Press Release

Balfour Beatty appointed preferred bidder for Oldham Building Schools for the Future project

29 June 2010

UK

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, announces today that it has been appointed as preferred bidder by Oldham Council for their Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which is worth up to £175 million.

This BSF Programme involves the delivery of new buildings and upgrades to eight of the Borough’s schools, a pupil referral unit and the construction of a new school in Chadderton. The initial phase of construction, which will commence in January 2011, will involve the delivery of the new-build Oldham Roman Catholic School at its new site and the partial rebuild and remodelling of North Chadderton School. Upgrades, expansions and new buildings for the other schools will commence between 2012 and 2014, with all construction work completed by 2015.

All construction and facilities management will be carried out by Balfour Beatty. ICT services across all the schools will be delivered in conjunction with Northgate, a leading provider of ICT educational solutions.

Commenting today Balfour Beatty Chief Executive, Ian Tyler, said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded preferred bidder status for Oldham Council’s BSF scheme. We look forward to developing a Local Education Partnership with the Council and Partnerships for Schools to deliver excellent design and value for all schools in the programme, as well as maximising the economic benefit to the Borough.”

Balfour Beatty will invest equity of £3.2 million into the delivery of the first sample school, Oldham Roman Catholic School, with the potential for a total of up to £6.2 million equity investment in the 25-year concession as a whole.

ENDS

Enquiries to:

Duncan Murray
Balfour Beatty plc
Tel 020 7216 6865
www.balfourbeatty.com

Notes to Editors:

  1. In addition to the Oldham, Derby and Ealing BSF schemes at preferred bidder stage, Balfour Beatty has 11 PPP concessions in the education sector, five under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme at Blackburn with Darwen and Bolton, Newcastle, Southwark, Islington and Knowsley, five in the UK under the previous PPP model at Stoke, Bassetlaw, Rotherham, Birmingham and North Lanarkshire and one in Singapore.

    These programmes involve the construction of over 100 new schools and learning centres and upgrading and maintaining well over 100 others. Balfour Beatty has over £60 million of committed equity in the sector.

  2. Balfour Beatty companies are construction partners in a number of other PPP schools schemes including the BSF schemes in Hackney, Haringey and Greenwich with a total contract value of over £320 million and are framework contractors providing construction services to the £95 million scheme in Hartlepool, the £91 million scheme for North Lanarkshire Council, the £180 million scheme for Manchester City Council and the £100 million scheme in Liverpool.

  3. Balfour Beatty has a substantial infrastructure investments portfolio. This portfolio consists of:

    • North West Fire and Rescue, fire stations upgrade (preferred bidder)
    • Nine major hospitals
    • Ten major schools schemes in the UK, Oldham, Derby and Ealing BSF at preferred bidder and a technical education centre in Singapore
    • Six roads schemes and four street lighting projects (including Coventry street lighting at preferred bidder)
    • The London Underground power system
    • A coastal defence pathfinder PPP
    • Barking Power Station (non-PPP)
    • Exeter International Airport (non-PPP)
    • Blackpool International Airport (non-PPP)
    • 17 US military housing projects for the Army, Navy and Air Force, on or near bases located in 20 states and Washington, DC
    • Florida Atlantic University student accommodation
  4. Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a world-class infrastructure group operating in construction services, professional services, support services and infrastructure investments.

    We work in partnership with our customers principally in the UK, the US, South-East Asia and the Middle East, who value the highest levels of quality, safety and technical expertise.

    Our key infrastructure markets include transportation (roads, rail and airports); social infrastructure (education, specialist healthcare, and various types of accommodation); utilities (water, gas and power transmission and generation) and commercial (offices, leisure and retail). We deliver services essential to the development, creation and care of these infrastructure assets including investment, project design, financing and management, engineering and construction, and facilities management services.

    Balfour Beatty employs more than 50,000 people around the world.

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