Spanswick ... confident.
UK firm banks on expertise
With the opening of its Dubai office, leading project and construction management company – Bovis Lend Lease – looks forward to better business prospects in the region.
01 May 2004
UK-based Bovis Lend Lease, a leading project and construction management company, has opened its new regional office in the UAE.
The company has hailed the rapid development strides undertaken in the Middle East, emphasising that the construction boom in the region was attracting international players to explore the rich opportunities available.
Through the opening of its new office in Dubai, Bovis has taken the first step in further strengthening its operations in the region, which it believes has overtaken many developed markets by continuously ushering in new technologies and instantly adapting to the latest trends in the construction industry.
“We at Bovis Lend Lease are constantly inspired by this positive trend and the active support of the rulers to the construction business,” says John Spanswick, chairman and CEO – Europe, Middle East and Africa following the inauguration of the firm’s Dubai office.
“We first worked in the Middle East in the 1970s, so we have a longstanding involvement in the region. By opening our new office here in Dubai, we will be able to provide a broader and more responsive service to our clients both locally and globally,” he adds.
Owned by Lend Lease Corporation of Australia, Bovis Lend Lease ranks among the world’s top 10 construction management companies active in more than 40 countries. Its first projects in the region include two local landmarks – the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh and the Kuwait National Assembly building.
More recently, the company has secured major projects in Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi as well as Saudi Arabia, in addition to a number of regional rollout and re-branding programmes. Several of the companies’ global multinational clients are also now investing in the Middle East.
“Our international track record is important to us in building our presence locally,” says the firm’s new regional director Mark Fletcher. “With particular expertise as one of the world’s largest builders of commercial office, hotel, retail and leisure developments, it means that we can call upon the skills, knowledge and resources of the whole group when we need them. Our experience in the sectors of airport and health-care also complement the growth being witnessed here.”
Fletcher, who will be based in Dubai, has worked for the company for 10 years. He brings with him over 20 years of international experience in the construction industry including previous experience in the Middle East in Iraq and Egypt.
“It’s an exciting time to be in the Middle East,” says Fletcher. “There is substantial growth and diversification into non-oil related sectors such as tourism and financial services and the clients for these schemes are looking for world-class project teams to help them meet their cost, time and quality targets.”
Supporting all clients from both a local and global perspective is key to the success of all of Bovis Lend Lease contracts, with internationally-experienced construction professionals, engineers and managers available to provide dedicated on-site support, backed by locally-employed, company-trained project, construction, commercial and technical staff to deliver a truly integrated service in a cost-effective manner.
Results from recent research shows strong markets in all of the company’s key sectors and significant brand recognition for Bovis Lend Lease in this area. Since re-establishing its presence in the UAE, Bovis Lend Lease has already been involved in the master planning phase for a $200 million cultural development project for Abu Dhabi Public Works department and a $400 million education sector project with joint venture partner Addar Real Estate Services – with whom the company is also providing project management services for a new 50,000 sq m office in Abu Dhabi. In addition, Bovis Lend Lease has an active project with Projacs, for the construction of the $150 million Kuwait Oil Sector complex.
“The sheer scale and complexity of some of the new projects being planned in the region are ideally suited to our brand of project and construction management,” says Spanswick. “We believe there is real demand for such world-class services in the Middle East and we look forward to the contribution we can make to these emerging and established economies.”
From signature buildings to multiple programmes across the globe, Bovis Lend Lease provides the necessary support for clients to adapt their real estate requirements in response to market dynamics and changing environments.
Customer service and value creation are fundamental to the success of Bovis Lend Lease. With more than 7,500 employees in 39 offices worldwide, the company is constantly seeking to improve management techniques and practices that enhance client returns, says Spanswick.
In addition, the company’s declared commitment to an Incident and Injury Free (IIF) environment for all employees and site workers has been met with tremendous local interest and support.
“We have been greatly impressed by government and local authority concerns in respect of the standards of health and safety in the construction sector and we look forward to working together with clients, consultants and contractors to ensure that theses issues are addressed,” states Spanswick.
Established in London in 1885, by Charles William Bovis, the company grew steadily in the early part of the 20th century, first in London and then throughout Britain, as it built Marks and Spencer’s national network of stores.
In the 1960s, the company diversified into civil engineering, house building and property development and was acquired by P&O, the shipping and transport group, in 1974.
This was an era of major property development schemes in both the retail and commercial sectors, and in the UK, Bovis was at the forefront of the market, with construction management roles on the massive Broadgate office development in the City of London and at Canary Wharf, further down the River Thames.
Some of the larger projects of the firm include the program management of all the stadia for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and of Kuala Lumpur’s twin Petronas Towers.
In 1999 Lend Lease acquired Bovis from P&O and merged the company with is its own project management division to create Bovis Lend Lease.
Bovis Lend Lease operates through three distinct geographic regions: Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific.
The sectors in which the company specialises include commercial, retail, healthcare, urban regeneration, defence and global clients. In Britain and the US, Bovis Lend Lease is a leading provider of health-care facilities and the company’s high-rise construction expertise is in demand across the world.
In 2003, Bovis Lend Lease delivered a pre-tax profit of £79 million ($140.9 million) on a turnover of £3.2 billion. Worldwide, the value of new work secured stands at over £20 billion.
