Thursday May 10th

Big Ben

After about some much needed rest Wednesday night, I woke up about 7:30 this morning to shower and head down to breakfast. Our hotel has a great, and most importantly free, breakfast menu. This morning I enjoyed fried eggs, bacon, and toast before we left to visit Westminster Abbey. Upon walking out of the Tube, I looked up and saw Big Ben, although it was not as tall as I remembered from when I visited London as a child. After we exited the Tube, we walked over to catch a glimpse of the London Eye. The London Eye was extremely interesting from a construction perspective as it is the tallest Ferris Wheel in Europe. After walking around the Westminster Abbey to take pictures, we met with the librarian at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

The Royal Institute of Charted Surveyors is similar to the Associated General Contractors in the United States as it functions as a trade organization for surveyors. The Royal Insitute of Chartered Surveyors regulates and provides standards for surveyors and the construction industry. After listening to the librarian’s explanation of their library, I found multiple books related to public-private partnerships (PPPs). Because we are allowed to join the RICS as student members, I will be able to view these books online and speak with the librarian when we return to Auburn to work on the writing portion of our projects.

London Eye

After we toured RICS, I veered off from the group as I had scheduled two meetings with industry professionals related to PPPs. This task was a bit daunting at first, as I was left to find my way around London while the rest of our group toured their way for the rest of the afternoon. I first met with Colin Eke of Balfour Beatty, the largest general contractor in the United Kingdom. Their office was located across the Thames River, adjacent to the Blackriars Bridge, and was fairly easy to find. Colin is the senior estimator for Balfour Beatty and spoke with me regarding his experiences with PPPs and answered a few of my questions. After I finished our meeting, I hurried to the Waterloo train station where I caught a train to Andover to attend my next meeting.

The train to Andover took about an hour and fifteen minutes and allowed me to see much of the lush, green countryside that many who travel to London are not fortunate enough to visit. After I finished my train ride, I hailed a taxi that took me about ten miles away to Tidworth. Tidworth is one of Britain’s main military outposts and is home to Aspire Defence, a consortium of companies such as KBR, which is currently constructing and maintaining a PPP for British Army barracks. I spoke with Angus McColl, the senior finance officer with Aspire, asking questions about the financing hurdles of PPPs. After an hour and a half meeting, I took a taxi back to the train station and back to London.

Upon returning to London, I boarded the Tube at rush hour as everyone was heading home for the evening. After multiple stops and train changes, I was able to navigate my way back to the hotel and meet up with our group for a quiz on the required reading material for our trip. After completing the quiz, I grabbed a quick dinner and returned to the hotel for the evening. 

While the day was a bit hectic and nerve-wracking as I traveled alone, I am glad I was able to speak with a couple of key contacts for my Thesis and learn more about PPPs in Great Britain.