New name for Jarvis in PFI bids

Jarvis' role in school PFI deals has been criticised

Jarvis, a UK services company with a mixed record in high-profile government contracts, is to bid for some future projects under a different brand name.

The firm will now call itself Engenda for many bids under the UK government's private finance initiative (PFI).

Jarvis' reputation has suffered after a number of troubled PFI school projects, and its involvement in the Potter's Bar rail crash.

But the use of alternative names in PFI bids is common practice, Jarvis argues.

Troubled times

The rebrand is strictly limited in scale, and does not herald a broader renaming of the company.

The Engenda name is likely to be used only in healthcare and education contracts, the areas where the company has had most success in PFI bids.

In December, for example, the firm became the chosen bidder for a £263m contract to upgrade 39 schools in Norfolk.

But some of its PFI education activities have been criticised by inspectors, who have pointed to delays and financial problems at certain projects.

In October, Jarvis pulled out of day-to-day maintenance on the rail network, after investigations were launched into allegations of shoddy and dangerous work.

Name game

The Engenda brand is, however, unrelated to these factors, Jarvis says.

The company insists it needs another corporate identity for some contracts, since many bidding vehicles are joint ventures or other more specialised units.

Continuing to call itself Jarvis in all contracts could be misleading, the company says.

The practice is common in the PFI sector: rival firm Carillion uses a range of alternative names - Ellenbrook Holdings, for example, or Education Care & Discipline - for different deals.