Iain is a partner in our Projects & Procurement Team, where he has significant experience of a wide variety of PFI/PPP and procurement projects particularly within the local authority sector. Iain’s particular areas of expertise include PF2, PPP, school building projects, the Academies initiative, waste and energy projects, the leisure sector, and facilities management and outsourcing. He has also advised on a number of NHS PFI and PPP projects.
Iain’s background is as a property lawyer, so he is also involved in regeneration projects, housing development companies, and property based joint venture agreements. He regularly advises clients on procurement and state aid issues, particularly in a regeneration context.
Iain's work includes advising bidders and authorities on major projects. Advising on both sides of the table is useful in terms of giving a different perspective to complex procurement processes.
Experience
Examples of experience include advising:
Waste projects
- University of Durham in relation to the procurement of the construction and financing of two new colleges, under competitive dialogue;
- Northumberland County Council on its waste PFI project, the construction of a combined school and leisure facility (procured under competitive dialogue), and a disposal programme of Council assets;
- Cumbria County Council on their waste PPP project, with a capital value of £60 million and an NPV of £750 million. It was a major waste project with all of the features of PFI, but without DEFRA having provided PFI funding;
- Hampshire County Council on the outsourcing of its HWRCs, and more generally in relation to its long term waste contract with Veolia;
- Private sector waste clients such as JFS Associates Limited (in relation to the construction and financing of an anaerobic digestor), J&B Recycling Limited (in relation to various local authority waste contracts) and Wastewise Limited (in relation to the construction, finance and operation of a green and food waste facility in Cheshire).
Local government
- Durham County Council on its procurement and projects work. He led the team who acted for the Council in its Building Schools for the Future project. He also assisted the Council on its re-procurement of domiciliary care services, a recycling procurement project and the creation of a housing development company. He has advised the Council on their re-procurement of all of their waste contracts and also on a potential outsourcing of their leisure function, as well as the construction of a new HQ, procured under the competitive dialogue;
- The City of York Council on its provision of a new community stadium (housing both York City FC and York Knights Rugby League Club) and the outsourcing of its leisure services functions under a PPP contract with Greenwich Leisure Limited;
- Newcastle City Council on its city wide district heating PPP project, and the outsourcing of its leisure service.
