Preparations underway for Terminal 2 renovation by BAA
Heathrow Airport's Terminal 2 is undergoing a significant building project, with the new terminal scheduled to open in 2014. Unlike its larger counterpart, Terminal 5, Terminal 2 will cater to 18 separate airlines, all members of the Star Alliance group.
In February 2011, BAA appointed Fujitsu as the design and implementation partner for Terminal 2's network infrastructure. The contract, expected to be worth around £20 million over four years, was awarded based on three criteria: technical understanding, relationships with suppliers, and experience of working on construction sites.
The selection of Fujitsu was not a mere coincidence. The company's ability to work in a complicated matrix of suppliers and subcontractors was a crucial factor. This is particularly important as Terminal 2, despite being two thirds the size of Terminal 5, is significantly more complex from a network connectivity perspective. The new terminal will have up to 20,000 separate devices connected to it and will feature around 136 different communication rooms.
Installation of IT systems as part of a major project management challenge, and there is an engagement and coordination challenge, especially with building contractors. Fostering understanding and collaboration between building contractors and technology suppliers is identified as one of the critical risk factors for the project.
To ensure project success, BAA has put mechanisms in place to motivate Fujitsu. A target cost mechanism and incentives for collaboration with other suppliers are among these measures. There are also opportunities for contractors to demonstrate that they are displaying the right behaviors and working in the right way, and receive further cash incentives.
Kent undertook a 'comprehensive' user requirements gathering process before initiating the project, and Fujitsu is contractually obliged to meet those requirements. BAA takes a systematic approach to forecasting future requirements for the terminal's network. However, one of the challenges on complicated multi-supplier contracts such as this is that if any supplier goes to siloed and are not managing interfaces proactively, it can put the client in a difficult place.
High profile IT projects such as this are especially prone to negative publicity if they go wrong, and BAA has taken steps to mitigate this risk. Installing IT systems as part of a major building project is always tricky, and there is an engagement and coordination challenge, especially with building contractors. Working with people who don't understand at the first instance the technical level of the network infrastructure is a daily challenge.
The new Terminal 2 is expected to handle 20 million passengers annually. With the building project well underway and Fujitsu at the helm of the network infrastructure, Heathrow Airport is set to provide a seamless travel experience for its passengers in the near future.
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