London's Shard under threat

Project manager Turner & Townsend (T&T) has been drafted in to oversee work on London's tallest building the Shard.

Developer Teighmore, led by Irvine Sellar's Sellar Property Group, contacted T&T after the construction management contract was switched to fixed price. The move is thought to have been made to reassure the scheme's Qatari investors that it can be built to budget, reported Building magazine.

With main contractor Mace struggling to control costs on the 310m tall tower, Teighmore has also contacted rival contractors interested in the scheme. The developer had demanded a £350m build cost, but Mace is now looking at closer to £400m.

One source told Contract Journal: 'It's no secret that Sellar wants to keep costs tight in the current climate so other firms have been in for talks to look at alternative options.'

Construction News said bids for most of the major packages have come back to Mace, some of which have helped push the budget 10% over. It is understood that the concrete package, likely to go to John Doyle, and the M&E deal, tipped for a team of MJN, Phoenix and Hotchkiss, were the worst offenders.