Construction & Civil Engineering 221 May | Page 54

Virtus Contracts ________________________________________________________________________________________________

As one of London’ s first-choice principal contractors, Virtus Contracts has spent over two decades refining its approach to fit-out and refurbishment projects across the capital and beyond. We chatted with the Financial Director, Alex Smith, about how the company has become a trusted partner to some of the city’ s biggest commercial property clients.

Founded in 2000 by Mark Cooper and Tom Martin, alongside Paul Green and Ed Falvey, Virtus Contracts started small but with a bold philosophy: if a client wasn’ t satisfied, they wouldn’ t have to pay until they were. That commitment to customer satisfaction wasn’ t just a promise, it was a founding principle. As Alex explains,“ The company’ s first ever project was a small-scale refurbishment worth £ 5000 … we were not only paid in full, but the customers came back and went on to negotiate over £ 170,000 worth of work with us. I think that shows how excellence has always been in our DNA.”
Over the next 20 years, the four men built Virtus Contracts up into an industry-leading contractor. The company now boasts a diverse skillset that has allowed it to take on a wide variety of projects, ranging from corporate offices to high-end residential spaces and specialist refurbishments in buildings such as The Globe Theatre and Dulwich College. Though primarily working within the M25, the Virtus team has taken on select projects in cities like Brighton and York, showcasing a willingness to go the distance- literally and figuratively- for the right opportunities. As Alex mentions,“ We’ re happy to travel for clients that need us, and we’ re always looking to take on new challenges.”
Today, despite Ed, Tom, and Paul having since retired, Mark is still going strong and
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