British consultant Currie & Brown has been appointed by the Mexican government to manage a £3.3bn public–private partnership hospital programme.

It involves the financing, design, construction and operation of seven hospitals over a period of 25 years.

Currie & Brown says it is one of the largest PPP initiatives outside the UK, and the single largest PPP project to be managed by a UK consultant.

The company, which will act as procurement adviser, is the only international consultant acting for the Mexican ministry of health on the hospital programme.

Currie & Brown has been working with the department for two years and has opened an office in Mexico.