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.