Statement on COVID19 Business Continuity & Project Risk

In these unprecedented times we, like you, are doing all that we can to ensure that we are able to continue to operate with minimal interruptions and to continue to offer our high-quality design service and commitment to our clients and projects.

In light of the ongoing UK Government advice we wanted to let you know that we have now taken the following actions to help reduce the risk of spreading the Coronavirus and to ensure the health and well-being of our staff and maintain business continuity.

• We have closed our offices in Bath and Singapore and our teams are continuing to work well remotely. We have a long experience of working flexibly within and between these locations and the processes and protocols which we have established over many years will help us to continue to work effectively.
• Our IT systems have been set up for our teams to work and communicate seamlessly and securely with each other and with clients and project teams
• We have a dedicated inhouse IT-support team and we are now conducting all of our meetings by Gotomeeting; Microsoft Teams, Skype, or similar
• With this flexibility we have been successful in maintaining business continuity, whilst protecting the wellbeing of everyone with whom we engage with and ensuring that our projects remain on track
• Where our projects are in construction stages we are in contact with our Clients and/or Contractors to agree the protocols
• The situation remains fluid, and we are therefore continuing to monitor the potential implications closely and our Directors are meeting regularly to address and manage the ongoing risks arising from the situation

We will continue to support each project and to maintain continuity of professional services to projects as far as we are able and will take whatever action is necessary or possible to maintain continuity of service to our clients and contacts over this period of uncertainty. The potential impacts of COVID-19 are, of course, unprecedented so we will continue to review/update our plans in light of evolving government guidance. Clients will be aware of the following potential risks arising from the current COVID-19 emergency:

• Programme implications which could impact funding and handover dates
• Statutory approvals being delayed
• Impact on contracts relating to delays, insurances, force majeure, determination and the like
• Additional costs that may arise as a consequence of all of the above

We are of course very keen to understand any specific concerns our clients may have regarding current and future projects. We look forward to continuing to support our clients and projects to the very best of our abilities during these unprecedented circumstances.

We would be happy to respond to any questions on how we are managing this change of working.

Hoping everyone can keep safe and healthy through this.