A Laing O’Rourke led consortium is set to build a new district general hospital near Dumfries in Scotland after it was announced as preferred bidder for the project by NHS Dumfries and Galloway.
The High Wood Health consortium, comprising construction partner Laing O’Rourke and estate management services provider Serco, is scheduled to start work on the £200M facility in Spring 2015.
The new 350 bed hospital on the outskirts of Dumfries will replace the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary and is projected to open in 2017/18.
High Wood Health beat out competition for the contract from Balfour Beatty, while Skanska had previously dropped out of the running in November 2013.
Balfour Beatty was recently awarded a £1.1M access road contract to upgrade the Garroch roundabout on the A75, close to the site of the new hospital. These are essential works in preparation for the start of construction of the hospital.
Project director Dennis O’Keeffe said: “Following an intense period of competitive dialogue and evaluation, we are pleased to announce High Wood Health as our preferred bidder.
“Their proposed solution is one that brings to bear a consortium of designers and contractors with considerable expertise and resources to fulfil our expectations.”
NHS Dumfries and Galloway chief executive Jeff Ace said: “This is the major milestone that we have been working towards for months now, along with two bidders who have produced the final designs for the kind of facility that we need so that our staff can deliver the best care possible for our patients."
