Changes to Projects in Chambers UK 2025

Historically, the UK Guide has represented projects work split into two areas: the main Projects section, and the more specific PPP/PFI table. The latter represented firms and individuals with expertise representing parties involved in public private partnership (PPP) work, and more specifically those advising on public finance initiatives (PFIs). PFIs were introduced by John Major’s government in 1992 and for the next two decades helped finance hundreds of projects, including schools and hospitals. 

The last PFI was completed in some time ago, after the government made the decision to discontinue the scheme. Other forms of project finance have been used to encourage the investment in public infrastructure, such as the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model, or the Mutual Investment Model (MIM) in Wales. These forms of structured finance have been recognised within the PPP/PFI ranking table, though with the phasing out of PFI specifically and the scope of the work being recognised in this table shifting more generally, Projects in Chambers UK requires a makeover.  

To ensure the ranking table represents a more diverse range of project finance structures, and more accurately encapsulates the domestic projects market, our projects coverage is now split according to a firm’s or individual’s focus on either domestic or international work.  

Nothing needs to change in the way in which firms submit to this section. We will continue to draw on a single submission for both the Mainly Domestic and Mainly International tables, and firms are welcome to include both on the single submission, regardless of where they are ranked. 

The way that our Infrastructure section is structured remains unchanged. While there are no PFIs in their project development and construction phase, infrastructure lawyers are kept busy with ongoing work related to contractual elements of in-operation PFIs. This work should continue to be included on Infrastructure submissions.