Chartered Surveyors

Bruton Knowles Secures Place on £120m Fusion21 Framework

National Chartered Surveyors, Bruton Knowles, which has an office in Sale, Manchester, covering the North West of England, has secured a place on Fusion21’s national Consultants Framework – worth up to £120m over a four-year period.

This is the first time Bruton Knowles has been appointed to a Fusion21 framework, marking an important step forward in the firm’s bid to become a leading supplier of property services to the public sector.

Procurement organisation and social enterprise Fusion21 specialises in efficient and impactful public sector procurement through a framework approach; and supports the delivery of social value targets on every project – helping its members to address urgent needs in their communities.

Bruton Knowles was selected following a competitive tender process to deliver Lot 12 which focuses on all aspects of valuation and is worth up to £2m.

Last year, and in response to the Covid-19 crisis, the company embarked on an ambitious restructuring programme to guarantee it was resilient to future economic shocks. Part of this involved aligning its services across core National Teams, of which Valuation is one.

Bruton Knowles’ National Valuation Team has extensive knowledge and expertise across all areas of the portfolio incorporated under Lot 12, including master planning, option appraisals, feasibility studies, finance, sales, lettings, right to buy, disposals, compulsory purchases, compensation, litigation, due diligence, enfranchisement, taxation, and business rates.

Fusion21 has more than 800 members across the UK and has procured over £1.6bn in contracts and generated £107m social impact value. Bruton Knowles is one of 112 specialist firms who has successfully been awarded a place on the Consultants Framework, which is in its fifth iteration.

Commenting on the appointment, James Bailey, Managing Partner at Bruton Knowles, said: “If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that all aspects of business, no matter what sector, must work far harder towards building a better society. We endeavour to ensure all aspects of our commercial collaborations make a positive impact on the communities in which we operate.

“That’s why Bruton Knowles is delighted to have been appointed to this prestigious and high-quality framework. Not only does it mark a significant milestone in our recovery and growth strategy, but it also aligns perfectly with our own organisational values. We look forward to working through Fusion21 to generate greater social value as the country builds back better.”  

Offering UK-wide coverage, Fusion21’s Consultants Framework has been procured in line with Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Public Contract Regulations (Scotland) 2015 – and is expected to support more than 100 projects each year.

Phil Woodhead, Category Manager (Compliance & FM) said: “We are delighted to welcome all of the new suppliers onto the framework, including Bruton Knowles. The tender process was highly competitive, and the process has identified the best consultants for our members to use.”

"Social value is at the heart of our organisation, and the Consultants Framework – like all of Fusion21’s frameworks – will support Fusion21 members to deliver social value to their communities, aligned to organisational priorities.”

In addition to Lot 12, the other areas covered within the Consultants Framework include: Lot 1 - Project Management and Multidisciplinary Consultancy Services and Lead Consultant; Lot 2 - Stock Monitoring & Appraisal; Lot 3 - Building Information Modelling; Lot 4 - Architectural; Lot 5 - Fit Out Consultancy; Lot 6 - Heritage and Conservation; Lot 7 - Structural and Civil Engineering; Lot 8 - Building Engineering Services; Lot 9 - Facilities Management Consultancy; Lot 10 -Principal Designer; and Lot 11 - Zero Carbon and Sustainability.

Alongside Valuation, Bruton Knowles has launched three other National Teams: Utilities & Infrastructure, Commercial, and Building Consultancy. The firm’s objective is to build on existing sector strengths, respond to changing market needs, and offer clients a single point of contact to deliver an entire project to the highest possible standards.

Bruton Knowles Builds National Valuation Team with a Raft of Appointments

National Chartered Surveyors, Bruton Knowles, is driving the growth of its newly formed and highly successful National Valuation Team with a string of new appointments.

Phil Horner, who brings a wealth of experience across all aspects of valuation work, will be based from the Cardiff office as an Associate for the firm and working within the National Valuation Team.

His focus will be on providing valuation advice to clients in the South West region and Wales.

Prior to joining Bruton Knowles, Phil was running his own practice, EMM Surveyors Ltd, which he established in 2008. He has also worked within the professional services department of Erinaceous Group PLC, and Bradford & Bingley, as well as various government departments, including the Valuation Office Agency.

Phil said: “My career has spanned a broad range of valuation work, including commercial, agricultural and residential valuations, expert witness work, including court appearances, and probate, matrimonial and taxation valuations throughout Wales.

“I am thrilled to be joining Bruton Knowles at such an exciting time for the company, with record profits and soaring demand for commercial valuations.”

Chris Williams, Stuart Meadowcroft and Chris Hanson also join Bruton Knowles’ National Valuation Team as Senior Surveyors. Chris Williams is based in Plymouth, with Stuart in Manchester and Chris Hanson based in the North of England.

Bruton Knowles’ recent restructuring identified the need for Valuation surveyors to work alongside highly skilled support staff, to streamline the production of valuation reports – hence the push to focus on strengthening its team of Valuation Technicians and other specialist administration and support staff.

The latest Valuation Technician recruits are Vanessa Ewers, based in Birmingham, Adam Yaqube in Cardiff, Katy Quinn in Nottingham and Daniel Reed in Plymouth.

Ian Pitt, Partner and Head of the National Valuation Team, said: “This is a really exciting time for the National Valuation Team. By recruiting excellent support teams, as well as senior surveyors, we have been able to increase the quality of our commercial valuation reports, while at the same time reduce turnaround times – and this is exactly the level of service the banks are looking for.”

Bruton Knowles Managing Partner James Bailey said: “The creation of our National Valuation Team is already proving to be highly successful, with clients delighted by the combined benefits of our wealth of national valuation expertise that can be delivered at a local level.

“We welcome all of our new starters, each of whom will make a valuable contribution to making this team an even greater success.”

This set of new hires follows the appointment of James Foley as Client Services Manager for Bruton Knowles’ National Valuation Team, based at the firm’s Birmingham office.

The National Valuation Team was launched in July 2020, to reflect the growing demand from clients to deliver loan secured RICS Red Book valuations across an ever-increasing geographical area, delivering to a range of national banks, building societies and specialist lenders.

The team was one of the key factors which contributed to the business thriving during the pandemic, bringing in a predicted 30 per cent increase in valuation income for its year-end.

James’s focus is to utilise his 10 years’ experience as Head of UK Corporate Operations at a leading high-street bank, to introduce new technology to create more efficient processes.

James is delighted that the National Valuation Team is attracting such a diverse range of talent.

He said: “By bringing in highly skilled valuers, valuation technicians and other support staff with a passion for technology is exactly what we need as we strive to streamline and speed up our processes, without compromising on quality, so that we always exceed clients’ expectations.”

Bruton Knowles is an independently owned chartered surveyor firm with 10 offices across the UK. The team is highly knowledgeable in sale and purchase, valuation, leasing and strategy, providing specialist insightful advice across commercial property, infrastructure, utilities, public sector and social housing sectors, helping clients to achieve more from land and property.