DETR awards Denton Hall and Pinsents

Pinsent Curtis and Denton Hall have been selected to advise the Department

of Environment, Transport and the Regions' (DETR) private finance unit

after undergoing a five-month tendering process.

The two firms will advise the DETR unit on public private partnerships,

wider markets initiatives and private finance initiatives under a

three-year framework contract, with a possible two-year extension.

Crispin Tuckley, head of the private finance unit at the DETR, says the

unit has used legal advisers before but says: "This is the first time they

have been used on a framework basis."

He says that a framework contract is not confined to one project but will

mean that the appointed firms will be providing support on a range of

issues.

Tuckley adds that Denton Hall and Pinsent Curtis' appointments will not

affect any other existing contract the unit has with other firms.

Andrew Walsh, head of the major projects group at Pinsent Curtis' London

office, says: "This was an appointment we were very keen to get and we are

very pleased to be selected. It was quite a long haul.

"We don't know exactly what throughput of work there will be yet - there's

a meeting next week and we will have a better idea of workflow then."

Ed Marlow, head of Denton Hall's project finance group ,says that the

decision is an endorsement of the firm's project finance work.

The firm also works for the Highways Agency at the DETR and has so far

completed eight projects for the unit.