Clients and Markets

Jeremy Phillips, Business Development Director

Alongside the challenges brought to us by the Ukraine / Russia conflict the post pandemic supply shortages of other key commodities lead to significant inflationary pressure, the levels of which we haven’t seen for 40 years.

Many of our clients want a pathway that seeks to achieve net zero in just a few years rather than over two decades. Another priority is to consume less energy, generate more of their own and if they have to buy in energy then to pay the lowest possible rate.

We recognise the huge importance of world class client service and the recommendation and referral of one client to another is far more powerful than anything we could say ourselves.”

The global race to reduce carbon emissions and achieve a net zero position remains a core challenge for our clients. In November 2021, the COP 26 summit in Glasgow, ensured that this will become a legally binding target to bring greenhouse gas emissions down to zero.

Whilst there has been a lot of talking about the subject for many years, we have been listening to our clients and and forming tangible service solutions that will directly assist with this challenge.

Our delivering net zero service (DNZ), at this stage designed to assist owners of multi let commercial property has been in huge demand.

We have been working hard on continual improvement of our client experience and the measurement of it. We recognise the huge importance of world class client service and the recommendation and referral of one client to another is far more powerful than anything we could say ourselves. We were delighted with our 2021 NPS score of +50.8 (global average of professional services is +43) but achievement of world class level of +70 or more is where we aspire and are working hard to be. From here on this will be front and centre of how we operate.

Simpson, Head of Infrastructure Consultancy

The increased focus on net zero and low carbon solutions for our society has not bypassed our clients and has become a core mission for many.

Throughout our tendering work we have seen a sharp increase in clients adapting to operate within environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks and many of our long-standing clients are leading the way in developing initiatives to drive the green agenda forwards.

These industry leaders have shown an eagerness to stay ahead of the curve with ambitious projects to help shape the future of the UK, spanning water, electricity, transport, biodiversity and food production, to name just a few. However, it is our existing property assets, more so than future designs, that will carry the greatest burden from legislative changes, particularly in the requirements to meet more stringent energy performance metrics and the retrofitting of necessary infrastructure like electric vehicle chargers.

There is also pressure on our landowning clients to carry out costbenefit analysis on their land use; whether to invest in British farm-to-fork initiatives, explore green projects like rewilding or solar panel installation, or to pursue opportunities to sell off land to support the UK’s housing shortage. With the basic payment scheme (BPS) being phased out, each of these options carries its advantages, both financially and philanthropically, and presents tough choices for many.

We are well placed to support our clients in assessing these requirements and have invested in creative solutions to support the drive to net zero across a wide range of specialisms through our Green Offset and Delivering Net Zero services, which you can read more about on page 18.

We look forward to tackling these challenges in partnership with our clients as we look to 2050.