Ewan joined the firm in June 2023 and is an Associate in our Construction team.
Ewan’s role:
Since joining the firm, Ewan has undertaken a secondment with a major UK infrastructure project, gaining valuable experience in a number of legal areas including providing support on high-value procurements. Ewan has been based in our Construction department since January 2024 providing advice and assistance on a range of both contentious and non-contentious issues and working with NEC and JCT contract forms as well as bespoke contracts.
Skills and strengths:
Before joining Sharpe Pritchard, Ewan worked as a Case Manager for the Health & Care Professions Council, and as a Legal Research Assistant for Prof. Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou (Professor in Human Rights Law and Associate Dean for Research at the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool). Ewan received acknowledgement for his contributions to the book, ‘Can the European Court of Human Rights Shape European Public Order?’ (2021), and the article, ‘The Use of Scholarship by the European Court of Human Rights’ (2024). He also gained further experience participating in the University of Liverpool Law Clinic, providing free legal assistance to vulnerable members of the local community.
Ewan graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2021 with a First Class Law Degree and completed the SQE1 in January 2023 scoring in the top quintile and has taken the SQE2 in November 2024.
Case highlights
- Department for Health and Social Care – New Hospitals Programme: Allan has advised the New Hospital Programme extensively on the procurement a delivery partner contract and the creation of a main works framework agreement. Advising on this programme has also necessitated an in-depth understanding of the broad range of alliance models successfully implemented across the industry. This project involves managing a complex stakeholder environment including a centralised programme team, hospital trusts, Government, and industry. Allan has advised on the delivery of an innovative commercial and contracting model structured to drive efficiencies through standardisation and the use of modern methods of construction, secure market appetite, and provide confidence to drive investment.
- Portsmouth Water Limited: Advising on the development of a new £300m water storage reservoir. Allan provided commercial and procurement advice and lead on the development of commercial strategy, drafting, negotiation, and procurement of all major packages including a principal designer procurement and later main works contract procurements using the UCR 2016 negotiated procedure. All major contracts were procured using the NEC4 suite including the Professional Service Contract and the Engineering and Construction Contract across a range of pricing options. Allan also advised during the negotiation phase of a bulk supply agreement and advised on associated regulatory issues, including the consideration of proposed licence modifications.
- Rail infrastructure project in the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio: Advising on various aspects of Phase 1 and Phase 2a. Allan provides construction and procurement advice in respect of a variety of packages, having particular involvement in the Phase 2a civil works and ‘Station Common Components’ procurements Advising on this project has broadened Allan’s NEC3 experience, advising on some of the lesser used forms including the Supply Contract and the Term Service Contract. Given the scale of the project and the number of key stakeholders (including the Department for Transport), Allan has been required to create innovative and dynamic solutions to ensure the delivery of the client’s requirements.
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority: Advising the passenger transport executive of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on their hydrogen bus project. Allan is engaged to advise on a range of commercial, procurement, subsidy control, and transport law elements of the project and led on the negotiation of leases between Merseytravel and bus operators in the region.
- Thames Tideway Tunnel: Advising Bazalgette Tunnel Limited in relation to its post-construction completion tunnel maintenance contract. Advice covered both the contract and commercial strategy and the end-to-end procurement process for the maintenance phase of the project. Allan continues to advise on the related control systems maintenance contract.