Balfour Beatty appointed as preferred bidder for £47 million North West Fire and Rescue Services PPP project

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, announces today that its specialist concession, Balfour Beatty Fire and Rescue, has been appointed as preferred bidder for a PPP contract valued at approximately £47 million by North West Fire and Rescue Services to upgrade 16 fire stations in the North West of England.

North West Fire and Rescue Services comprises Cumbria County Council, Lancashire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.

The 25-year concession will involve the design, construction, funding and provision of facilities management for 16 community fire stations, of which seven are in Merseyside, five in Cumbria, and four in Lancashire. As well as modernised operational facilities, the stations will provide resources for community use, such as meeting rooms, multi-function lecture rooms and gyms.

The stations will be constructed on a mixture of new and existing sites in a range of locations from rural stations with retained crews, to busy inner-city stations with full-time crews. Construction of eight of the fire stations will begin in late 2010 with all construction work completed by 2013.

Commenting today Balfour Beatty Chief Executive, Ian Tyler, said:

“I am delighted that Balfour Beatty has been selected for the UK fire service’s biggest public private partnership project to date. The upgrade of the stations will help meet the changing needs and modern practices of the UK fire and rescue service and provide a better environment for working, learning and training. We look forward to working with Cumbria

County Council, Lancashire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.”

Balfour Beatty will invest equity of approximately £5 million into the 25-year wholly owned concession.