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Lie-ins are likely to be one of the first things that go out of the window if you find yourself working for Westfield. Keith Whitmore, the retail developer鈥檚 head of design and construction, explains why. 鈥淚 am hands on and I like to know what鈥檚 going on in my organisation,鈥� he says. So, phone calls at 6am? A pause and a wry smile say it all. 鈥淧eople need to be accessible,鈥� he shrugs.

It鈥檚 fair enough that Whitmore commands a dedicated work ethic from his supply chain. He has a big job to do. Following the construction of the 拢1.7bn flagship Westfield mall in White City, west London, which opened in October 2008, Whitmore has now been charged with delivering the 拢1.45bn follow-up scheme in Stratford, east London, right next to the Olympic site. The 1.25 million m2 site is due for completion by this time next year with vertical construction set to kick off any day now.

But there is still plenty to do, including additional mixed-use schemes at Stratford scheduled to start right after the main body of the mall has been constructed. These will include 1,200 homes, 65,000m2 of offices and 36,5000m2 of leisure space. And Whitmore is already looking ahead to Westfield鈥檚 development pipeline, which includes plans for new multimillion-pound malls up and down the country.

He approaches all this with an ox-like determination, something he has demonstrated throughout his career, starting off as a carpenter鈥檚 apprentice in his teens and working his way up through the ranks and into the boardroom before being offered a job with Westfield in 2005. And, for those who think they can live up to his high standards and early morning phone calls, he is on the lookout for new firms. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 use just one or two companies repeatedly,鈥� he says. 鈥淓veryone has an equal opportunity to win work with us.鈥�

The group

In the 10 years since Westfield broke into the UK retail market 鈥� it was set up in Australia in 1960 鈥� the group has become one of the biggest retail developers in the country. It procures work using design-and-build contracts and there are plenty coming up on Westfield schemes, both in Stratford and, longer term, up and down the country. 鈥淲estfield is not just about Stratford,鈥� says Whitmore. 鈥淭here will be opportunities elsewhere coming up over the next few years. There are plans for Guildford, Nottingham, Merry Hill [in the West Midlands] and Lisburn, Northern Ireland.鈥�

Whitmore admits that he uses a few key firms (see list, below) but adds quickly that Westfield tenders everything. 鈥淚 want the message out there, loud and clear,鈥� he says. 鈥淏idding is very expensive, I am acutely aware of that. If you tender for us, you should know that you have just as good an opportunity to win as everyone else.鈥�

The key players he refers to are firms that are in short supply in the UK 鈥� those able to handle large jobs. He uses the steel frame contract on Westfield Stratford, awarded to Severfield-Reeve, as an example. 鈥淭hat job required 40,000 tonnes of steel, a huge contract that hardly anyone in the UK would have been capable of managing.鈥�

But a new strategy on this Stratford scheme is to split these big contracts up. So the lion鈥檚 share of the work 鈥� 拢55m in the steel contract鈥檚 case 鈥� goes to one main contractor but then a lesser percentage is divvied up between smaller firms. 鈥淭he idea is to spread out work where we can in this difficult climate,鈥� explains Whitmore. 鈥淔irms are struggling for survival so we are dividing up a small percentage of the big jobs among three or four other companies. These packages are worth around 拢1m each.鈥�

How to impress him

Whitmore鈥檚 background in construction means he is in a better position than some other clients to empathise with his supply chain. Not, he adds quickly, that that makes him a soft touch. 鈥淚 still think of myself as a builder and my job is to support the supply chain. But I also have extra insight which means I know how the construction industry operates and that makes it harder for people to pull the wool over my eyes.

鈥淚 can be very direct. This is a big project and you have to be extremely clear about what you want from contractors. Everyone understands there is a job to do and that it needs to be done quickly, safely and efficiently. That鈥檚 the way I operate and I do not suffer fools gladly.鈥�

Whitmore may be a demanding client, but anyone with that much work to offer is well worth trying to impress. The question is, how? Design and build capability is a must and past retail experience is a bonus, though not essential. 鈥淚 think 90% of people you asked this question to would say they are looking for innovation, dedication and enthusiasm, right?鈥� he says. 鈥淲ell, of course we are looking for those things but I would say that what I am really looking for is someone who knows what they are doing.鈥