CBA's team comprises sector specialists whose particular expertise reflects the company's wide ranging experience.

Typical CBA projects include retail developments (town centre and out-of-town), offices, hotels, banks, museums, schools and housing association developments.

Because of the number of different people involved, there's an inevitable delicacy about the management of construction. The more clearly defined the lines of communication, the more support there is for each individual function - and the less likely the project is to come unstuck.

From the start, we play a fundamental role as interpreters and communicators of our client's brief. The designers need to be aware of our assumptions about quality and cost before they can develop that brief. The same is true for the structural and service engineers.

Up to the tender issue, we are at the hub of a continual flow of information between the client, the designer, the engineers and other professionals. All this information must be suitably processed for potential contractors.

Once building has begun, the flow increases and so does the necessity for effective communication. At every stage of construction, someone will be depending on someone else for information before they can make their next move. It's part of our job to help that person get the information he wants, when he wants it.

A constant balance has to be achieved, reconciling the demands of all the different parties to the process - and good communication to the fulcrum.