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HEALTH SECTOR NEWS Engineering body to speak with ‘unified voice’


Eight prominent building engineering services organisations have come together to launch a new ‘building services alliance’, Actuate UK, that will represent a sector comprising some 60,000 businesses, employing 350,000 skilled professionals, accounting for 40 per cent of total UK construction value, and – through the buildings


Steve Bratt.


and facilities served – contributing over £100 billion annually to GDP. Speaking at the new body’s official launch, David Frise, chief executive of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) said the name, ‘Actuate’, had been selected since those delivering building engineering services ‘actuated’ the buildings that ‘90 per cent of us spend 90 per cent of our time in’. Actuate, would – he and a subsequent speaker, Steve Bratt, CEO of the of the Electrical and Engineering Services Association (ECA), explained, bring together all those responsible for designing, manufacturing, installing, commissioning, and maintaining building services to ensure that the sector was represented with a strong, unified


voice, and could contribute ideas, thought leadership, and commercial and technical expertise, both to the construction sector, and to government and other influential bodies. Steve Bratt said: “Building engineering services play a vital part not only in the safe and sustainable operation of a wide range of public and private sector buildings, but such


services, and the buildings they serve, also contribute around 40% to overall carbon emissions, so the sector has a major part to play in combating the global climate crisis and taking the UK towards its net zero carbon targets.”


While it will have a broad-ranging remit, Actuate UK intends focusing particularly on four ‘vitally important areas for the economy, society, and the environment’: n ‘The ‘post-COVID world of business’ - not just ‘traditional areas’ such as contracts, procurement, and payment, but also fields such as air quality, wellbeing, and ‘smart’ offices/cities.


n ‘After Grenfell Tower’ – safety, quality, and competence – through ensuring and developing a well-trained, qualified,


MajoritystakeinPremierModularacquired Cabot Square Capital has acquired


a majority shareholding in Premier Modular, one of the UK’s leading offsite construction specialists, for an undisclosed sum.


Independently owned, London-based Cabot Square is a specialist investment capital provider to European companies, with a particular focus on financial services, property, and infrastructure. Its portfolio includes NetZero Buildings – an offsite manufacturer of ‘energy-efficient buildings for the public sector’, and Public Sector Plc – a specialist asset manager. It says its investment in the offsite construction company will support the strategic growth of Premier’s modular hire business and permanent offsite division.


Established in 1956, East Yorkshire- headquartered Premier Modular provides temporary and permanent offsite building solutions across sectors including education, healthcare, infrastructure, construction, and residential. It has achieved strong year-on-year growth, and recently announced profits of over £10 m (EBITDA) for the year ending June 2020. Keith Maddin, Partner at Cabot Square, said: “MMC and offsite manufacturing are


competent, and appropriately skilled workforce.


n The Climate Crisis – with the services the sector installs important not just at the construction/commissioning phase, but throughout a building’s lifecycle.


n ‘Skills for tomorrow’s built environment’ – to improve productivity, quality, and to be ‘greener’, necessitating new ‘green’ and ‘digital’ skills in particular.


The eight organisations that have formed Actuate UK are: n The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).


n The Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA).


n The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).


n The Electrical and Engineering Services Association (ECA).


n The Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA).


n The Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA).


n The Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland (SELECT).


n The Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF).


LCA member


status for T-safe Specialist in point-of-use water filters and ‘safer showering solutions’, T-safe, has become the first point-of-use water filtration provider to have achieved certified member status of the Legionella Control Association.


revolutionising the construction industry. We are seeing significant growth as more public and private sector clients develop a deeper understanding of the speed, quality, cost, environmental and social benefits of moving construction into a controlled factory setting. There has also been a surge in interest in offsite following the COVID-19 pandemic, as more construction clients and contractors recognise how the approach can reduce risk and disruption on site.”


David Harris, MD of Premier Modular, said: “This new investment brings even greater stability and continuity to our business. We have a clear vision and strategy for the next phase in our growth, and ambitious plans to increase turnover to £100 m within three years, providing a healthy return for our shareholders.”


Managing director, Stephen McCreanor, said: “We are immensely proud to have achieved this milestone. As a major supplier to the NHS and many leading water hygiene service-providers, this significant step underpins our commitment to a ‘best-in-class’ approach to product supply and service provision. The management systems we have developed, and our focus in maintaining compliance with the LCA Code of Conduct and Service Standards, mean we are well placed to continue to assist our clients in controlling the Legionella risk associated with their water systems.’’ The LCA is a voluntary, independent, not-for-profit organisation managed by a committee drawn from BACS, WMSoc, industry experts, and health authorities. It has close links with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and other public health authorities.


March 2021 Health Estate Journal 13


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