By Lucy Hickman and Dearbail Jordan.
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.