by Edward Simpkins
WS Atkins is to open a Reading office to bid for property service contracts from the six new unitary authorities which have taken over from the defunct Berkshire county council.
But Jones Lang Wootton, which handled Berkshire’s property contract, is unlikely to bid for the work and may close its Reading office.
David Larkin of JLW said the firm had not enjoyed the experience of working for Berkshire: “Our interest in the whole thing has waned. We put a toe in the water but we found it difficult being in such a rigid relationship.”
He said that the inflexible contract with the council created more work than it was worth. “It is very low margin work and we think our people can be better deployed.”
Norman Ashworth of WS Atkins, which has been doing Oxford’s property work for the past five years, said the key to success is to provide a complete property service. “We do everything to do with property for Oxfordshire, including building maintenance and architecture: that wasn’t the case in Berkshire, it was just valuation and estate management.”
Even though the government has said it will end compulsory competitive tendering for service providers, Ashworth is confident that many of the new unitary authorities will consider outside contractors for property services.
Berkshire was split into Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough, and Newbury. “We are to open a Reading office in July with the purpose of dealing with this type of client. We’ve made overtures to all the new unitaries.”
Each contract will be worth several million pounds over its five-year lifespan and represents a rare source of stable income for the agents.
Other councils likely to consider appointing property managers include Swindon, formerly part of Wiltshire county council, Buckinghamshire, which comes up for renewal in two years’ time, and Hertfordshire, for which WS Atkins has already bid.
