Overview
Chris Fellowes is a consultant in the London office of Mayer Brown's Construction & Engineering group, specifically focusing on transactional construction and engineering matters including procurement and tender issues. He acts for employers, contractors, developers and funders. His experience comprises drafting, advising and negotiating on all aspects of national and international construction and engineering contracts using both bespoke and standard forms of contracts such as FIDIC, IChemE, NEC, MF/1 and JCT. Chris has advised on large and complex UK and international projects including the expansion of a major maritime project in Central America, the design and construction of a 700-million-cubic-metre gas-storage facility in the United Kingdom, the development of the mining industry in Afghanistan, a substantial mixed-use regeneration project in London and a number of CHP plants in West Africa. Chris is also a founding member of Mayer Brown’s Public Procurement Group in London and is a member of the Procurement Lawyers’ Association.
Prior to becoming a solicitor, Chris worked as a development director of a property development company and therefore also has considerable commercial and practical experience of construction projects.
Spoken Languages
- English
Experience
- Advising a bank on the re-development of it existing offices at various locations in the UK including the drafting of bespoke consultants’ appointments, design and build contracts based on JCT and a management contract based on JCT with a lump sum conversion mechanism.
- Advising a developer in relation to two residential towers in the UK including the drafting of a number of design and build contracts based on JCT.
- Drafting of a multi-national company’s bespoke precedent form of construction contract for world-wide use.
- Drafting and negotiating a construction management agreement and related construction contracts for the re-development of a bank’s headquarters in the UK.
- Drafting a suite of construction contracts based on JCT and bespoke consultants’ appointments for use in the UK by a bank.
- Advising and drafting various contracts based on JCT for the redevelopment of retail premises in London.
- Advising lenders in relation to the financing of an office development in the UK.
- Drafting of a multi-national company’s precedent form of construction contract based on FIDIC for world-wide use.
- Advising the project sponsor and drafting a two-stage design and build contract based on JCT and bespoke consultants’ appointments for the re-development of a five star hotel in London.
- Advising an architect on various appointments for developments in the UK and Europe.
- Advising a multi-national QS and PM on various appointments in the UK, and drafting of standard terms and conditions.
- Drafting and negotiated a framework contract with three contractors for gas connection works in the UK based on NEC.
- Advised the Panama Canal Authority on certain aspects of the design and construction contracts based on FIDIC in respect of the $5.25 billion expansion project.
- Advised the US government and Afghanistan Ministry of Mines on the development of the mining industry in Afghanistan (with an estimated resource of up to US$3 trillion), with particular emphasis on the tendering process, model mining agreements and suitability of the mining laws.
- Advised a utility on the application of public procurement rules to a 700-million-cubic-metre gas-storage facility in the United Kingdom and the subsequent drafting and negotiation of an EPCM contract.
- Advised a contractor on an EPC contract based on FIDIC for the design and construction of three CHP plants in West Africa.
- Advised a contractor on a CM agreement based on JCT for a major mixed-use regeneration project in London.
- Advised a US contractor on a joint venture agreement and construction contract based on JCT for a major rail infrastructure project in the United Kingdom.
- Advised and drafted a number of complex bespoke contracts for a major corporate group including long-term framework agreements, construction contracts and consultants appointments for use in the United Kingdom and Europe.
- Advised a funder on an EPCM contract and related agreements for a gold mine project in Europe.
- Advised the project sponsor and the drafting and negotiation of an EPC contract based on IChemE and related contracts in respect of a £100 million waste to energy project in the United Kingdom.
- Advised an energy utility company on its bid for works on a major infrastructure project in the United Kingdom in excess of £200 million based on NEC.
- Drafted standard forms of trade contract for two major house builders.
- Advised and drafted bespoke amendments to an ICE form of contract and step-down provisions in respect of a large specialist subcontractor for a major redevelopment of a London underground station.
- Advised on and drafting of a construction management agreement for a major London developer in respect of an office and retail development over £200 million construction value.
- Provided public procurement advice to a major outsourcing specialist on the terms of a framework agreement for the provision of business support and IT services.
- Advised an energy utility on the applicability of the public procurement rules to a significant rail infrastructure project.
Perspectives
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December 2012
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2011
Construction News Public Procurement Report 2011
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2010
Updating the "Public Sector Projects" chapter
ICE Manual of Construction Law
Education
University of Reading, BSc (honors), Quantity Surveying
Admissions
- England and Wales
Recommended by the legal directories:
- Receives praise for his "very sound advice set in a market context" - Legal 500 2017
- Key players in the noncontentious team [construction] include former quantity surveyor Christopher Fellowes - Legal 500 2015.
- Chris is "commercially innovative" - Legal 500 2013.
- An "effective negotiator" - Legal 500 2012.
- Part of the Mayer Brown team that was awarded a top-tier Stand-Out ranking in the Legal Innovation in Finance category of the 2011 Financial Times Innovative Lawyers (Europe) Report for its work on developing the mining industry in Afghanistan.