University Partnerships Programme (UPP), the leading provider of on-campus infrastructure and support services in the UK, has been appointed as preferred bidder to deliver a full facilities management service for GradPad, a commercial subsidiary of Imperial College London.
UPP will operate a total of 1,172 rooms at Imperial College London, more than doubling its current offering. The stand-alone asset management contract will add a further 606 beds at Wood Lane Studios in White City, London to UPP’s portfolio, and see the renewal of its current contract for the management of Griffon Studios in Battersea. The enhanced partnership with the institution will help to further strengthen UPP’s position as the leading provider of on-campus student accommodation infrastructure and support services in the UK.
The deal builds on UPP’s commitment to supporting UK universities as they seek to improve the experience of their students and will see the University’s residential offering delivered by UPP’s experienced team.
Sean O’Shea, Group Chief Executive of UPP, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this contract to deliver full facilities management services for students at Imperial College London. This news comes at a really exciting time for us as we expect more significant opportunities to come to market in the forthcoming months with both existing and potential partners. The market conditions remain strong for investment both in the UK’s Higher Education institutions and in UPP’s business model. There remains an estimated £5bn funding gap for backlog maintenance to the UK HE estate that must be filled. Our market-leading position is down to the strength and depth of our specialist end-to-end offer – all done in partnership with great universities – and our renewed partnership with Imperial College London further demonstrates that strength.
“This is an exciting and progressive step forward in our drive to constantly improve the student experience and we look forward to working in partnership with such a prestigious university.”
UPP has worked with GradPad since September 2012 through its stand-alone asset management contract with Griffon Studios, operating 566 postgraduate bedrooms, social spaces and a state of the art gym together with providing 24-hour concierge services. The new contract is expected to commence on 1 September 2017.
