Overview
I am a Senior Consultant in the Projects team. I am ranked in Band 1 as a notable practitioner in Chambers and Partners and recognised in the Legal 500 ‘Hall of Fame’.
I trained at Berwin Leighton Paisner, where I qualified in 1985 , joining Michelmores in 2004.
I am highly experienced in negotiating, drafting, coordinating and advising on all aspects of PPP projects, joint ventures (property & commercial), collaborative arrangements and related financing, construction contracts, facilities management and services contracts, and public procurement. I act for major public sector and quasi-public sector bodies including: police authorities, universities, further education colleges, schools (including academies), NHS trusts, local authorities, central government departments, private sector PPP operators, contractors, FM providers, investors and funders.
I was awarded the OBE for legal services to HM Treasury and the Home Office in recognition of my exceptional commitment to the delivery of legal services of an outstanding quality whilst proactively supporting these clients in achieving their objectives.
Recent experience
University of Aberystwyth Student Residences
PPP Project comprising the development of a £100M+ student residences campus on a greenfield/farmyard site, with 1000 student rooms and a landmark ‘social hub’ with the private sector. Plus all hard facilities management services for 35 years.
Michelmores represented the University throughout the procurement and drafted all the PPP documentation including the Project Agreement with Balfour Beatty, and the bespoke financing and property documentation. This innovative funding structure was one of the first Pension Fund financings in the sector.
Equity investor (PPP advisory)
Michelmores represents a leading UK infrastructure investment group, sponsoring and making long-term investments in public private infrastructure projects, covering health and education.
Carol has advised on: particularly challenging variations to existing PPP project agreements; benchmarking/market testing of soft facilities management; drafting and negotiating new subcontracts; performance-related payment mechanisms; and dispute resolution.
Strategic recycling waste facility PPP (Plymouth City Council)
Assisting Plymouth City Council with all aspects of the competitive dialogue procurement of a business-critical strategic waste materials recycling facility project to challenging timescales. Michelmores supported the Council’s in-house team and external advisors where necessary to ensure deadlines were met. Work included assisting with drafting the procurement documentation and with the dialogue sessions, as well as drafting the relevant award criteria, sub-criteria and weightings, together with the evaluation methodology.
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (“GOSH”)
GOSH is engaged in a long-term phased redevelopment programme. The construction cost of Phase 2B is likely to be in the order of £50m. Michelmores was appointed to give specialist procurement advice in relation to structuring an innovative process that would allow the hospital to explore a value-for-money solution for the redevelopment of an existing building. We assisted with drafting all procurement documentation relating to this phase, and with establishing appropriate selection criteria, award criteria and their weightings.
