FM Report 180 - Thursday 7th September 2006

07 September 2006

The latest FM news directed to your desktop

Sale of equity in eight of Carillion PPP projects
Carillion it is to sell its equity holdings in eight fully operational PPP projects to two secondary market funds. The deal will generate cash proceeds of £46m and an exceptional profit of £22m. The projects to be sold are HMP Altcourse, Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre, Medway Secure Training Centre, HMP Rye Hill, Manchester Magistrates Courts, East Anglia Courts, Humberside Courts and Leeds Schools. Following the equity sale, Carillion will have 23 financially closed projects in which it has invested, or has commitments to invest, £159m. It recently closed the MoD projects Allenby Connaught and Joint Permanent Headquarters, Northwood. Carillion has announced that Don Kenny has been appointed as executive director while retaining his responsibilities for Carillion's National Building, Health, Integrated Solutions, Facilities Management, Facilities Services and TPS businesses.
www.carillionplc.com/privatefinance

Promoting FM with one voice
Major stakeholders in the FM sector have agreed to support a more coherent voice for FM in the wider business world, the media and education. Called Action FM, the dedicated FM promotion group will develop a co-ordinated approach to promoting FMs strengths outside the FM sector. The initiative has the active support of key FM industry organisations including Asset Skills, BIFM, BSA, CIBSE FM Group, FMA, FMA Young Managers Forum, Institute of Administrative Management and RICS FM Faculty. The group has identified issues where it would be beneficial to raise the profile of FM. Michael Cant, deputy chair of RICS FM Forum, will be the first chairman of Action FM, thereafter it will rotate among Group members. Commenting on the formation of Action FM, he said, "This is a turning point for the FM sector. It's about time the value we add as professional bodies starts to be recognised by the wider world - and Action FM's target is to achieve this. Collaboration across Institutes and membership bodies will provide a sound platform for the future. I am delighted to be asked to lead this first phase of activities."
mike@larch.co.uk

London Olympics - latest developments
* The Olympic Development Authority (ODA) announced last week that the CLM consortium had been selected as preferred bidder for the role of project management for the delivery of venues and infrastructure of the 2012 Games. CLM comprises CH2M HILL, Laing O'Rourke and Mace who have between them worked on five previous Olympic and Paralympic summer and winter Games, and on the two forthcoming Games, and played key roles in Terminal 5 at Heathrow.
www.london2012.com

* The ODA is seeking interest from the utility industry to deliver a range of utility services including electricity, gas, water, sewerage and telecommunications to support the development of the Olympic Park and post-Games communities. One company or a range of companies will be required to design, construct, own and operate the utilities including a CCHP plant and energy from renewable sources. Interested parties should register for the open day on 28 September.
newutilities@london2012.com

* The Government Office for the South East has been awarded £7m from the European Social Fund to support employment and skills needs of the built environment and sports sectors to prepare for the 2012 Games. The 'Bidding For Gold' programme will support SMEs in the built environment in forming consortia to bid for large construction projects which they would be unable to tender for as a single organisation.
Vclements@ciob.org.uk

To train or not to train? ..... that is our question
Time and money spent on training and development activities are often regarded as a cost not an investment in future business success. In association with PFM, Beverley Thompson of Humanics is reviewing training and development in FM in a major survey conducted among PFM and FM Report readers. Does the FM industry recognise the potentially positive impact that training and development can have on business performance? Is FM providing real training and development opportunities to make it an attractive industry to work in? Is there enough focus on leadership and management development? Help us find out by completing the online survey ... and win an iPoD Nano. The results will be published in the October issue of PFM magazine.
Click Here

Octavian splits from Dubai partners
Sukhi Ghuman, director of Dubai based security company, Octavian Security Ltd, based in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, has announced that he is withdrawing from the business following what he believes to be the intentional illegal exploitation of security officers by his Dubai business partners. He has accuses two of his former partners of professional misconduct whilst providing manned security services for international blue chip organisations based in Dubai. This includes placing officers in overcrowded accommodation, allowing them to work for over 24 hours without a break, employing officers that are unlicensed with the local police, cutting corners on essential security officer training, employing officers that cannot speak English and not paying officers regularly. Ghuman said, "These activities are not only illegal, unprofessional and immoral - they also contravene all of the values which the Octavian brand stands for." Ghuman's Octavian Group of Companies will now be setting up a new operation in the region, which will retain the name Octavian Security Ltd while the former Octavian Security Ltd will continue to trade, but under a new identity.
www.octaviansecurity.com

Second 'super MAC ' for ESS
Defence support specialist, ESS, has won a £74m contract to provide support services to the 4th Division of the British Army in Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The 61/2 year Multi-Activity Contract (super MAC) covers catering, retail and leisure services and other support services including window cleaning, laundry and dry cleaning, accommodation cleaning, waste management and tailoring for 8,000 military and civilian personnel. ESS's other super MAC contract supports the 2nd Division of the British Army in Scotland.
www.ees-global.com

More workplace futures at Worktech06
The 3rd annual Worktech06 conference at The British Library that focuses on the convergence of workplace technologies and real estate will be featuring author, Charles Handy as a headline speaker. The conference has established a reputation as a key source of valuable and up-to the minute information about innovation and workplace futures. This year it will have sessions entitled The Future Worker, Real Estate in the Age of the Internet, Working in the Knowledge Economy and The Challenge of Change. Delegates will receive a free copy of Handy's latest book and a reduced price offer on Space at Work, the new book from Philip Ross and Jeremy Myerson.
www.unwired.eu.com/worktech06.html