Posted November 30, 2000
ICL signs partnering agreement with Chesterton
The long running saga of ICL's attempt to find a property partner appears
to have ended. The IT services company has announced a seven year deal
with Chesterton which embraces all its property and facilities management
requirements.
NHS facilities director wins FM graduate award
Robert Heavisides, Director of Facilities for the West Suffolk Hospital
Trust, is the winner of the FM Graduate of the Year Award 2000 and an
all-expenses paid trip to the headquarters of Steelcase in the USA.
Staff sacked over offensive e-mails
The need to have clear guidelines for the use of e-mail at work was underlined
by the news that people have been dismissed at the Birmingham office of
Cable & Wireless for abuse of corporate e-mail facilities.
Posted November 29, 2000
Cable & Wireless deny outsourcing reports
Cable & Wireless has denied reports that it is exploring a Europe
wide property outsourcing deal.
Nobles backed PFI health schemes completed
Edinburgh based investment bank Nobles has announced the completion of
two private finance initiative hospital schemes worth £28m.
Rooftop aerials – the prospects and pitfalls
Property owners relishing the prospect of generating significant income
from siting telecommunications aerials on their rooftops should proceed
with caution.
Posted November 28, 2000
Another three years for Compass and Philips
Foodservice group Compass has extended its global foodservice contract
with Royal Philips Electronics for a further three years.
Lloyd’s outsources procurement to Coflex
Lloyd's of London has extended the scope of its outsourcing arrangement
with Coflex to include the procurement of office services and supplies.
Sulzer and Bruce Shaw in Irish joint venture
Infrastructures solutions company Sulzer Infra CBX has established a new
joint venture with Irish construction and development consultants Bruce
Shaw.
IFMA UK Dinner
Almost 100 people gathered at The Four Seasons Hotel on London's Park
Lane last Friday evening for the inaugural dinner of IFMA's UK Chapter.
The event was essentially a social and networking occasion with the number
of guests from continental Europe emphasising the new Chapter's intention
to look outward.
Posted November 27, 2000
Granada Healthcare wins seven contracts worth
£7m
Catering and support services company Granada Healthcare Services has
been awarded seven contracts worth £7m through competitive tenders.
The contracts cover a range of facilities services such as catering, portering
and security.
ISS launches five year strategy
Danish services company ISS has set out its vision for the next five years,
during which it aims to continue the transformation from a supplier of
multi-services to a provider of facility services.
Americans face new workplace regulations
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) in the US has
issued new workplace regulations which will force many companies to hire
consultants, provide ergonomics training and revamp offices and assembly
lines.
Posted November 24, 2000
New FM company looks to expand rapidly in
UK
Faceo, the new facilities management joint venture created by Alstom and
Thomson-CSF plans rapid growth in the UK.
Growth for Connaught
AIM listed property services company Connaught reports turnover up by
42% to over £77m and a 25% rise in pre-tax profit to £2.22m.
Telecom Italia sells 60% of real estate unit
One of Italy’s largest real estate companies Beni Stabili and Lehman
Brothers Holdings have agreed to buy 60% of Telecom Italia’s real
estate unit IM.SER, valued at 2.9bn euros (£1.7bn).
Posted November 23, 2000
Johnson Controls is BP's global preferred
supplier
Johnson Controls has completed a global preferred supplier agreement with
BP for the delivery of integrated facility management services.
FM margins down at Rentokil
In a statement which appears to stand conventional FM thinking on its
head, Rentokil Initial says that what it calls 'bundled' services are
under more price pressure than its 'focus' or specialised services.
Contract wins for Amec and Banner FM
Amec Facilities resident services team has retained and expanded a contract
with Prudential through a competitive tendering process. The FM company
is to provide M&E maintenance, building and fabric services, project
works and additional support to other Prudential properties around the
country.
Seven year extension for Eurest Sutcliffe
Contract caterer Eurest Sutcliffe has been awarded a seven year contract
extension on its original five year agreement with the Ministry of Defence
in Bristol, to provide catering for 6,000 employees.
New National Standards for Call Centres
The Call Centre Association has published new minimum standards of practice
to help deal with the problems associated with call centre environments.
Posted November 22, 2000
Who really is who in facilities management?
Facilities management is a people business, but who are the real movers
and shakers in this dynamic sector? Today i-FM launches a new feature
FM People, a Who's Who of facilities management.
