17 December 2009

Kier preferred for £90m major education schemes 

Kier has been announced preferred bidder for two major education schemes with a combined value in excess of £90m.

For Northumberland County Council, Kier has been named to build three new Church of England academy buildings sponsored by the Duke of Northumberland and the Church of England under a £46m contract. Work on the first two academy buildings, the Grace Darling and William Leech campuses, is due to complete by summer 2011. The third building, the Josephine Butler campus, is scheduled to complete by Christmas of that year. This project brings the total amount of work secured by Kier or for which it is preferred bidder to £710m under the Academies Framework. 

Also, as part of the Equitix Consortium, Kier is to build two new schools in the first wave of the Fenland Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme for Cambridgeshire County Council: The Thomas Clarkson Community College valued at £33.3m and the Meadowgate School, valued at £11m. Work is due to start in summer 2010. Further waves of this BSF programme have a potential value of £600m.

Kier Group chief executive John Dodds commented: "We are delighted to have been chosen to take these projects forward, cementing our position as one of the country's major builders of education infrastructure. In both cases we look forward to working closely with all parties to deliver a series of exemplary places of learning."

Ends

Contacts:

Deena Mattar         

Group Finance Director

Kier Group                       01767 640111

Faeth Birch         

Conor McClafferty     

Finsbury                            020 7251 3801