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Abu Dhabi to roll out “customer friendly” parking management to 750,000 residents

3i backed NCP Services, the UK's largest supplier of on street parking services, has been appointed by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Agriculture (DMA) to introduce and run the city of Abu Dhabi's new Parking Management Programme (PMP) in a contract worth in excess of £130m.

The system will be the largest single new parking scheme in the world - and is likely to become a model for parking management around the globe. New parking controls will be introduced across the Central Business District in the city of 750,000 residents.

NCP Services has been appointed to implement and manage the new regulations - after a tendering process lasting several months, in which consortia from Europe and the far east also submitted bids. It is expected the new system will start to roll out later this year.

The local operation will be run by the company's local subsidiary, NCP Gulf Services, a joint venture with Abu Dhabi based property company Arady. NCP Gulf Services will also be installing and maintaining new parking equipment across the city CBD.

The roll out is expected to last two to three years - achieving in that time a complex set of regulations and operating procedures which have taken comparable cities in other parts of the world more than 50 years to reach.

The new regulations are being introduced to help cope with a significant increase in car ownership in Abu Dhabi. The vehicle fleet has more than doubled since the start of the century.

Currently on street parking is largely free and unregulated, but the increase in car ownership means that on street spaces are now over subscribed by 40 per cent.

As a result, road safety is severely compromised by dangerous parking and congestion is rapidly increasing.

Alastair Cooper, operations director of NCP Services, commented: “We are delighted to be given the opportunity to work in Abu Dhabi

“It is a sign of the remarkable growth NCP Services has demonstrated that we can now deliver this kind of operation to a global market.

“We want the parking inspectors in Abu Dhabi to be seen as an important part of the community - they will be expected to be able to explain the new regulations to residents and help them ensure they park their cars properly. The Abu Dhabi plan will be the most sophisticated parking management scheme in the world. It will become a global example of best practice and I am delighted NCP Services will be involved.”

The Abu Dhabi operation was described by Parking News, the official publication of the British Parking Association, as “the biggest parking scheme in the world”.

Chris Williams, 3i Partner commented, “We are delighted with NCP Services' Abu Dhabi contract win. This is further evidence of the strong performance of the company and its aim to grow the business outside its core UK market.”

NCP Services has grown rapidly under 3i's ownership - upon acquisition in September 2005 the division which became NCP Services employed around 2,500 people.

When it was spun off from the main NCP car parking company in March 2007 it employed around 3,500 and currently employs more than 4,500.

For Press Enquiries on NCP Gulf Services contact Tim Cowen on 020 8991 7709 or James Pritchard on 020 8991 7710

For 3i inquiries contact Kathryn Van Der Kroft on +44 (0)20 7975 3021

Notes for editors:

• NCP Services was formerly part of the NCP car parking group. It was spun off as a separate business in March 2007.
• It is owned by the UK private equity company 3i.
• The largest employer of Civil Enforcement Officers (formerly parking attendants) in the UK, it also delivers transport and related services including bus operations, aviation services, coaching, debt recovery, back office processing and street design.
• It works on behalf of more than 50 local authorities and two national Government agencies in the UK.
• In addition to international expansion, it has continued to expand rapidly in the UK - with parking enforcement contracts in Birmingham, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire going live in April and May 2008.
• The company also provides passenger transfer buses and forecourt attendants for the new terminal 5 building at Heathrow, as part of its growing range of transport and related services.

About 3i

3i is a world leader in private equity and venture capital.  We focus on Buyouts, Growth Capital, Venture Capital, Infrastructure and Quoted Private Equity (“QPE”) and invest across Europe, the United States and Asia.  Our competitive advantage comes from our international network and the strength and breadth of our business relationships.  These underpin the value that we deliver to our portfolio and to our shareholders.