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Christopher G. Causer  Partner
London  +44.(0)20.7360.8147
Fax +44.(0)20.7648.9001
christopher.causer@klgates.com Add to Outlook Contacts


Areas of Practice Representative Experience Professional Background Professional/Civic Activities Speaking Engagements Education Additional Information

Areas of Practice

Mr. Causer's practice is concentrated in the area of infrastructure projects and project finance, including Public Private Partnerships ("PPP").  He has extensive experience of leading teams of lawyers advising contractors, FM companies and other bidders for large Government infrastructure projects such as roads, schools, hospitals and scientific research facilities.  He advises a range of Government clients (both central Government and local municipalities) on all the stages of such projects, from project planning to implementation.  He also advises on the application of the EU procurement regime to contract awards in the UK.

Representative Experience
PPP projects on which he has advised include:

Roads
  • Nuevo Necaxa to Tihuatlan toll road project in Mexico — part of the international team advising the Mexican Transport Ministry.
  • Modern Highways Group — adviser to Modern Highways Group on the first round of DBFO road projects in 1993/95.
  • A21 DBFO road project — adviser to a consortium led by Schroders bidding for the proposed DBFO contract to widen and improve a section of the A21 in Kent.
  • A13 DBFO road project — part of the team advising the successful private sector consortium including Kellogg Brown & Root on this DBFO road project. The project was one of the first to incorporate a payment mechanism based on availability of road lanes as opposed to shadow tolls based on vehicle movements.

Education

  • Bristol BSF - advised Laing O'Rourke on its participation in the tender for the Bristol Building Schools for the Future project.
  • Halton & Warrington BSF - advising Laing O'Rourke on its bid for the Halton & Warrington BSF project.
  • Metropolitan Borough of Wirral - on its £80 million PFI project to redevelop eight secondary schools and a primary school, and on the subsequent refinancing of the project company.
  • Torbay schools project - advised Torbay Councilon its £20 million PFI project to redevelop a secondary school and build a new primary school.
  • Kent grouped schools - advised the governing bodies of five schools on this PPP project.
Health and social care
  • Birmingham New Hospitals — advice to the construction joint venture (Balfour Beatty and Haden Young) on this £540 million PPP project.
  • Neighbourhood Resource Centres — adviser to the London Borough of Greenwich on its PFI project to develop three Neighbourhood Resource Centres for the elderly. 
  • London Borough of Greenwich — adviser to the Council on its S.31 Health Act agreement with Oxleas NHS Trust (pooled fund arrangements for mental health services).
  • Advised the Northern Ireland Department of Health on framework agreements and design and construction contracts for conventionally funded projects such as health clinics and primary care centres.
  • The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh — adviser to The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust on its £225 million PFI project to develop the New Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
  • The Royal Group of Hospitals — Belfast, adviser to The Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust in Belfast on its PFI project to develop a new hospital car park at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
  • Belfast City Hospital — adviser to the Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust on its PFI project to commission a new renal dialysis unit at the City Hospital.
Regeneration
  • Kent County Council - advising KCC on the development of a new library and history centre in Maidstone, with associated social housing
  • Kent County Council and Thanet District Council - advising the two councils on the development of business parks in Thanet.
  • Braintree Council - advising on the regeneration of Braintree town centre.
  • Rushmoor Council - advising on the regeneration of Aldershot town centre.
 Scientific
  • Diamond synchrotron project — adviser to the Department of Trade and Industry (and the JV company) on the establishment of a joint venture between the UK Government and the Wellcome Trust to build and operate a new scientific research facility, the "Diamond Synchrotron", in Oxfordshire.
  • Diamond synchrotron — adviser to the joint venture company (Diamond Light Source Limited) on the design and construction contracts, and on ongoing operational arrangements.
  • The National Physical Laboratory — adviser to the SPV, owned by John Laing and Serco, on the £82 million PFI project to provide and service new laboratories to house the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington.
 Miscellaneous projects
  • Project Allenby & Connaught - advised  Kellogg Brown & Root on certain aspects of this PPP accommodation project for the Ministry of Defence.
  • Customs accommodation project - advised the Mexican Treasury on the Customs Accommodation Project.
  • Czech Republic - advising the Czech Ministry of Justice on a new PPP prison project.
  • Deloitte - adviser to Deloitte on numerous (over a dozen to date) framework agreements for the provision of IT services to UK local authorities.
  • DSS Prime - adviser to Compass Management and Leasing in the USA, one of the two private sector facilities management companies retained by the PRIME (now Trillium) consortium, on this £3 billion accommodation project for the Department of Social Security.
  Work funded by the World Bank/IDA/IFC:
  • Advising the Bank of Sierra Leone on its 1994/95 commercial debt reduction program, which was funded by IDA, the EU, the UK and Switzerland. Christopher visited Sierra Leone on four occasions in order to complete this work.
  • Advising the International Finance Corporation on changes to the bid process and the model concession agreement for PPP highway projects in India, so as to make the projects more attractive to international investors.

Professional Background
  • Christopher joined the firm as a partner in 2001. He was a partner at one of London's largest law firms from 1996 to 2001. Previously, he was an associate at another of London's largest law firms from 1990 to 1996.
  • Christopher qualified as a solicitor in 1993

Professional/Civic Activities
  • Leading the firm's pro bono involvement in Partners for Water and Sanitation, a UK Government led programme working to increase sustainable water and sanitation investment in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria and South Africa

Speaking Engagements
  • Frequent speaker at commercially organised seminars and conferences on PPP in the United Kingdom
  • In addition, he has lectured in Germany, Japan, Egypt, USA and South Africa on the legal issues arising out of PPP.

Education
  • University of Cambridge (1975) Chairman - Cambridge University Conservative Association
  • M.A., University of Cambridge (1975) Law
Additional Information
  • Articles published in legal journals on a range of topics relevant to infrastructure projects and PPP


PRACTICES & INDUSTRIES
Construction and Engineering
Projects/Public Private Partnerships
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