STAND by in the future to read considerably more about one of the UK's
-- and the world's -- largest multi-disciplinary engineering, scientific
and surveying consultancies.
Acer (pronounced ''aisser'') Consultants was formed out of a merger
between Freeman Fox and John Taylor in 1987 and is now owned by the
Welsh Water Board. It has an annual worldwide turnover of more than
#100m and its 2600 staff work on design development, environmental,
structural and transportation packages from offices in the UK, the US,
Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, and the UAE.
It also provides a range of specialist services involving systems
engineering and geotechnic assessment.
However, for all its size and pre-eminence in its chosen areas of
operation, it has not been sufficiently active in the commercial
property field -- so far. But this is now changing.
Its Scottish headquarters are located in Edinburgh, where Tim Tuke is
regional director in charge of all operations north of Birmingham and
Stuart Peters is executive in charge of commercial property.
As part of his self-confessed pro-active role, Peters' task is to
build up and refine a database of actual and potential sites for
commercial developments from Liverpool north.
He says: ''I find out which developers and other potential clients in
the building trade are active in the market and assess their needs
accordingly. I also find out what may or may not be on offer by
searching through the updated details of the land register.
''That done, I approach the owner and/or the agent of such properties
by a canvass letter and, afterwards, I go to the client to tell him that
such-and-such an owner/agent is willing to sell.''
The beauty of this approach is that the client has only one company to
deal with. Peters says: ''We clarify the design consultancy process for
our clients and thereby unmuddy the waters for them.''
What differentiates the company from so many of its competitors is
that, instead of coming in only after the client has possession of the
site, Acer gives a complete service.
Client Anthony Joyce, chairman of nursing home owner and developer
Highfield Group, comments: ''Acer is a unique and an innovative concept
in design consultancy.''
Acer deals with discount retail outlets, nursing homes, and houses,
all of which are very active at the moment.
Its initial work can involve putting together three or more pieces of
land for any one development. But, because it is a multi-disciplinary
practice, the client does not have to chase after different types of
contractor.
Acer designs and oversees the entire construction process. This can
mean farming out architectural and quantity surveying work where
necessary. It can also bring in specialist engineers from one of its
offices in the south to carry out detailed and sophisticated site
investigations.
Particularly important in view of today's preoccupation with matters
environmental is the fact that Acer's environmental group is the largest
of its kind in Europe.
Overall, the company can deal with water, highways, railways and mass
transits, ports and harbours, bridges and tunnels, building structures,
environmental services, systems engineering, design development and
management, and project management.
It goes through the whole process, from identifying what land is
available to suit a particular client to handing over the key of the
finished project.
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