Arcadis AYH moves into low carbon consultancy

The firm is “aggressively” recruiting building services engineers, according to a spokesperson, and hopes to have 15 qualified EPC assessors in the coming months.

“It’s a niche opening for us and we are pursing a low carbon consultancy through the building services route,” he told BSj. “The main design engineers in the market have apparently decided against going into this. For us it started off as a value-add service, but is now a stand-alone value proposition.”

The move by AYH comes just before commercial property owners are required from 6 April to have an EPC if their building is on the market to be sold or rented. An EPC is also needed if it is a new building ready to be commissioned.

But property sector concerns about what is required of them in the lead-up to 6 April led the government to ease the introduction of EPCs. Last month it announced that buildings already on the market by 6 April need not have an EPC until the contract is exchanged, rather than when it goes on the market.

Engineering firms also voiced concerns about not having enough qualified assessors to handle what many believe will be a rush for EPCs by property owners.

The AYH spokesperson said they have four or five full-time assessors who work within their corporate accommodation and public works departments. “We have work already for 15 people.”

He also said that Arcadis AYH is on the verge of signing an agreement to set up a joint venture business with a property managing agent with upwards of 1bn square feet of property on its books.