With next month (July) marking the 10th anniversary of my ‘retirement’ from Network Rail, I thought I’d take the opportunity to look back at my career post NR and the evolution of AARC Professional Services Limited, from its beginnings as a ‘one man band,’ to an organisation with over 20 associates and a portfolio of clients from across the industry.
Taking its title from the initials of my wife and children, AARCPS was the trading name when I set myself up as a freelance consultant post ‘retirement’ in 2014, enabling me to provide support to Network Rail’s SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) programme and then Project Director Jan Tatar, although at the time I had no real plans beyond that. However, conversations with former colleagues about the provision of a broader service offering to the rail industry led to an exploratory meeting in September 2016, which in turn saw AARCPS metamorphosise from just me into a fully-fledged consultancy, supported by a group of time-served associates, offering a range of services to the industry, initially based around rail operations.
2018 saw the new organisation take on its first proper assignment, following a chance call from an ex-boss who needed support with a transition and assurance project. The project in question was for contractor SPL Powerlines, who up to that point had been involved in a joint venture with Carillion to deliver the Midland Main Line electrification, as well as works in Scotland. However, post Carillion’s collapse that same year, SPL looked to become lead contractor and, as such, required transitional support, including help with assurance and due diligence, which we were only too happy to provide via a dedicated team of six. And I’m pleased to say, they won the contract, providing AARCPS with its first significant milestone and most importantly, a satisfied customer!
Since then, the size and depth of our service offering has steadily grown to include rail operations, infrastructure, training, safety & assurance and business change & projects, all supported by a dedicated team of expert rail professionals ready to help clients achieve their goals.
It is particularly humbling for me that AARCPS has grown not by seeking people to meet client needs, but through railway colleagues, some of whom I have worked with previously, actively approaching me to become part of our growing ‘family.’ This, I believe, also helps us to stand out from the crowd, as everyone working in the team does so out of choice, is particularly good at what they do and feels they still have something to offer the industry. AARCPS is more knowledge retention than knowledge capture, helping to keep decades of experience and excellent behaviours within the rail industry.
We also pride ourselves on the creation of an environment where all associates feel comfortable, valued and empowered to do what they are good at – we only take on work that matches the skill sets of our people and only then, when we have the capacity to do so, enabling us to provide the best possible service and outcomes. We build the work around the team – not the other way round. I also like to think we are succeeding in being seen as a safe pair of hands, using our collective knowledge and expertise to deliver outstanding results for clients. Testimony to this is the number of clients who return to us for support in delivering a range of challenging projects.
Looking to the future, we continue to grow organically, welcoming new associates who help us to enhance and expand our knowledge base and, subsequently, our service offering. And of course, all of this is underpinned by a commitment to quality – doing things to the highest standards in the right way, hence our move towards ISO9001 quality accreditation, Cyber Essentials certification and Rail Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) registration, as well as membership of the Rail Industry Association (RIA).
So, to bring this latest blog to a close, thanks to all those – associates, clients and others – for making AARCPS’s first decade a successful and enjoyable one. Here’s to the next 10 years!
