EC Harris throws a double

A great month for EC Harris in November. The firm has almost doubled its project management workload for the year to date to £810m. It is celebrating a 12% rise in profit to £28m on a rise in turnover of 7% last year. CEO Philip Youell told QS News this was down to a stronger presence in the retail and industrial sectors. A major contributor to the consultant’s book of PM work is a £335m deal to build a bridge over the Mersey, a five-year project for Halton Borough Council.

Although Turner & Townsend has fallen from third to fourth place in our project management league, the firm is actually doing better this month than last. It has an impressive £596m of PM work on its books, from 86 contracts, up from last month’s £547m, from 82 contracts. T&T’s current PM deals include the £175m Waverly Railway scheme. However, it’s biggest PM commission – the E2bn Dublin Metro North scheme – is outside the UK and therefore not included in our figures.

Despite having slipped down three positions this month, Faithful+Gould has some large projects on its hands. One current commission includes a £100m brownfield development in Lewisham, south London. The 400,000 sq ft mixed use scheme for client Castlemore Securities has just won planning consent. Business units, retail space, a restaurant and a garden centre are to be built on the site of the former Bell Green gas works. Construction is expected to start next year with phased completion of the various elements in 2008 to 2010.