors were employed and D A Johnstone were our first port of call.