TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Spotlight SPOTLIGHT ON
STEVE LAWLEY IEng FIHEEM; Chair of the IHEEM West Midlands Branch
W
ith more than two decades of experience in Public Finance Initiative (PFI) delivery and operational estates engineering, Steve has built a career at the junction of technical
leadership, strategic contract management, and public sector service. Based in Birmingham, Steve now leads on a number of work streams across major health and social care and local government PFI contracts, supporting sponsor departments such as the Department of Health and Social Care and Ministry of Housing and Local Government in their contract, expiry management, and strategic asset management.
Career journey and PFI experience Steve’s career spans over 22 years in estates engineering and PFI contract management, progressing from hands-on technical roles
into senior leadership positions overseeing large, multi-contract portfolios. Throughout this journey, Steve has:
• Managed a wide range of PFI contracts across health, social care, and local government, covering both operational delivery and asset lifecycle strategy.
• Led on contract performance improvement, applying structured methodologies including performance dashboards, RAG frameworks, and KPI optimisation.
• Directed major contract variations, lifecycle negotiations, and risk mitigation programmes, helping public authorities secure long-term value.
• Overseen expiry and handback planning, ensuring assets remain compliant, safe, and aligned with evolving service needs. • Coordinated stakeholder relationships across contractors, FM providers, legal advisors, and government departments.
In his current responsibilities, Steve provides support to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Social Care PFI
portfolio, serves as deputy sector lead for the DHSC Hospital portfolio, and has recently become the sector lead for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. These roles involve engagement with large-scale, high-risk contracts while maintaining a consistent focus on improving public sector outcomes and recognising the drivers/needs of the private sector partners.
Coaching, mentoring, and leadership Alongside contract leadership, coaching and mentoring have become defining aspects of Steve’s professional identity. Through
informal support and structured training – including Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring and the IHEEM mentor/support programme – Steve has developed an approach rooted in openness, transparency, problem-solving, and building capability across teams.
Commitment to professional growth and sector improvement Steve’s commitment to lifelong learning is demonstrated through an extensive CPD record spanning contract and commercial
management, safety legislation, stakeholder engagement, programme governance, engineering standards, and digital innovation. Steve is qualified to Government Commercial Function Expert level in Contract Management and promotes the benefits of the GCF contract management standards and training to upskill colleagues across the healthcare sector via the Government Commercial College.
Looking ahead As the PFI landscape evolves – particularly with increasing focus on expiry preparation, asset stewardship, and public sector
assurance – Steve remains focused on driving excellence, developing people, promoting innovation, and supporting sustainable and resilient public infrastructure. The future and current workforce across healthcare – both technical and management – is experiencing change in terms of structure, budget, technology and availability. Steve is committed to supporting colleagues through IHEEM West Midlands and nationally, and through his day-to-day role via webinars, coaching, networking, development of AI technologies, and mentoring.
• Supported organisations in strengthening contract governance, embedding clearer reporting, assurance, and accountability structures.
16 Health Estate Journal June 2026
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