Robert Meakin

Full Profile

Robert is a transactional lawyer, and a Partner in Clyde and Co's global Projects and Construction Group. 

His practice covers energy and transport infrastructure, and commercial and industrial development, both in the UK and internationally. 

His clients are drawn from all sides of the industry, but he has a particular focus on international contractors, and regularly advises joint ventures bidding for major projects.

He specialises in the negotiation of complex procurement structures – particularly, EPC contracts and PPP schemes - and has a detailed understanding of the management and mitigation of risk in high value projects, as well as market approaches to risk and liability across a range of sectors. 

In addition to bespoke EPC contracts, he has an expert knowledge of all of the industry's standard forms - how they are used and how they are amended - including FIDIC, NEC, IChemE, MF/1 and JCT.

In the energy sector, his experience covers power plants in the gas-fired, waste to energy, biomass and nuclear sectors, as well as solar farms, and subsea cables and infrastructure for offshore wind farms and interconnectors.  In oil and gas, he has advised a leading oil services company on its transition to an EPC contracting model in one of its core business lines, and has advised on both onshore and floating storage facilities.

In the transport sector, he has advised on metro systems and high speed rail, station redevelopments, framework contracts for rail maintenance and upgrades, road tunnelling, motorway expansion and street lighting PPPs.

In addition, Robert advises both employers and contractors on tenders for a wide variety of commercial and industrial development – preparing tailored contract forms, leading contract negotiations, and assisting with internal governance requirements.

Prior to joining Clyde & Co in 2010, Robert gained extensive experience in the UK’s PFI programme of social infrastructure.

Experience

• Advising an international contractor on its contract for the supply and installation of the export cables for an offshore wind farm.
• Advising leading UK contractors on tenders for frameworks in the rail and utilities sectors.
• Advising an international contractor on the EPC contracts (based on an amended FIDIC Silver Book) for a number of open cycle gas power stations in the UK.
• Advising a cable contractor on the EPC contract (based on an amended FIDIC Silver Book) for a new interconnector power link between the UK and Germany.
• Advising a joint venture of international contractors on the EPC contract (based on an amended IChemE Red Book) for an energy from waste project in England.
• Advising an investor on the EPC contracts for a portfolio of solar farm developments.
• Advising a joint venture between an international energy corporation and a national oil company on EPC contracts for floating storage and offloading units. 
• Preparing a comprehensive suite of amendments to JCT 2016 for a global manufacturing group, to reflect its preferred approach to risk allocation and contract management.
• Preparing a bespoke suite of FIDIC-based construction and consultancy contracts for the development of a major luxury tourist destination in the Middle East. 
• Advising a joint venture of three leading international contractors on the design and construction contract for a £1bn tunnel project.
• Advising an international oil services company on strategy, guidance and precedents in relation to EPC contracts for its production facilities.
• Advising a leading contractor on its involvement in a new nuclear reactor project.
• Advising a state construction company on the procurement structure and FIDIC-based contracts for the development of a new ministry complex in the Middle East.
• Advising an EPC contractor on a gas-fired CHP plant at a major oil and gas facility in the UK.
• Advising an EPC contractor on a biomass CHP plant in the UK.