EC Harris has won the managing agent contract with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and will manage all its outsourced services amounting to around £18 million per annum.
The deal, which the firm secured in the face of strong competition from seven other companies, will see EC Harris manage all of the DTI's 18 buildings in the UK.
The role will include a wide range of functions, including building services, catering, energy, environment, waste, security, business continuity, client and visitor hospitality, health & safety and physical security. This is one of central government's most prestigious contracts and EC Harris will have to cater not only for more than 5,000 DTI staff, but also for 12,000 visitors a month.
"This is a bigger challenge than most facilities management contracts, because the DTI is the UK's shop window to other countries," said Amir Baharlou, Partner at EC Harris, who will be heading up the site based DTI team. "We will need to meet the needs of thousands of customers, and many different stakeholders every day."
EC Harris is currently a market leader in public sector Managing Agent commissions working for central government departments such as the DFES, Her Majesty's Courts Service, the Insolvency Service and the Driving Standards Agency, all with large property portfolios. The firm also works on projects and consultancy commissions for the Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, DEFRA, the Treasury, the Scottish Executive, Welsh Health Estates and Her Majesty's Prison Service.
Amir said: "EC Harris won the contract because we offered the DTI a top calibre management team with new ideas as to how to improve the standards of service and provide a world class environment for staff and visitors from the UK and overseas.
"The DTI liked our reputation for taking a proactive approach, and the fact that as a multi disciplinary firm we could provide all the services in-house, as well as offering the same high standards across the country through our national network of offices."
Source: EC Harris
