The American corporation running the UK green homes grant has been awarded multiple government contracts in the last five years.
ICF, based in Fairfax, Virginia, is a global consulting business that promotes itself as “not your typical consultants”.
The company has a London base, which is a wholly owned subsidiary. Its senior directors include Andrew Jarvis, a former senior policy adviser for energy, environment and innovation in the Cabinet Office.
The more than 80 contracts awarded to ICF, according to government data, include a £144,000 contract from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to help draw up a new biodiversity strategy; a third share of a £60m contract from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) international climate team to “support accelerated emissions reductions in developing countries”; a £139,647 contract to evaluate the “warm home discount”; a £98,700 deal from Defra to examine the evidence on the health impacts of pesticides; a £1m contract to examine the benefits of 5G technology; and an £18,000 contract to create a surveillance strategy for the oak processionary moth.
ICF recently advertised for a senior role to help run the green home grants scheme. The post for a customer experience coordinator stated: “This role is not for the faint-hearted and requires first class organisation, ability to manage competing demands across numerous locations globally, attend and support the client (BEIS) and third-party meetings to provide structure, governance and relevant reporting in a timely manner.”
The successful applicant, the company said, needed to be a “resilient and robust character that can work under pressure and can be flexible at a moment’s notice”.
ICF was contacted in London and at its headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, but did not respond.
