The £34m-turnover firm is winding down the partnership that controls its quantity surveying work, which accounts for most of its business, and transferring it to a limited company.
It also aims to update its image and offer clients what it describes as a “clearer service”.
The move follows reorganisations at Bucknall Austin and MDA, and rebrandings at Gardiner & Theobald and Gleeds.
Industry sources said QSs were particularly keen to compete with management consultants and contractors, such as Amec, that are attempting to win business direct from clients by specialising in specific construction fields.
The reorganisation, which will be formally launched later this year, will involve:
- the formation of teams to win work in 10 fields, including pharmaceuticals, health, food and drink, gas, water, power and retail
- joint senior partner Doug Leedham becoming company chairman, with fellow joint senior partner Ron Valenti retiring next March
We want to make people feel they are first and foremost working for Currie & Brown
Doug Leedham, Senior Partner
- partner David Broomer probably becoming managing director, with current finance chief Mike Lawrence staying as finance director on a six- or seven-strong main board
- the setting up of four new trading company subsidiaries covering cost management, project management, general consulting and overseas work.
Until now, the Currie & Brown partnership that controlled the cost management work also owned limited companies covering the firm’s other three main fields of activity, which are project management, general consulting and overseas work.
Leedham believes that feeding all work directly into a limited holding company will help the non-QS staff feel more involved in the group. Although equity partners will own the new company at first, the firm plans to widen ownership and attract new people to the company.
Leedham said: “A lot of the limited company subsidiaries had been set up for the right reason, perhaps overseas, but we want to make people feel they are first and foremost working for Currie & Brown itself.
“People say ‘there’s all this going on in the centre – why can’t I be part of that, and not just peripheral to it?’.” Leedham said he had discussed the restructuring of his 900-strong firm with consulting engineers which have also had experience of inculcating a sense of belonging into overseas arms .
“Partnerships are fine up to a certain size,” he said. “But above that, I don’t think you’ve got much of an option other than to turn yourself into a corporate entity.” Asked if the reorganisation was intended to make Currie & Brown more attractive to potential buyers, Leedham said: “Nobody’s come knocking on my door recently. When they have, the view has been ‘why would we want to sell?’.” The firm announced an alliance with giant accountant Ernst & Young in March, but Leedham dismissed any suggestion that the accountant was planning a takeover.
