Gleeson for Scots water job

MJ Gleeson and Thames Water's Stirling Water consortium has been selected by East of Scotland Water Authority as its preferred bidder for the £30 million Esk Valley purification scheme under a PFI-style contract.

The Esk Valley catchment serves a population of around 58,000 including the main population centres situated to the east of Edinburgh.

Stirling Water saw off a bid by its remaining rival on the scheme, Caledonian Environmental Services, which includes Amec/Scottish Power/Northumbrian Water.

Bids by the Catchment consortium of Morrison/Bechtel/United Utilities and East of Scotland Environmental Services - BICC/Yorkshire Water/Weir, were eliminated earlier in the bidding process.

Stirling Water, which also includes designer Montgomery Watson, ECL - a Gleeson subsidiary and Terra Eco Systems - a Thames Water subsidiary, proposed the best value-for-money solution.

East of Scotland Water said that Stirling had met several key objectives such as: the upgrading of the wastewater collection system by December 2000; allowance for future domestic and industrial growth; provision of secondary treatment to wastewater treatment works discharges; met ESW's objectives not to compromise bathing water standards; environmental improvements to the River Esk by eliminating premature overflows of wastewater; providing additional storage at storm water works and appropriate settlement and screening of waste water prior to discharge.

Caledonian, Catchment, East of Scotland Environmental and Waverley Environmental (Miller/General Utilities/OTV Birwelco) are all bidding for a further East of Scotland Water PFI project - the £50 million Levenmouth Purification Scheme.

A preferred bidder should be announced by the end of the year.