Peter is a corporate lawyer who specialises in creating commercial delivery structures for public sector clients through corporate vehicles, collaboration arrangements, partnerships and joint ventures. He regularly advises clients on public/private sector joint ventures relating to property assets in the context of land development and regeneration. Peter is also a recognised expert in the field of local authority trading companies.
He has considerable corporate finance experience which he now harnesses to provide pragmatic and commercial advice to local authorities and other public bodies. Peter also acts for clients on company acquisitions and disposals, private equity investments, fundraisings, financing and local arrangements, and corporate governance.
Peter’s role:
As part of his corporate work, Peter advises clients on public procurement and subsidy control matters. He is regularly asked to advise accountable bodies on the terms of multi-million-pound grant agreements.
Skills and strengths:
Peter provides pragmatic, unfussy and commercially focused advice. He aims to develop trusted relationships with his clients, whether they are public or private sector, and to become an effective extension of their legal or management team.
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.