ProCure 21 awards prompt complaints

Laing O’Rourke and Interserve have landed a slew of ProCure 21 contracts in the past month, prompting criticism about the uneven distribution of work under the NHS partnering framework.

Both companies are part of a team of 11 principal supply chain partners (PSCPs) chosen to deliver the NHS capital works programme. Since the programme was launched in December 2003, Laing O’Rourke has won the lion’s share of the workload with Kier and Interserve following close behind.

In the past few weeks, Laing O’Rourke has picked up: an £8m contract to build a children’s unit for the Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust; a £4m contract to deliver a new pathology unit at Maidstone Hospital; an £8m deal to provide a medium-secure unit for the Calderstones Hospital NHS Trust; and a £15m contract to provide renal and vascular centres across three sites for the East Kent Hospital NHS Trust.

Laing O’Rourke is also in the running, alongside Kier and ACM (a consortium of Amec, Costain and Mowlem), for a contract to help the West London Mental Health NHS Trust develop an outline business case for the £300m phased redevelopment of the Broadmoor secure mental hospital. The preferred bidder is expected to be chosen in early July.

In the same period, Interserve has picked up a £7m contract to build a mental health unit for the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust and a £5m package to build a medium-secure unit for South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust.

Other PCSPs are fairing less well under the ProCure 21 programme. A source at one PSCP said: "We and others have met with the ProCure 21 team to discuss the distribution and flow of work, which has been disappointing this year.

"We know of trusts that are reluctant to use ProCure 21 until they know exactly what the Department of Health plans to do with NHS Estates."

NHS Estates, which set up the ProCure 21 programme, was abolished last year as part of a cost-cutting programme.

However, head of ProCure 21 Peter Woolliscroft said the abolition of NHS Estates has no long-term impact on ProCure 21.

"In the early days, the uncertainty did affect one or two of the trusts, but this is no longer an issue. As for workflow, we have about 10 schemes coming through every month and there are more expressions of interest than ever."