Caxton FM wins contracts worth £3.2m
Shortly after announcing a 29% increase in turnover, Caxton FM has been
awarded new and renewed contracts worth £3.2m over the next five
years
British business not prepared for fire risk
New research sponsored by intelligent alarm signalling company BT RedCARE
shows UK business is unprepared for fire with over 50% of small businesses
failing to have a fire alarm.
Inland Revenue issues new guidance on relocation
The Inland Revenue has issued new guidance covering income tax and national
insurance contributions on relocation packages.
Posted November 21, 2000
New appointments at TCS and C&W
Global outsourcing company Trammell Crow Savills has appointed Neil Usher
as account director, responsible for the strategic direction of major
accounts including Cisco Systems.
Johnson Controls shortlists four for academic
FM award
FM services provider Johnson Controls has shortlisted four students for
its newly launched annual award scheme with University College London.
Deutsche Bank contract for EMS
Environmental consultant EMS has been awarded a contract to audit all
of Deutsche Bank’s London buildings.
Posted November 20, 2000
ASB proposals may change corporate property
strategy
Corporate PFI may be the only form of "off-balance sheet" financing
available in the future. This was one of the messages from a presentation
by Peter Vernon of PricewaterhouseCoopers to the UK Chapter of Nacore
last week.
C&W forms association with New Zealand
real estate firm
Real estate services firm Cushman &Wakefield has formed an association
with New Zealand commercial and industrial property services company Bayleys
Real Estate.
Posted November 17, 2000
CB Richard Ellis buyout offer
CB Richard Ellis Services, one of the largest commercial real-estate services
firms in the US, has received a proposal from an investor group led by
Blum Capital Partners to purchase the 62% of the company it doesn't already
own for $194.7m.
Railtrack extends B&P FM contract
Building & Property’s three year FM contract with Railtrack has
been extended a further two years. The company expects to turn over an
additional £10m in the next two years.
Minister calls for better design of public
buildings
Quality has taken a backseat to cost cutting for too long when it comes
to our public buildings said Arts Minister Alan Howarth, speaking at this
week's PFI conference on design quality.
Posted November 16, 2000
Alstom and Thomson-CSF launch FM joint venture
Two of France’s major industrial companies have announced the formation
of a facilities management company. They aim to make the new joint venture
company one of the top three in Europe "as quickly as possible."
Ballast and Wiltshire preferred construction
and FM bidders
Construction and services company Ballast has been announced as preferred
bidder by the University of East Anglia and South Norfolk District Council,
to construct a £6m new school of Nursing and Midwifery in Norwich.
Land Securities releases interim results
Land Securities which recently acquired Trillium has announced its interim
results for the six months ended 30 September 2000. Pre-tax profits went
down to £148.5m from £151.7m.
Posted November 15, 2000
Safety standards in construction must improve
says HSE
Statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) yesterday
showed that 62 people died as a result of construction work during the
first six months of this year. During the same period last year, 39 people
died.
Regus announces third quarter profits
Serviced office provider Regus, which recently floated announced increased
turnover for the third quarter to 30 September 2000.
Free Report on FM contracts plus conference
Subscribers to workplacelaw.net can now download a free report on facilities
management contracts. The report gives readers an overview of the major
issues surrounding successful contract management.
Posted November 14, 2000
Post Office seeks joint venture partner for
FM arm
The Post Office is looking for joint venture partners to give two of its
key support services greater commercial freedom. It will retain a majority
share, probably 51%, in facilities management unit Romec as well as Employee
Health Services (EHS) for which it is also seeking a partner.
Cushman & Wakefield appoints new executive
VP
John B. Coppedge III has been promoted to executive vice president, International
Operations for Cushman & Wakefield, where he will direct the firm's
international operations from the New York City World Headquarters office.
Posted November 13, 2000
Jarvis gains in education
Jarvis has consolidated its position in the education facilities management
market with the award of a £230m schools Private Finance Initiative
contract in London and the opening of a new university accommodation project.
ISS division ‘flies’ to Stansted
with added services
ISS Airspeed has acquired Fernley Airport Services, previously owned by
Swissport International AG, and has consequently moved into Stansted airport.
Amec associate acquires Dutch services firm
Spie S.A., 41.6% owned by services and engineering company Amec, has acquired
Dutch services company Electron. With a turnover of £48m (Euro 80m)
Electron serves the industrial, telecommunications and energy sectors.
