Awards success for Mears Group's Facilities Management work in the Highlands

Mears Facilities Management (FM) has won Best Operational Project in the 2024 Partnerships Awards for its energy saving work alongside Alpha Schools.

The awards are the industry's biggest celebration of excellence in the public-private partnership (PPP) industry and showcase those who turn partnerships into unparalleled success stories, rewarding and showcasing the very best of the industry, globally.

The winning contract saw the FM team at Mears implement an ambitious LED lighting project across 11 schools in the Scottish Highlands, successfully reducing building energy consumption by 252 tonnes of CO2 in 2023, and with projected savings of 112 tonnes during 2024.

The project demonstrates how a well thought out strategy and close collaboration can create a sustainable environment that benefits local children and provides valuable facilities for community groups. It also shows the additional value that private sector investment and service provision can bring, when fully aligned with the public sector's objectives.

The judges highlighted the 'tangible positive outcomes to the remote communities served by the project'.

Members of the FM team collected the award alongside representatives from the Equitix Project Management team and the investor at a ceremony in London last week.

Alex Ballintine,General Manager, FM Highlands commented: I'm thrilled that we've been recognised by the industry, particularly as we were up against not only the UK but deserving nominees from further afield too.

Dawn Kidd, Regional Director, added: I'm really proud of the team that initiated, designed and then delivered the project. The power of collaborative working and the partnership that exists between Mears, Equitex and the Highland Council meant that an idea became reality and resulted insignificant reduction of CO2 emissions. The award is the 'icing on the cake' and confirmation of a great job done by the whole team'

A full case study about the project, Helping schools in Scotland become net zero is available here.

Mears Group recently launched its first decarbonisation report, Warmer, healthier homes - domestic retrofit a net zero opportunity, recognising he scale of the opportunity and challenge facing the UK housing sector as it works to reach the UK's net zero targets.