Member Article

Kier consortium named preferred bidder for £50m contract

A Kier consortium has been selected by Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Fire Authority as preferred bidder in a £50m PFI contract to build and maintain 11 new community fire stations across Staffordshire.

As part of the deal, Kier will provide hard and soft facilities management and community support services over a 25-year period with a total estimated value in excess of £17m.

The successful blue3 consortium involved Kier and architects Calderpeel Partnership Limited. Construction work is expected to start in early 2013 and all fire stations are expected to be complete by the end of 2015.

This is the second successful PFI contract in two months for Kier with both contracts involving sizeable, long-term facilities management services to the fire service sector.

Kier business development director, Tony Devenish, said: “This has been a necessarily long and involved process taking almost two years and everyone at Kier is delighted that we have been selected as preferred bidder. We were selected as a result of the business’ strong track record in delivering similar projects and our ability to provide an overall solution that would give a continuity of service over the next 25 years.

“This is the second successful PFI bid in two months for Kier, representing significant contracts for the business.”

The contract will cover fire stations in Burton upon Trent, Longton, Lichfield, Leek, Rugeley, Stone, Chase Terrace, Loggerheads, Penkridge, Codsall and Kinver.

All fire stations have been designed with state-of-the-art operational and community facilities. Stations crewed around the clock will include fitness facilities that can be used by supervised groups.

Members of the public will be able to use the community facilities and the newly designed stations will also allow for more community safety activities to take place. The new stations have been designed to be inviting and welcoming to the public and will promote community cohesion in the area.

Steve Knight, PFI director at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Kier (blue3). The appointment of blue3 as the Authority’s preferred bidder is the culmination of a two-year competitive procurement process that, when delivered, will ensure that the Authority is able to continue to accelerate its current community safety programme.

“At the heart of the project is flexible and robust facilities management that will enable the state-of-the-art buildings to meet the ever increasing demands being placed on this important aspect of the Authority’s work.”

Kier has a successful track record of working with the emergency, ‘blue light’ sector. In May blue3 was selected to deliver the design, build, financing and maintenance of nine fire stations on behalf of the London Fire Brigade. The business also provides FM services to Sussex, Devon & Cornwall and Avon & Somerset Police Forces.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jack Williams .