AECOM’s Multidisciplinary Approach to Challenges

The challenges the built environment faces are diverse and complex in nature, spanning issues caused by climate change, economic volatility and increasingly aging buildings.

In reaction, construction firms’ clients are particularly seeking to minimise capital expenditure and optimise the value of their existing assets.

AECOM has identified this need in its clients, appointing Jenny Beilby as Head of Building Surveying for UK & Ireland to support them with this goal.

Taking a multidisciplinary approach

Part of Jenny’s appeal is her last role at engineering consultancy firm AtkinsRéalis.

There she led a multi-discilinary team of project managers, cost consultants, health & safety advisors as well as building surveyors, for 13 years.

She led the team through all of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) stages, from Strategic Definition to Use.

To summarise, the RIBA’s stages are as follows:

0 – Strategic Definition: Confirm the client's business case and the best means of achieving it

1 – Preparation and Briefing: Develop the project brief, including project objectives, budget and other constraints

2 – Concept Design: Prepare the concept design, including outline structural and building services design

3 – Spatial Coordination: Undertake design studies and technical design to ensure spatial coordination of the architectural, structural and services designs

4 – Technical Design: Develop the architectural and engineering technical design to a level sufficient to manufacture and construct the building

5 – Manufacturing and Construction: Manufacture building components off-site and construct the building on-site, in line with the construction programme

6 – Handover: Conclude building contract activities, including final inspections and resolution of defects, and hand the building over to the client

7 – Use: Support the ongoing use and operation of the building, monitoring performance in use and end-of-life strategies

“The built environment is facing complex, multi-faceted challenges” says Jo Streeten, Managing Director, Buildings & Places at AECOM. “From maintaining increasingly ageing assets during fragile economic conditions, to the increased threat of extreme heat and need to achieve Net Zero, our clients need an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach. 

“Jenny’s strong technical expertise combined with her strategic leadership and client-centric mindset make her perfectly placed to lead and grow our building surveying team in the coming years. I am delighted to welcome her to AECOM.” 

Who is Jenny Beilby?

Jenny has worked in construction consultancy for more than 25 years, serving public sector organisations. 

Prior, she held a string of leadership roles at SNC-Lavalin Group’s Faithful+Gould, which specialises in integrated project and programme management consultancy.

Earlier in her career she served as an Associate Director at CTG Surveyors and as a Senior Building Surveyor at SJ Treloar & Associates.

Her new role will require supporting AECOM’s public and private sector clients with asset portfolio maintenance.

“I am thrilled to join AECOM at what is an exciting time for our growing Buildings & Places business,” she says. “Building and nurturing strong and enduring client relationships across a range of sectors is crucial to delivering high-value programmes in operationally complex environments. 

“What I am most excited about is leveraging AECOM’s global breadth of built environment expertise to ensure our client’s assets are safe, sustainable and cost-effective throughout their entire life cycle.” 

A diverse range of clients

AECOM’s building surveying team works with a wide range of clients across energy, defence, aviation, education, commercial real estate and central government.

The company’s Buildings & Places (B&P) division in the UK and Ireland supports clients across central government, local authorities, healthcare organisations, universities, property developers, investors, occupiers and major private-sector companies.

Its mission is to help clients to create better buildings and places through a combination of architecture, engineering, planning, masterplanning and programme management. 

AECOM has also recently appointed a new Highways & Streets Sector Director for its Europe and India regions.

AECOM's key partners:

National Grid 

Within the energy sector, AECOM's surveying team supports National Grid's operational and commercial property portfolio, helping to maximise asset value, plan preventative maintenance and manage capital expenditure across critical national infrastructure sites tied to the UK's energy transmission and distribution network.

NatWest

As a commercial real estate client, NatWest relies on AECOM for building surveying across its banking estate, including branch and office portfolios, supporting technical due diligence, dilapidations, condition assessments and capex planning to help the bank manage and optimise its property assets efficiently.

Manchester Airport Group (MAG)

Serving the aviation sector, AECOM likely provides building surveying across MAG's airport estate, supporting asset condition surveys, capital expenditure planning and compliance work to keep critical aviation infrastructure operational, safe and efficient across its terminals and associated commercial real estate assets.