A GROUP of construction consultants are celebrating after winning a project on the Caribbean island of Barbados.

Faithful and Gould Consult, a specialist division of the worldwide project managers and construction consultants, was appointed by the Government of Barbados to act as independent advisor on the redevelopment of the Grantley Adams International Airport terminal, in Bridgetown.

The consultancy, based in Stockton, Teesside, secured the contract after completing an earlier, smaller project on the island.

The government of Barbados set up a quasi-public sector company last February to mastermind the airport's redevelopment, together with a consultant to monitor its performance.

F&G Consult has been appointed to review any likely risks to timely completion and will manage and staff the project entirely from its Teesside office.

David Nicholson, F&G Consult's senior consultant, said the contract marked a sea-change within industry to use independent advisors as mediators to get important construction projects completed on-time and on-budget.

He said: "What makes the project unique is that it involves the transposition of F&G's contractual knowledge, based on English law, to a Caribbean project involving a Canadian engineer and a Danish contractor.

"In addition to our ability to provide a quick response for a project almost 4,000 miles away, the role of independent contractual advisor is one which is comparatively rare, but is becoming more common and is considered by many clients to be a good way of reducing conflict on site."

F&G Consult will be represented in Barbados by senior consultant Mike Brown.

He said: "We are widely experienced in the management and settlement of construction claims as well as project management.

"Our initial appointment was for a couple of short visits to Barbados to review and report on the current contractual and relational position.

"However, during the visit, we were asked to be involved in an ongoing role, visiting the site each month over the next 12 to 15 months.

"It is certainly shaping up to be one of the more exotic locations I have worked in."

The Faithful and Gould parent group employs more than 2,000 staff worldwide with a turnover of more than £100m.