Manchester University picks contractors for £1bn revamp

Balfour Beatty, Laing O’Rourke and Sir Robert McAlpine have been appointed by the University of Manchester to deliver the bulk of its £1bn Campus Masterplan.

Through a partnership framework agreement the three contractors will deliver the majority of the university’s projects over the next eight years, including its £350m flagship Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD).

Manchester University’s campus masterplan 2012-2022, designed to provide modern facilities to staff, students and visitors, is one of the largest currently underway in the higher education sector.

Diana Hampson, the University’s director of estates and facilities, said the construction partnering framework was vital for ensuring quality and value in delivery of the masterplan, because “the scope and scale of the campus masterplan requires a huge amount of resource and presents significant delivery challenges.”

Jon Adams, managing director for northern major projects at Balfour Beatty, said the firm’s capabilities enabled it “to meet the demands of this framework which will provide an improved built environment for the 40,00 students the University serves.”