Shepherd books in for £50m Liverpool library job

A preferred bidder has emerged for a reconfigured £50m PFI library deal in Liverpool.

Inspire Partnership (which features Shepherd and Amber Infrastructure) has booked in ahead of its rival Information Resources (a joint venture of Kier/Land Resources Trillium).

Two other groups also pitched for the scheme, but fell by the wayside earlier in the contest - Community Solutions (Morgan Sindall/Hochtief) and Kajima Partnerships/Carillion.

The high-profile scheme involves rebuilding Liverpool's historic Central Library.

The Grade II-listed building, situated on William Brown Street, has fallen into disrepair and suffers from a host of problems including dampness and a leaking roof.

The building is due to close in June 2010, with construction work expected to begin three months later.

A full planning application to redevelop the library will be made on 23 November.

It is understood that Liverpool Council initially wanted to refurbish the 158-year-old building, but struggled to find bidders willing to carry out the complicated task of remodelling.

Two groups did put in bids for the original proposal, but one subsequently dropped out and the council could not find a replacement, amid fears that if the council went ahead with only one bidder, it would flout European Union laws on competitive tender processes for public-sector projects.

The reconfigured scheme now involves new build, rebuilding and demolition projects - a mixture contractors found more attractive.

Under the revamped project, extensions built in the 1950s and 1970s at the back of the library will be bulldozed and replaced with modern reading, lending, computing and audio areas.

Around 14km of archives will be moved into a purpose-built centre and the picturesque Picton Reading Room and international library will be refurbished.

Joyce Little, head of Liverpool's Libraries and Information Service, said: "I am delighted with the quality of the successful bid and we are now preparing to empty the building and move the project forward."

The project represents the biggest-ever single investment in Liverpool's library service.