Three will have their day in court

by Glenda Thisell

Three contractors have been shortlisted for a £15m Courts Service project in East Anglia.

The private finance initiative scheme involves the provision and operation of serviced crown and county court facilities in Cambridge and Ipswich.

The scheme is likely to include facilities management, such as planned maintenance and repairs, cleaning, energy management, catering and security services to the new court centres for a minimum of 25 years. The three contractors are: HBG, Mowlem, and Norwest Holst, working with financial modelling and project management firm McBains Investment Management which specialises in PFIs.

The firms undertook a value engineering exercise in April. The Courts Service will decide whether two or three firms will be invited to submit best and final offers in July and will select a preferred bidder in September and hope to close by December.

The Courts Service is looking for the best value bid which meets the functional requirements of the service; whole-life costings will also be considered.