Contractor wins 15-year defence laboratories deal

Serco has been named as the preferred bidder for a £400 m Ministry of Defence contract to provide and support new laboratories and offices for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

The strategic partnership, called Project INSPIRE, will entail Serco managing the design and build of facilities to house 1600 scientists, and lasts for 15 years. Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd will be Serco’s construction partner, with the Building Design Partnership coming onboard as design leaders.

Secro has a current partnering contract with the Dstl providing communication and information services, and has other contracts for property and estate management work with the MoD.

Chris Hyman, Serco's chief executive, said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to build on our relationship with Dstl. We look forward to using our expertise as an integrator, our innovative solutions and our assured service delivery within the defence and scientific sectors to enable Dstl to achieve its ambitions.”