Trio to build 1,200 prison places with a standardised construction approach
Kier, Laing O’Rourke and Wates have landed a £225m Ministry of Justice contract to build 1,200 prison places across the UK.
The deal is understood to be separate from the existing £1bn programme to build four new adult male prisons that the trio of contractors are working on with ISG but will use a similar standardised design and construction approach.
An MoJ spokesperson could not say where prison places on the new contract will be located but they will be a series of 60-person houseblocks.
Each block will contain ancillary spaces including kitchens, while some blocks will include educational areas for study and light industrial units where prisoners can take professional courses such as bricklaying.
All three contractors will also provide training and employment opportunities for prison leavers to support rehabilitation.
The three teams will immediately commence an intensive pre construction period, with construction work to begin in 2024 and completion expected from 2025.
A spokesperson for the teams said: “This vital project will deliver much-needed prison places while also providing valuable training and employment opportunities to those leaving prison.
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“Working in partnership together and using standardised designs, modern methods of construction, and a shared strategic supply chain enables us to drive efficiency and deliver significant value across multiple concurrent projects.”
The trio’s work with ISG on the MoJ’s ongoing prisons programme is being done on an alliance model, meaning the four firms are sharing supply chains and collaborating on design.
Kier and Wates are also working as an alliance to build a further 2,200 prison places through the MoJ’s accelerated houseblock delivery programme.
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