Willmott beats O'Rourke to academy deals

Willmott Dixon's Dartford office has beaten-off competition from its next-door-neighbour Laing O'Rourke to win a £55m deal for two new academies in Bexley, Kent.

Both contractors were battling it out for the Bexley deal under the Partnerships for Schools National Academies framework.

And the competing teams were able to keep a close eye on each other because their offices are less than 100m apart on the same Dartford industrial estate.

One local industry source said: "They can see each other across the road and have been having a real head-to-head on this one.

"It must have been tempting for the Willmott Dixon lads to put up a '2-0' poster in the window when they got the nod."

Bexley councillors have confirmed Willmott Dixon as preferred bidder for the £27.9m Falconwood Academy and the £28m Crayford academy.

The jobs are the latest round of spending under the framework, which is due to let £525m of work before it expires in December to be replaced by a new deal dubbed 'Framework 2'.

Willmott Dixon has now won more than £400m under the original academies framework, where it competes with Kier, Carillion, Balfour Beatty, Skanska and Laing O'Rourke.

The source said: "Laing O'Rourke hasn't been doing so well on these academies jobs so they threw everything at this one - particularly because it was in their own back yard.

"It's a competitive industry at the moment and I'm sure the proximity of the teams added a bit of spice to this one."

Subject to a final business case and contract award, construction is due to start in spring 2010, with both school buildings completed by September 2011.