£66m Manchester PFI deal agreed

WS Atkins and Alfred McAlpine reached a financial close last week on their £66 million PFI project to provide new and refurbished hospital facilities at Wythenshawe, south Manchester. The consortium was selected as preferred bidder in April 1996.

The tariff revenues for the project over the 35 year concession period amount to £520 million. Alfred McAlpine is a 25 per cent partner in the South Manchester Healthcare (SMH) consortium along with equal partners WS Atkins, Gardner Merchant Services Group and Innisfree.

The new hospital will provide 320 acute beds and a 77-bed mental health unit and will form the central feature of the South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust's 800-bed project.