Two batched health PFI winners picked

Balfour Beatty’s Consort group has seen off Equion and Catalyst to clinch the £240m Northern batched hospitals PFI scheme.

But the group has been pipped at the post by Arden, a joint venture between Costain and Alfred McAlpine, for the £132m Three Shires batched hospitals PFI.

Choosing a preferred bidder is a major landmark for the troubled Northern batch.

Since its launch in 2003, it has seen the £227m Bradford Teaching Hospitals scheme pull out of the batch and £19m sliced off the value of the Salford and Thameside hospital schemes after a review by the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority.

Conversely, the £132m Three Shires bid, which batched much smaller mental health schemes, has had a much smoother and quicker ride, so far, taking just 14 months to reach preferred bidder stage from its launch in April last year.

The Three Shires batch is led by the Derbyshire Mental Health Services Trust, along with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and East Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust. Arden went head to head with Investors in Health (Mill Group/Balfour Beatty) after Carillion Health dropped out of the race.

Neither bidders nor trusts would confirm the news, but a source close to both schemes said: “The trusts are talking to one bidder on each scheme with a view to announcing preferred bidders shortly.”