Kvaerner in stir

Kvaerner Construction has won a £12 million contract to design and construct a 40-bed Secure Training Centre for Medomsley Training Services, a branch of Premier Prisons at Medomsley, near Consett in County Durham. The project is being built as a private finance initiative scheme for the Home Office.

The centre, to be known as Hassockfield, is for young offenders who will be provided with education and training within a secure environment. Kvaerner Technology and Kvaerner Rashleigh Weatherfoil will be supplying structural and civil engineering support and mechanical and electrical installations respectively.

Precast concrete components will be supplied by CV Buchan and architect is the Capita Group. The secure training unit will be completed in 10 months.

The scheme is Kvaerner's first STC contract, but it has won the most private finance prison schemes so far. Working with Premier Prisons it has won the construction contracts for a Young Offenders Institution at Pucklechurch, near Bristol, and prisons at Kilmarnock in Scotland and Lowdham Grange in Nottingham.

Two other STC contracts have been let so far at Cookham Wood, Kent and Onley, Northants - both won by Tarmac/Group 4. Five STCs are due to be built under the PFI.

A decision on two further £50 million PFI prison jobs at Marchington in Staffordshire and Onley in Warwickshire is expected shortly. Premier Prisons with Kvaerner are shortlisted for both schemes, as is the Tarmac/Group 4 consortium. US firm Correctional Services Corporation and Kier are also shortlisted for both, while UK Detention Services is just shortlisted for Onley.