18 Nov 2011
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Atkins profits down and Mace vie with Skanska for £120M job

Atkins operating profits fell by 20% in the six months to the end of September to £24.6M, compared with £30.9M over the same period last year. This was on a falling UK revenue over the same period of £420.4M, down from £454.7M, Construction News reported.

Staff numbers for the firm also fell by 878 to 9,449 for the six months ending September 2011. Whilst the firm said ' the UK market remained challenging', the firm was giving a 'stable' outlook for its UK business, with work in hand slightly up on this time last year, stated Construction News.

Meanwhile, Skanska and Mace are battling to win 30 Old Bailey and 60 Ludgate, a £120M, 375,000 sq.ft mixed-use office/ retail development near London's St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Anglo-German architects Sauerbruch Hutton.

Head of Development at client Land Securities, Colette O'Shea was reported as saying 'We were the first to restart a major development programme after the downturn anticipating supply-constrained conditions, and this is the latest part of our clear plan to deliver over 2M sq.ft of new space by April 2014,' stated Construction Enquirer.

Meantime, in a case of history repeating, Mace directors Ian Eggers and company founder, Bob White have peeled away from the firm to to start their own project and construction management firm, called Rise, reported Building today. This echoes the formation of Mace, founded by former directors, including White in 1990, the magazine went on to say.

Rise's other director, Gareth Stapketon was formerly the managing director of project management firm PDCM.

The new firm has opened an office in Chancery Lane. Eggers said the firm's business style would 'reflect those of the principal players who have shared projects and experiences over many years in the industry,' said Building.