Miller's Sweett on £435m hub contract for the north

CONSTRUCTION firm Miller Group and partner Cyril Sweett have picked up a £435 million contract to build health and community facilities in the north of Scotland over the next ten years.

Public procurement body the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) has named Alba Community Partnerships, a joint venture between Miller and international construction services firm Sweett, as preferred bidder.

The north "hub" project is the second of five regional infrastructure programmes worth an estimated 1 billion.

Initial projects will include the 29m Aberdeen Health Village, a 3m care home facility in Ardseileach, a 6m health centre in Tain and 7m for a new medical facility for the Woodside Medical Group in Aberdeen. The Miller Group and Cyril Sweett consortium expects work to begin in 2011.

Dean Webster, chief executive of Cyril Sweett, said: "Being named as preferred bidder on the hub north territory is a significant achievement for Cyril Sweett and is in line with our strategy to invest in the long-term delivery of public sector projects and infrastructure."

The SFT "hub" scheme is a public/private-sector joint venture to develop community facilities. SFT said the hub east central is now in procurement and hub west will shortly begin the partner selection process. The hub south west is likely to follow early in 2011.