NEWSBRIEF

Defence estates £500m job attracts interest

Seventeen firms or consortia have registered an interest in delivering Defence Estates' £500m contract to modernise accommodation for service men and women. The contract, which will run for five years covering 20,000 bed-spaces, will be awarded in autumn 2002.

BAlfour beatty wins £75m road deal

Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £75m design and build road contract to connect Stansted Airport with the existing Braintree Bypass. The 24km scheme for Essex County Council will take 30 months to build and improve access to the airport from the east by replacing the heavily congested single carriageway with a new dual two-lane road.

CPS hits back at hatfield crash charges

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has hit back at national newspaper claims that a decision has been made on criminal charges over the Hatfield rail crash. Both Railtrack and maintenance contractor Balfour Beatty have been in the media spotlight for their roles in track repairs prior to the crash that killed four people and injured 30 last October. "No decision will be made for a while," said a CPS spokesman. "Media comments are pure speculation. British Transport Police have been in close negotiations with us and will now go away to make a decision if they have enough evidence to prosecute."

READINGREVAMP ON hold until september

The two teams sweating it out for a £200m public private deal to revamp Reading town centre will have to wait a little longer to find out which one has clinched the project. The town council was due to choose last week between Amec Developments and a group headed up by developer Teesland, but a decision is now unlikely before mid-September.

design and build for HA's A30 work

The A30 improvement works contract will be let as a design and build project, but will still take two years to carry out. The Highways Agency expects to advertise the works, valued at £40m to £45m, in the OJEC later this year. Approximately 11km of road between Bodmin and Indian Queens needs improvement.

citb announces no change on levy rates

Levy rates will remain unchanged, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) announced last week. The CITB stated that rates for assessments, payable in 2002, will remain unchanged at 0.5% for direct employees and 1.5% for labour-only subcontractors. Formal consultations will now take place with industry federations over the final decision on rates to be proposed to the secretary of state for education and skills. The proposed new levy rates will apply for the year to 5 April 2001. They will not be payable until 2002.

£21m JV for Miller and biwater

A jv between Miller Water, the specialist water-engineering arm of Miller Civil Engineering Services, and Biwater Treatment has been awarded a £21m contract to carry out extensive modifications and additions to a United Utilities flagship clean water treatment plant in Watchgate, Cumbria.

bilfinger and berger leads on hospital job

German construction, investment and development group Bilfinger and Berger is leading a consortium that will develop and operate new hospital facilities in Gloucester. The Gloucestershire Royal Hospital Development will have a capital value in excess of £30m. The concession period is for 30 years.