Bidwells doubles size of Bristol team as firm makes series of new hires in key growth market

The expansion follows sustained growth in Bidwells’ project activity across the South West, which is a market of national significance for property consultancies. The West of England is home to the UK's largest aerospace cluster, worth more than £2.7 billion according to the West of England Combined Authority, with the town of Filton hosting Northern Europe's largest concentration of aerospace engineers, according to Airbus.  

Defence Equipment & Support, the Ministry of Defence's procurement arm, also employs around 12,500 people, with the majority at MoD Abbey Wood – the largest MoD site in Britain. 

Bidwells' Bristol team is supporting a range of clients including Bristol City Council, for which it is delivering major refurbishment projects, as well as high-growth businesses across defence, aerospace and technology. These include Airbus, for which Bidwells was named as a Project Management Framework supplier earlier this year.

The swift Bristol expansion reflects Bidwells' wider strategy of growing in markets where it can build from existing client relationships and apply specialist expertise developed in the UK's leading science and innovation clusters. The firm identified Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh as priority markets for growth, reflecting the strength of their science, technology and innovation economies, and the opportunity to support clients whose requirements increasingly span real estate, infrastructure and specialist operational needs. 

Bidwells' Bristol team is being built around sectors where the firm already has significant experience, including science and technology, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, education and complex estate projects. This allows the team to combine local delivery with the wider technical knowledge, data and sector insight developed across Bidwells' established markets. 

Bidwells expects to continue growing the Bristol office as it builds out its South West offer, with planning likely to be the next service area to be expanded. 

Chris Clover, Partner, Project Management, commented: 

"It's a testament to the strength of the team and the culture at Bidwells that we are already ahead of our growth ambitions in Bristol. Our team’s growth has been built on a wide base of client demand, and we expect to keep growing, with planning likely to be the next service we add locally. 

"What sets us apart is the combination of deep national experience, having delivered complex laboratories, technical facilities and estate programmes in other national markets, with a local team clients can pick up the phone to. Bristol and the wider region do not always get the recognition they deserve as a centre for advanced industry, and our job is to bring specialist expertise to more of the occupiers, investors and institutions driving its growth." 

Sarah Davies, Partner, Commercial Building Surveying, added: 

"Building surveying is a natural growth market for Bidwells in the South West, where some of the region's most advanced estates depend on sustained investment to perform at their best. Helping clients protect and improve the quality of those assets is exactly where we add value. 

"Having a permanent team based in Bristol means we can work alongside clients as long-term partners on the buildings that matter most to them, whether that is a public estate refurbishment programme or a complex technical facility for a specialist occupier. The speed at which the team has grown shows how much appetite there is for that kind of dedicated local support."