Before day one — a 30-minute prep
- Confirm site address, access route, and site working hours.
- Nail down start date and expected duration.
- List trades required by phase and rough numbers.
- Note ticket requirements (CSCS level, SSSTS/SMSTS, asbestos awareness, first aid, plant tickets).
- Decide welfare, PPE, and induction arrangements.
- Nominate the on-site point of contact and their number.
Send this as a single brief to your agency. It saves three rounds of email and gets a shortlist back within hours.
Week 1 — Contracts, admin, workforce brief
- Day 1 — Confirm contract, appoint site manager, kick off internal handover.
- Day 1–2 — Send workforce brief to agency: trades, numbers, start date, site address, shift pattern, ticket requirements, welfare on site.
- Day 2 — Issue subcontractor and plant enquiries in parallel. Book welfare unit and hoarding.
- Day 3 — Client pre-start meeting. Lock down programme critical path.
- Day 3–4 — RAMS in draft. Induction pack in draft. Confirm CDM roles.
- Day 4 — Agency returns worker profiles for approval. Verify tickets on CSCS Smart Check.
- Day 5 — Insurances and warranties sent to client. Welfare delivered to site. First week's workforce confirmed.
Week 2 — Set-up, induction, first shift
- Day 6 — Temp power and site security in place. First delivery slots booked.
- Day 6–7 — Site set-up: hoarding, signage, welfare fit-out, waste plan.
- Day 7 — RAMS signed off. Induction pack finalised. Toolbox talks scheduled.
- Day 8 — Confirm workforce start day. Send site address, arrival time, PPE requirements, and induction slot to the agency.
- Day 8–9 — First workers arrive for induction. Right to Work verified on site as a second check.
- Day 9 — Snag walk with site manager. Confirm labour balance for week 3.
- Day 10 — Site live. First productive shift. Debrief with agency on any gaps, adjust week 3 numbers.
Common bottlenecks and how to dodge them
- Welfare arriving late. Book it on day 1 — lead times slip to 5–7 days in busy months.
- RAMS not signed off in time. Draft on day 3, get client sign-off before day 8 so workers don't stand around on day 10.
- Right to Work delays. If your agency doesn't provide RTW evidence with the worker profile, they aren't ready to deploy.
- Under-briefed workforce. Send the site address, arrival time, parking, and induction slot the day before. First-day no-shows are usually a briefing failure, not a worker failure.
- One-agency risk. For anything over 15 workers, use two agencies for the same trade so a shortfall from one is covered.
What to send your agency on day 1
A one-page workforce brief that includes:
- Site address and postcode
- Client / main contractor name (if not you)
- Start date and expected end date
- Trades and numbers by week
- Shift pattern (7:30–4:30, weekends?)
- Ticket requirements per trade
- PPE requirements (hi-vis colour, gloves spec, safety spec glasses)
- Welfare and parking arrangements
- Site contact name and mobile