Personal History

James Belk BSc MRICS
Chartered Surveyor

Professional Membership

Associate Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
1994

Qualifications

BSc in Building Surveying
University of Greenwich (Thames Polytechnic)
(1986 – 1989)

Career

2011 – Current
Managing Director, Phoenix Building Consultancy

2009 – 2011
Principal Consultant, Cameron Consulting

2008 – 2009
Building Surveying Director, Roughton

2003 – 2008
Associate Director, Erinaceous/Dunlop Haywards

2001 – 2003
Team Leader, Kennedy Haywards(Erinaceous)

1998 – 2001
Senior Building Surveyor, Baily Garner

1989 – 1998
Building Surveyor/Senior Building Surveyor, Ellis Belk Associates

Professional Experience

Construction Procurement – I have considerable experience of procuring projects of varying value and complexity for both private and public sector clients, including former utilities companies, local authorities, ALMO’s and RSL’s. Projects have covered a range of contract types and I am familiar with EU Procurement Rules in respect of specification of products and manufacturers and the evaluation and selection of service providers. My substantial experience in the design, specification and management of construction projects is of significant benefit in the production of technical specifications and consultant services briefs.

Partnering and Collaborative Working – I have work extensively on partnering and collaborative projects, and previously acted as client’s representative for one of the Housing Forum Demonstration Projects. My experience includes both the procurement of projects and direct involvement as the client’s representative. I have used a variety of contracts, including appropriately modified JCT contracts, PPC2000, TPC2005, Term Alliance and Framework Alliance contracts. As a matter of principle, I attempt to adopt a collaborative approach to any project in conjunction with a robust framework for management of quality, programme and cost.

Programme Management – I have substantial experience of managing the delivery of construction projects across a number of sectors, including education, healthcare/social services, housing, commercial/ retail, MOD/Police, infrastructure, transport and local authority corporate services. My experience includes both new build and existing buildings and ranges from individual properties to portfolios of public and commercial property, either in a direct project management role or as the manager of a professional team. My experience has covered a wide variety of building types, environments and operational requirements which has allowed me to utilise and develop best practice from different sectors of the construction industry and also to understand the requirements of different client groups and to ensure their needs are taken into account.

Design and Specification – I have substantial experience in the design, specification and management of construction projects for a broad range of new build and existing building types, client groups and operational needs. Much of this work has been undertaken as part of a larger design team and I am therefore experienced in managing different construction disciplines and familiar with different skill sets, qualifications and approaches. In addition to the production of technical specifications for construction operations, I am also experienced in writing technical briefs for consultant services.

Condition Surveys – I have considerable experience of the management and execution of condition surveys for various purposes, including strategic asset management surveys, planned maintenance/lifecycle assessments, pre-acquisition surveys and as part of larger feasibility studies or project design phases. Building types have ranged from single domestic houses and blocks of flats to large multi-building sites, including commercial, industrial, infrastructure and educational sites. In all cases, condition schedules and associated cost and lifecycle data are carefully aligned to the client’s required outputs using purpose designed spreadsheets or databases.

Supply Chain Management – I have many years’ experience of assessing materials, components and processes on a whole life costing basis, including analysis of products in service. This is coupled with experience of procurement and development of supply chains utilising SPC2000 and STPC2005 agreements. My experience is regularly used in the development of supply chains to advise on the selection of suppliers and products and to explore ways of achieving efficiencies of scale by means of standardisation, specification across multiple contracts and supply chain partnerships.

Performance Management – I have been involved with the setting-up and monitoring of performance management systems of varying complexity over a number of years for both construction projects and for internal project teams, including development and monitoring of KPI’s, programme/budget monitoring and early warning tools and risk assessments. These tools are then utilised to demonstrate areas for improvement and to promote required changes.

Risk Management – I consider risk management to be of critical importance and therefore generally employ PESTEL analysis to provide a central framework for project risk assessments. The risk assessments then flow and develop through the project from the strategic overview to specific areas including CDM risk assessment, financial risk and cost in use assessments and environmental and sustainability assessments. Fundamentally, this method also apportions responsibility for specific risks throughout the life of the project to ensure they are managed and closed out.

Expert Witness – I have successfully completed the RICS Expert Witness training course and assessment (NVQ7). I have acted as an expert witness in respect of incomplete and defective new build and extension works, Leasehold Valuation Tribunals and domestic disrepair cases.

Heritage – I have worked on a broad range of building types and forms of construction, including traditional 17th century timber framed buildings in Kent, a Grade 2 listed building originally constructed for the Great Exhibition of 1851, one of London’s earliest telephone exchanges, a 17th Century manor house and various post office buildings, ;largely dating back to the 19th century but in one case incorporating previously unidentified medieval construction.

Management – At the Erinaceous Group I was responsible for the management of varying numbers of staff, including the direct management of up to three teams of surveyors and clerks of works, with an overview/ mentoring role to two additional teams. I was also responsible for the running of Management Consultancy services and the management of two sub-consultants. In addition to operational management and project delivery I was also involved in the development and implementation of management systems, including ISO 9001 and advice on environmental and IT matters. At Roughton, I was responsible for management of Architectural and Structural Engineering teams in addition to the Building Surveying team. As the owner of Phoenix Building Consultancy, I am responsible for the strategic direction of the company and for day to day operational matters, including appointment of sub-consultants on a project specific basis.

Project Experience

Details of specific project experience are available on request.