Developed by the Scottish Futures Trust, the hub Programme is a public/private partnership model that was established in 2010 as a framework for delivering community infrastructure projects across Scotland.

During a decade of successful hub projects, the team at Harper Macleod has been at the forefront of the hub market and has acted in all five hub territories across the country - one of the few advisers to have done so. The team has advised on both DBFM (Design, Build, Finance and Maintain) projects and D&BD (Design and Build Development) transactions as well as build only projects, and also provides ongoing advice in relation to a number of operational hub projects.

In its first ten years, the hub Programme has delivered more than £2.2bn investment and resulting in 200 completed community infrastructure projects across a wide range of project types.

Having acted on over 40 separate hub projects - 13 DBFMs and in excess of 30 DBDA projects - it is no surprise that the team has notched up a number of hub “firsts”.

Euan Pirie and Catriona Kemp completed the first and second ever hub DBFM projects back in 2012/13 acting for hub North Scotland - the Aberdeen Community and Health Care Village DBFM project and the Forres, Woodside and Tain Health Facilities Bundle DBFM Project. These projects paved the way for a number of hub precedents.

The Forres, Woodside and Tain Health Facilities Bundle DBFM Project was also significant as it was the first DBFM project involving a single DBFM agreement with two authorities and three separate facilities, therefore notching up another first for the team.

The team also completed the first ever hub build-only project acting for North Ayrshire Council.

In another first, the team had to flip a project from being a DBFM to a DBDA mid-way through negotiations. This changeover was executed seamlessly, drawing on the team’s vast experience of the intricacies of both project types.

Harper Macleod welcomed the report for Scottish Futures Trust published in March this year which evaluated the first ten years of the hub Programme.

Euan Pirie, partner and head of the Infrastructure and Projects team at Harper Macleod, said: “The report recognised the success of the hub programme and recommended that the hub model should continue. We look forward to working collaboratively with clients to develop and deliver many more successful hub projects that will benefit communities throughout Scotland.”