NHS Estates has announced a shortlist of four consortiums for a public–private partnership contract to provide serviced accommodation and sell surplus NHS property.
The four shortlisted groups are:
  • Miller Ventures and Construction, engineer Mitie Group and Bank of Scotland
  • WS Atkins Investments and property management firm William Pears Group
  • Property company Jones Lang LaSalle and funder Quintain Estates and Development
  • Mace, Stanhope, French funder CDC Ixis Finance and French property company SCIC.

Inventures, the PPP to be formed by the deal, will start trading after a winning consortium is announced next spring. It will have assets of £400m and a turnover of £40m. It will be the largest provider of serviced accommodation in the healthcare sector.

Kate Priestley, chief executive of Inventures, said: "I'm delighted to see such interest from strong potential partners. I feel confident that together we will be able to develop a permanent and sustainable PPP offering healthcare knowledge and expertise."

I’m delighted to see such strong potential partners

Kate Priestley, chief executive, Inventures

Priestley earlier said the PPP was ideally suited to small-scale NHS building work in Procure 21, which deals with work valued at £1-20m, below the PFI threshold.

Inventures is to target projects such as non-emergency surgery centres, radiology units, offices and primary care centres.