Introduction to PFI Exit Strategies

Mark has an MBA and is an alumni of the Ashridge Business School Advanced Leadership Programme. He has worked at a senior level in both the public and private sector as well as a government backed advisory company. He has extensive experience of public-private partnerships and the commercialisation of public services. He manages CIPFA’s property training programmes and within the team on wider property issues throughout the UK.

Judith is a commercial litigation partner with over 15 years of experience in commercial litigation and contentious construction, including work on a number of reported cases. Her clients come from a variety of sectors and services and include local authorities, central government bodies, healthcare bodies, financial institutions, private companies and shareholders. Judith advises on a wide range of litigation matters, including commercial and contractual disputes, private finance initiative/projects disputes, professional negligence claims, construction disputes, corporate and breach of warranty claims, shareholder dispute and breach of confidentiality claims.

She delivers straightforward and cost-effective legal advice, and regularly deals with all forms of dispute resolution, including court proceedings, adjudication, expert determination, negotiation and mediation. Her aim is to understand her client's business and strategic aims and to implement them in the most effective and practical way.

Colin is a commercial projects lawyer specialising in complex public and private partnerships, energy and outsourcing transactions. He advises on a wide range of commercial contracting arrangements, including ICT outsourcing, back office services outsourcing, energy projects (including energy performance contracting) and facilities management. His experience covers a wide range of complex partnership/private finance initiative sectors, including education, health, leisure, badged services and waste. I have particular experience in structuring and advising on complex contractual arrangements.

He advises on all stages of projects from inception and scoping, negotiation, close and post close. Colin has significant experience in advising on post-close operational matters and has implemented many contract variations (including both high value complex and simple variations). His client base is broad and includes private sector companies, bidding consortia, joint ventures, special purpose vehicles, project sponsors, funders and local authorities.

Patrick has had extensive experience in the public sector, in particular, with the Estates function of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Latterly, Patrick has managed a client’s capital work programme, and worked with a leading LLP on a large PFI contractual dispute.

As Head of Estates for DWP his role included strategically managing the DWP’s contract for estate services through a single contractor under the PRIME PFI contract, corporate and operations estate change management ensuring the day-to-day issues and larger business projects had the right estate infrastructure to meet their needs at reduced cost where possible, performance management and contract performance, estates strategy including reducing the size of DWP’s corporate centre estate footprint by delivering an estates rationalisation programme that delivered significant savings and ensured it met sustainability and climate change targets thereby reducing the department’s carbon footprint, and developing and delivering strategic solutions that support the delivery of SR10 estate target of £119m, SR13 of £51m and contractual savings of £55m in 2013/14.

Gregor has over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors and specialises in corporate finance. He focuses on strategic decisions like acquisitions, disposals, valuations, and financing decisions involving capital structure, raising finance or risk management.

In his current role at the National Audit Office, he has managed numerous reports and, in particular, the forward-looking study 'Managing PFI assets and services as contracts end'. The report focussed on potential problems to come as contracts expire and aims to share these risks as well as best practice. It received strong media attention, resulting in a parliamentary hearing in 2021.