No matter how hard the ground, infra work is and always will be human work

We know her from the "Women at the Top" column. Marsha Goosens shone with her story in edition 3 of this magazine. As Operational Environmental Manager Infra, she has earned a permanent place in our sector. You were able to read how she combines her work with a busy family life. We did not tell you that there is a real 'infra marriage' in the Goosens household. Yet the same jargon is spoken at the kitchen table. Michiel Goosens is one of the partners at Aratis, consultants in procurement, contract management and process management.

We speak with Marsha and Michiel about the search for connection, in civil engineering. About a shared mission, people work and the "soft" side of our "hard" sector.

Installation of the Borssele Alpha platform - A project of Aratis.

Coming full circle again

In 1997, the two met while studying Civil Engineering, at the HTS in Rotterdam. "We graduated together in 2000 on a project for a new way of handling containers. That project even won the Infratech innovation award," Marsha opens the conversation. "As a couple, we were on the same project at the start of our careers until our -business- paths parted. After 20 years, however, we ended up back on the same project, this time the 'Container Exchange Route.' Thus the circle was complete again. Despite having gone our separate ways for many years at different organizations and projects on both the client and contractor side, we found out at the CER project that we think exactly the same about the aspect of working together."

Michiel: "After 20 years, we know that problems are fortunately always technically solvable. The real problems are in the relational and communicative area. In that respect, our 'infra marriage' is a nice metaphor for what happens outside, at work. Every party involved in a project should actually enter into a kind of marriage, within which you promise to support each other for better or worse. Within which you trust each other and treat each other with respect, on the basis of equality. Then beautiful things arise and you may consider a successful project your baby. You can imagine the conversations over dinner I think.       

You can't tie a string to that if you're not familiar with our industry."

Searching for better forms of contracts

"With the experience we have gained at Aratis over the years on both the client and contractor side, we are -for the most part- on the client side continuously looking for better forms of contracting and tendering.

We live in a time where everyone is looking for a grip on risk in large projects. This is mainly sought in ever-changing contract forms. Initially with the integrated contracts you saw a not always proportional shift of risks to the market, although today alliances and construction teams are also increasingly applied with a more balanced distribution of risks, a positive development," Michiel outlines.

"For Aratis, there is no question that -although a good contract framework remains important- the solution also lies primarily on the soft side of things. Let's treat each other as human beings, with respect. Give each other space in a project, be sociable towards each other, use our common sense, keep thinking ahead and above all keep an understanding of the content. Then you make a good project and everyone enjoys their work. Meanwhile, such an approach is being made concrete on several projects."

Princess Alexia wind farm, an Aratis project.

Good preparation may take time

"You have to spend time on the front end of a project to eliminate differences in interpretation," Marsha says. "By doing so, you avoid speaking different languages in the field. That takes time and guts to create a basis of trust. The fact of the matter is that the worlds of a client and a contractor are different. It is not realistic to expect to completely eliminate those differences during the course of a project.  However, you can start the project with the same intention so that if there are setbacks, you can come to a solution together."

Michiel adds, "On the customer's side, we often spend quite some time getting a project off the ground thoroughly. Two years of preparation, then the tender and then market parties are expected to acquire this knowledge within the tender period? That is possible, but only if you have managed everything beforehand but especially at the start of a project and also allow room for the contractor's interpretation. That's our job at Aratis, among other things."

A veritable behavioral compass

A behavioral compass was created for the CER, with a set of clear core values. "We made this behavioral compass part of the contract. Does anyone want to make changes? Then you have to act on the content of that behavioral compass," Michiel explains. "From Aratis we are -together with other professionals from the sector- developing a service concept where clients and contractors are supported to successfully realize project goals with concrete measures and through the human connection, this way it doesn't remain an intention. We are convinced that in this way you not only create beautiful projects but also grow personally as an individual. This ensures that you go to work on our long-term infrastructure projects with pleasure. We all want that," Michiel concludes.    

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