Posted November 10, 2000
Brown's boost for urban renewal welcomed
As usual with Gordon Brown's announcements the devil is in the detail
but his pre-budget report on Wednesday received a generally favourable
reaction from those looking at the implications for business, especially
property and development.
La Salle wins vote in Florida!
Jones Lang LaSalle has won the 2000 Site Selection/William Dorsey Service
Provider Award in the Full-Service Real Estate category for its 'exceptional
integrated client service delivery'
Canary Wharf secures £1bn loan
Canary Wharf has secured a £1bn revolving real estate construction
loan to finance new development.
Posted November 9, 2000
£40m defence housing PFI
Close Asset Management, part of merchant banking group Close Brothers,
and its joint venture partner Ashwell Group have been appointed preferred
bidder for a new defence housing PFI scheme worth £40m.
New associate at WSP Development
Property, land and construction consultancy WSP, has appointed Carl Tonks
as associate with WSP Development Ltd.
Sun Labs opens research centre in Europe
Sun Microsystems has inaugurated the third Sun Labs research centre and
the first in Europe, at Grenoble, Switzerland.
Posted November 8, 2000
Innovative projects win shares in DTI’s
£5m Partnership fund
In the second round of the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) £5m
Partnership Fund, projects which reduce harassment and bullying to a policy
of zero tolerance as well as enhancing employees' lives by encouraging
flexible working among others have won a share of the fund.
Kier wins £120m outsourcing contract
for Islington Borough
International construction and services company Kier Group, has signed
a £120m partnering contract with the London Borough of Islington
to outsource the Borough's buildings maintenance under the government's
'best value' programme.
Yet another online construction market initiative
Deutsche Telekom and Walter Holding are planning a joint venture to design
and operate an online market for the construction industry.
Posted November 7, 2000
Jarvis reaches close on £22m student
accommodation project
The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) project, part of Jarvis’
University Partnership Programme (UPP), has reached financial close.
Stirling Prize goes to Peckham Library and
Media Centre
Peckham Library and Media Centre in London has won the £20,000 Stirling
Prize. The centre, by Alsop & Störmer Architects, was nominated
Building of the Year for its innovative, colourful and humorous design.
Frankfurt and Schiphol join forces
The companies that operate Schiphol and Frankfurt airports have announced
the name and further details of their alliance agreed at the end of last
year.
Posted November 6, 2000
Trillium goes to Land Securities for £165m
Just three years after it was formed, property outsourcing company Trillium
is to be sold to the UK's largest property company Land Securities for
£160m in cash and 680,000 shares, worth £5m.
Skanska sells Costain Group holding
Skanska has announced the sale of its entire shareholding, 7.6% of the
capital in UK construction company Costain Group, to two of Costain’s
current shareholders.
Posted November 3, 2000
More flexible benefits for staff
A report into flexible benefits, released by the Industrial Society yesterday,
showed that 53% of participating organisations now operate a flexible
benefits scheme – a number which has doubled in the last four years.
First two Sun buildings complete
Sun Microsystems has announced the completion of the first two buildings
of its new Thames Valley office complex Guillemont Park, at Blackwater
near Camberley.
AMEC to raise £29m in share issue
Services and engineering company AMEC is to raise around £29 million
through a placing of 10,400,000 new ordinary shares of 50p each representing
5% of the issued share
Posted November 2, 2000
Regus in joint venture with Italian firm
Serviced office provider Regus plc and Milano Centrale, Gruppo Pirelli
& C., the real estate division of Pirelli, yesterday launched a serviced
office joint venture in Italy.
Redfern's move
For the second time Prue Redfern's career move has got the world of FM
talking.
Further acquisitions for ISS
ISS has acquired companies in Sweden, Switzerland and Finland.
Stiell success in PFM Partnership Awards
The beams of the historic Porter Tun room at London’s Brewery echoed
to applause for the winners of the 2000 Premises & Facilities Management
Partnership Awards on Tuesday night.
Posted November 1, 2000
News Extra Stiell
success in PFM Partnership Awards
The beams of the historic Porter Tun room at London’s Brewery echoed
to applause for the winners of the 2000 Premises & Facilities Management
Partnership Awards last night.
Prime reason for working from home is efficiency
68% of the men and women taking part in a government survey say they work
from home because it enables them to be more efficient.
BIFM seeks input to Special Interest Group
The BIFM’s recently launched Building Services Special Interest Group
is seeking help and ideas.