Resurrected firm plans to open Aberdeen depot

Construction: McGill eyes new office after winning contracts worth £1.7m

Dundee building services firm McGill is planning to open an Aberdeen office after winning contracts worth £1.7 million in the city.

McGill was bought from administration after the loss of around 400 jobs earlier this year and has been successful at winning work from councils and local authorities across Scotland.

In August the company announced it had opened a Glasgow office and it plans to open a Granite City depot this year.

The firm has now won

“From a standing start, we’ve been successful at winning work all over Scotland”

deals for smoke detector contracts with Aberdeenbased Langstane and Castlehill housing associations worth £1.6m.

McGill also has a contract to refurbish 100 bathroom and kitchens for Langstane worth around £100,000.

Chief executive Graeme Carling said: “Recruitment has started already in there for at least six staff and our more senior team will spend time to establish Aberdeen. We are looking to set up our base as soon as possible, before the end of the year. We don’t need a big site but we need a presence.”

Mr Carling said contract wins across Scotland mean he thinks the resurrected company, which has just over 50 staff, will have sales in excess of £10m next year.

He said: “We’ve been hiring as we’ve won work. People who used to work for the old McGill have been hired but we’ve been careful in our recruitment.

“We’ve recently won a contract with Fife Council for renewing warden systems, about nine months of work worth £500,000. Glasgow has been going really well. We’re doing a £2.6m project for Govanhill Housing Association and we’re in the running for the next phase of that which would be the same again in terms of value.

“Edinburgh is a huge opportunity. From a standing start, we’ve been successful at winning work all over Scotland and we are already looking to do £10m next year.”

He added: “We are now a lot clearer on the customers we are wanting to go for

– local authorities and governments on framework agreements – and we are looking to give an all-trades service to these customers.”

Meanwhile, the housebuilding arm of the business, McGill Homes, is working on plans to convert the former Department for Work and Pensions building in Dock Street, Dundee, into 38 flats.

Mr Carling said he anticipated the company selling some of the flats and keeping some of the properties to rent once the work is complete.

MAN IN CHARGE: Graeme Carling, chief executive, said McGill has been hiring new staff as its order book has been expanding