Making major changes to a business can be fraught with worry but in the past 12 months, one firm has done just that.

Project management consultancy Diligence, which is based at The Nucleus in Dartford, made the leap from being a self-employed project manager to building a company able to employ several others and maintain an office base.

Reinvesting profits to make it work, it involved a total rebrand, a reset of all policies and procedures and a new-look website.

This has enabled the infrastructure and construction experts to offer a partnership deal in clients’ projects by providing high calibre professional managers and support staff followed by regular visits from a director.

Clients have included Thames Water at the Crossness Beam Engine Trust and UK Power Networks.

Referring to other firms in the industry, operations manager Alison Scrivener has a generous viewpoint.

She said: “We do not see them as competitors as there is enough work for all of us. Working together is more productive and gets the job done quicker.”

The firm considers it important to be a functioning part of the local community. Both the managing director and operations manager help run a local Scout group and offer support with sponsorship when needed.

There is also a policy of involvement in the community, taking part in Neighbourhood Watch, local politics and charity fundraising.

Alison added: “We also sponsor a local uniformed youth organisation and two local charities. Our managing director has undertaken training for a business mentoring course at Leigh Academy and will start this in September.”

Diligence is just one of several companies to enter this year’s Dartford and Gravesham Business Awards. They are supported by the Messenger and each entrant gets a free profile in our papers and online.

Entries have now closed but you can find out more at www.dgbawards.co.uk

This year’s sponsors are: Barnes Roffe; Dartford council; Gravesham council; KM Media Group; Lloyds Bank; Thomson Snell and Passmore; University of Greenwich and JonesFM.