Leading infrastructure law firm Pinsent Masons has advised two
police authorities – Norfolk Police Authority and Suffolk Police
Authority – to procure a joint Private Finance Initiative (PFI)
project to deliver services for the next 30 years at six new police
investigation centres (PICs) in locations spread across Norfolk and
Suffolk.
It is expected that the project will offer a step change in
successfully delivering custody services at new facilities which
are conveniently placed and fit for purpose to meet the needs of
modern policing and legislation. The Justice Support Services
consortium, a joint venture between Bank of Scotland (now Lloyds
Banking Group) (42.5%), Kier Project Investments (42.5%) and
Reliance (15%), will now deliver the scheme and have arranged
senior debt funding with Lloyds Banking Group, RBS and Helaba
banks.
The capital value of the six facilities is approximately £60
million.
Service commencement at the first facility in Aylsham, Norfolk,
is due to start at the end of February 2011, with the other sites
to follow in Wymondham, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds
and King's Lynn. Kier will be the building contractor and Reliance
will deliver the services from the operational facilities.
Pinsent Masons' deep sector knowledge and effective
cross-practice working proved essential to the deal, with a mixed
team of experts from infrastructure, property, banking and
construction teams all involved. Pinsent Masons advised the
authorities on the entire procurement including joint working
arrangements between the two police authorities and also site
acquisitions to support the scheme.
The key team members working on this project to bring it to
financial close were: John Bruce, Gemma Helliwell, Nic Berry, Kevin
Boa, Adam Carney, Graeme Walton, Michael Kidd and Jo Ryan. John
Bruce led the team day to day.
Neil Tindall, lead partner for the Two Counties project at
Pinsent Masons, commented: "We are seeing an increased level of
activity in the police PFI projects sector. We understand that the
Home Office still encourages police authorities to identify
opportunities for improved service delivery and to submit viable
business cases to secure PFI credit funding. Our expertise in
procuring schemes both in this sector and across major
infrastructure projects through public private partnerships means
that we can bring an unrivalled understanding of the commercial
imperatives as well as first class legal skills".
This project is just the latest in a line of successful
financial closes for Pinsent Masons in the police sector. These
have included PFI schemes acting for the Metropolitan Police
Authority and the Cheshire Police Authority. Lately the firm has
been appointed to the West Yorkshire Police Authority police PFI
project for new divisional headquarters/custody facilities in Leeds
and Wakefield and a new training centre.
Other advisors for the police authorities include: Mott
MacDonald (technical), KPMG (financial) and Aon (insurance).