Big hitters announce collaborative design partnership

Four big hitters in UK infrastructure have joined together to form a 'strategic design consultant partnership'.

Balfour Beatty, Atkins, Mott MacDonald and WSP said the partnership would 'foster a new level of openness, collaboration and innovation never before seen within the construction industry'.

As a result, clients will potentially benefit from 'earlier engagement with a co-ordinated collaborative team and improved, consistent working practices which will ultimately reduce construction and programme costs'.

The partnership will be led by Balfour Beatty’s newly-appointed strategic design consultant partnership director, Robin Bashford.

Under the partnership, designers and engineers from the four companies will work together across key areas including health and safety through design, value engineering and the use of more cost-effective design resources.

Stephen Tarr, managing director for Balfour Beatty’s major projects business and executive committee sponsor for the partnership, said the partnership 'represents collaboration in its purest form'.

Alistair Kennedy, WSP’s executive director responsible for the new partnership, said:  'We look forward to working together to challenge the status quo for design build contracting in the UK.'