The Legal 500

‘One of the most experienced firms for PPP projects’, Allen & Overy LLP ‘delivers high-quality’ work for project lenders and sponsors. Recent matters include advising pension fund PGGM on its joint venture with construction company Royal BAM Group to develop PPP infrastructure projects, and acting for a consortium in its A15 PFI road project bid. Practice head Werner Runge is ‘very pragmatic’, of counsel Bart Meesters has ‘great knowledge on all areas and good negotiation skills’, and associate Zeeger de Jongh is ‘very talented, very smart and provides clever solutions’.

Clifford Chance’s lawyers ‘know what it takes to close a deal; they always deal with reason and respect for the counterparties’. The team is particularly recommended as lender’s counsel but it also advises sponsors and authorities. The practice advised lenders on the €7bn Nord Stream gas project and also Strabag and Colas on the A11 PPP project. Other clients include Royal BAM Group, Enecogen, ING and Heijmans. Jaap Koster and counsel Nanette Rutgers are ‘first class’.

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek stands out for its ‘definite advice and understanding of the Dutch market’. It acted for Royal BAM Group on forming its joint venture with PGGM and on its Regio Tram project bid. It also advised NRG on procurement and contracting for a nuclear plant. Menno Stoffer is highly recommended.

Houthoff Buruma advises on domestic infrastructure projects, with practice head Peter Habraken acting as Dutch counsel to the consortium on the €4.4bn Schiphol-Amsterdam-Almere motorway project. Other recent matters include financing advice to the contractor of the Belwin offshore wind farm and advising a municipality on a €800m housing project.

NautaDutilh acts for lenders on energy, utilities and PPP projects. The practice acted for European Investment Bank on part financing the A12 and A15 highway projects. It was also Dutch counsel to lenders on international energy projects in the UAE and Vietnam. Erik Geerling heads the project finance group.

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV remains a key adviser to the Dutch government, which involves it in PPP and PFI projects across the Netherlands. Mark Birnage recently advised the contracting authorities on the A15 and A12 road projects.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer applies a ‘no-nonsense, efficient and low-key approach’ to advising lenders and borrowers on project finance mandates. Highlights included advising Vopak on its oil terminal project and the lenders to a consortium on its RegioTram project bid. Practice head Thijs Flokstra and senior associate Wouter Jongen are ‘very experienced and solutions-oriented’.

Norton Rose LLP advises lenders on financing and contractors on development. It advised the construction company for the Second Coentunnel on contract issues and BritNed Development – a joint venture between Dutch and English electricity grids – on regulatory issues. Project finance expert Wouter Hertzberger is ‘enormously responsive, and able to reach consensus in negotiations’. Weero Koster and Daphne Broerse focus on energy and infrastructure sectors, respectively.

Stibbe was project counsel to Ballast Nedam and DG Infra Yield on setting up the Benelux Secondary PPP Fund I. It advised Heijmans on the RegioTram project, Supreme Court and National Military Museum developments. Practice head Joop Janssen and David Orobio de Castro are ‘highly qualified lawyers that combine thorough, in-depth, relevant knowledge with a practical approach’.

AKD’s Marc Wintgens leads the team, which advises public and private sector clients on infrastructure and PPP projects. It advised CIF Krimpen and CIF Loenen as borrowers of financing for a telecoms infrastructure network, and also acted on education sector developments.

CMS Derks Star Busmann’s Eduard Scheenstra leads the team on project development and finance matters, including transport infrastructure and energy projects and urban redevelopments.

Kennedy Van der Laan’s team is ‘very practical in its approach’. It focuses on urban developments, typically advising project developers and local authorities on procurement and contract issues. Practice head Casper Schouten and Richard-Jan Roks are recommended.

Loyens & Loeff’s core areas are transport, real estate and renewables. It advised the BARD consortium on its winning bid for North Sea wind farms developments, and gave pro bono advice to Hivos on financing its biogas programme in Indonesia and Africa. Willem Jarigsma and Gianluca Kreuze lead on project financings.

Van Doorne’s Mark Moolhuizen is acting for the municipality of Den Helder on its city hall development – the first Dutch project where a local authority, rather than central government, is procuring a DBFM contract. Moolhuizen is also advising consortium bidders for the National Military Museum and the N33 highway project. Stefan van Rossum and Evert Wiggers advise on renewables financing.