Construction project management & principal agent
Any build, any size. We’ll run it.
Bastille is a building project management and principal agent practice in the Helderberg, led by Leonard van Eeden. We manage everything from a small extension or renovation to large developments worth hundreds of millions of rand, for owners and developers from Somerset West and Strand to Cape Town and the Overstrand coast.
From a single extension to a major development
The same plan, budget control and site discipline, scaled to the job. If you are adding a room or building a hospital wing, you deal with one senior person.
01
Small builds
Extensions, additions and renovations
A new room, a second storey, a kitchen and living space, a granny flat. A plan, a budget and a builder who is checked on site.
02
Mid-size projects
Fit-outs, offices, apartments and retail
Office and restaurant fit-outs, apartment blocks, schools and estates. Programme, cost control and a full consultant team.
03
Large developments
Hospitals, compounds and heritage buildings
Live hospital wards, a 76-house compound, a listed airship hangar. Principal agent and project manager from brief to close-out.
29 projects. Four countries.
29
projects delivered
4
countries
R620m
largest project, est.
6
hospitals worked in while open
Clients and sites include
What we do
Four services, with one senior person accountable for each of them.
01
Principal Agent
Your building contract, run independently on your behalf.
- Acting as your agent on JBCC contracts
- Issuing instructions to the contractor
- Running site meetings
02
Construction Project Management
One senior person accountable for time, cost and quality.
- Brief and budget set-up
- Programme in MS Project
- Consultant team coordination
03
Fit-out & Refurbishment
High-finish interiors and upgrades, delivered while people keep working.
- Office, hospital, retail and hospitality fit-outs
- Phased work in occupied buildings
- Structural alterations
04
Health, Safety & Quality
Safety first on every site, and a zero-defects handover.
- Site safety planning and inspections
- Scaffold and working-at-height checks
- Construction and demolition waste management
Selected projects
Current and past work, from London apartments to a Dublin hospital. Values are estimated in rand, with the original currency underneath.
- CurrentCurrentZutari – GVK ProjectsStellenbosch, Western CapeSenior Project Manager
- CompletedEst. R420m$24mLuano City DevelopmentsDRCProject Manager & Principal Agent
- CompletedEst. R620m£26.3mArden Court, Pages WalkLondon, UKHealth & Safety, Environmental & Quality Manager
- CompletedEst. R68m€3.3mSt Vincent's University HospitalDublin, IrelandProject Manager
No projects match that search. Show all projects.
Five stages. One person accountable.
Whatever the size of the project, you deal with Leon from the first brief to the last handover.
01
Brief & budget
We agree the scope, the budget and the dates before anyone starts work.
02
Design & procurement
We coordinate the design team and tender the packages to the right contractors.
03
Contract award
We set up and appoint the contract. As principal agent, we issue the instructions.
04
Construction
We run site, safety, quality and cost, and report on risk and progress.
05
Handover & close-out
Practical completion, defects cleared and the final account agreed.
Straight answers
The questions we hear most from owners and developers.
Areas we serve
What does a principal agent do?
A principal agent acts for the building owner on the contract. We issue instructions to the contractor, run site meetings, certify payments, rule on contractor claims and manage practical completion. The owner gets one independent professional looking after the contract.
Do you work on JBCC contracts?
The JBCC contract cannot run without an appointed principal agent, and that is the role we fill. Leon was principal agent on the Luano City Developments project in the DRC. Tell us which contract form you use and we will confirm how we would run it.
Do you only manage large projects?
No. We manage builds of every size, from a single extension or renovation to large developments worth hundreds of millions of rand. A small build gets the same plan, budget control and site checks as a large one, scaled to the job.
Which areas do you cover?
We are based in the Helderberg. We work in Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Strand and Gordon's Bay, along the coast through Rooi-Els, Pringle Bay, Betty's Bay and Kleinmond to Hermanus, and across to Cape Town and the False Bay coast. We also take projects elsewhere in South Africa and Africa, as the Luano City project in the DRC shows.
Can you work in a building that stays open?
Yes. Leon has delivered work inside live hospitals, a live university campus and a live office campus in Dublin, including St Vincent's, Beaumont and Crumlin hospitals. Phasing, infection control and safety planning are part of the job.
How do you charge?
Fees depend on the size and length of the project and the services you need. Tell us about your project and Leon will send a clear fee proposal before you commit to anything.