Britain’s second biggest private builder has signed a strategic partnership agreement with a grouping of specialist FM firms, forming the Mercury Alliance.

The landmark deal brings together a network of ‘best-in-class’ FM partners that Willmott Dixon will team up with as it takes on larger projects.

Willmott Dixon now boasts an  integrated service capability throughout the lifecycle of a property, which it is hoped will open up a host of new client opportunities.

John Frankiewicz, divisional CEO at Willmott Dixon Capital Works, said: “This is an exciting new venture that will allow us to broaden our service offering as clients increasingly look to bundle several services in one contract.

“Also, we expect to see an increase in building contracts that involve managing the energy and carbon performance of property in use and our strategic relationship with Mercury will give us a formidable new service offering in this regard.

“As clients in both private and public sectors look for new ideas to get more from their capital spend, especially in regard to green issues, it is inevitable that more contracts will link construction with post-occupancy performance and care.”

Other partners in the Mercury Alliance include catering group CH&Co, national building maintenance experts EIC, cleaning specialists ICM, workplace management firm Harrow Green and international security giant Securitas.

The agreement with Willmott Dixon takes the annual turnover of Mercury Alliance partners to over £1.7bn with a combined workforce of over 33,000.

Chris Brady, managing director and co-founder of Mercury Alliance, added: “Our aim is simple – it’s to redefine facilities management and make it relevant to a new generation.

“There is so much unnecessary duplication and cost involved in even ‘bundled’ packages and the Alliance model delivers immediate cost and efficiency savings, without any compromise in service delivery.

“Together, we believe that we can create a new model of working, setting the high performance standards that customers not only want, but actually deserve.”

Under the terms of the collaborative agreement, Willmott Dixon will work with Mercury Alliance partners to deliver the support services required by its customers nationwide.