Property businesses unite to compete for larger projects

A group of built environment businesses from across the North West have come together to form a 'one stop solution' for projects.

Aiming to be stronger than the sum of their parts, Project Collab intends to allow smaller firms to work with organisations such as local authorities, housing associations, residential developers, education establishments, healthcare boards and charitable organisations.

Current projects include The Harris Institute and Foxton Centre, both in Preston.

The collective, which is officially based in Fulwood, was brought together by Preston-based architect John Bridge and quantity surveyor Jake Suthers.

John Bridge, director at Studio John Bridge, said: “We believe that we’re offering something really unique in the industry by bringing together senior directors across private companies all under the Project Collab banner to deliver a highly skilled and ambitious project team.

"We’re also proud of our roots in Preston and want to be able to give something back to the local community. We are working with the Foxton Youth Centre as well as lecturing at the University of Central Lancashire and employing their graduates within our businesses." 

Jake Suthers, CEO of The QS Company, added: “John and I sat down over a year ago and recognised that there was a real gap in the market for smaller organisations to collaborate on key regional projects.

"At Project Collab we believe that we are stronger together than the sum of our parts and we pride ourselves on tailoring our expertise to fit the unique needs of each project and organisation."

The project team to date is: Studio John Bridge, The QS Company, Eden Planning, RJD Associates, Reid Jones Partnership, Ecology Services, Sub Surface, Taylors Estates, Kingswood Building Services Engineers, Keyhole Interiors, MBS Partnership, The Property Finance Collective, Mainer Associates, Asri Garden Design, Adapt Heritage and Charlotte Leach Communications.