9 of the biggest contract notices in Europe in September
02 October 2023
Several major new framework deals, a contract to build a hospital in Slovakia, and an opportunity to build a multi-million-Euro prison in France are among the biggest contracts out to tender in September.
The new opportunities, worth billions of Euros in total, were advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and the UK government’s tender service over the course of the last month.
Construction Europe has examined September’s significant tenders advertised across Europe and the UK.
Here are nine of the biggest:
9) Germany – Electricity powerlines and gas and water pipes framework: €100 million
Image: peterschreiber.media via AdobeStock - stock.adobe.com
Project details: German electricity, gas and water supplier N-Ergie Netz has tendered a two-year framework worth €100 million that will see contractors provide works on pipelines, communication and power lines across the cities of Nuremberg and Schwabach and in the regions of Nuremberg and Weissenburg. The framework will offer contractors the opportunity to work on gas, electricity, water and district heating projects contracts up the value of €150,000, bundled up together, as well as on house connections for a flat rate, and for electricity, water, gas, district heating and overhead line projects worth in excess of €150,000. The framework starts on 1 March 2024 and ends on 28 February 2026.
Value: €100 million
Client: N-Ergie Netz
Duration: 2 years
Time limit for tenders: 20 October
Tender language: German
8) France: New prison construction: €132.3 million
Project details: France’s Public Justice Infrastructure Agency (APIJ) is looking for a construction company to design, build and develop a new penitentiary south of the city of Nîmes. The new facility will have a floor area of around 40,000 sq m and will have around 700 cells.
Value: €132.3 million
Client: Agence Publique pour l’Immobilier de la Justice (APIJ)
Duration: 37 months
Time limit for tenders: 23 October 2023
Tender language: French
7) UK – New university buildings: €144-173 million
Artist’s impression of the interior of the new building as part of phase one of the University of Southampton’s North East Quadrant project (Image: University of Southampton)
Project details: The University of Southampton is seeking a design and build contractor for the development of its North East Quadrant (NEQ) site in Southampton, Hampshire. The NEQ forms part of the Highfield Campus and covers an area of around 12,290 sq m. The first phase of the project involves the construction of a four-storey teaching facility, with a basement and ancillary facilities hub. The building is split into three interconnected areas arranged a central atrium. The west block consists of a concrete structure, with the east/south proposed to be of steel frame. The external wall solution will be evolved in stage 3. There is a lack of local power, which means sustainability and low energy solutions are key to the building’s success. The successful contract will work alongside the client design team through stages 3 and 4, at which point a contract sum will be agreed.
Value: £125-150 million (€144-173 million)
Client: University of Southampton
Duration: 3 years
Time limit for tenders: 9 October
Tender language: English
6) Spain – Public buildings construction framework: €174.2 million
Project details: The public company in charge of building and maintaining public buildings in Barcelona and the wider region of Catalonia, Spain, is seeking contractors to join a framework for construction works. Infraestructures de la Generalitat de Catalunya wants to establish a long-term deal with contractors to undertake new construction works, renovations and improvements, or building installation works for public teaching, healthcare, cultural, sports or technical facilities. The framework is divided into five separate lots according to the type of work and contract value.
Value: €174.2 million
Client: Infraestructures de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Duration: 24 months
Time limit for tenders: 23 October
Tender language: Spanish
5) Ireland – Bus corridor infrastructure works: €200-€250 million
Bus traffic in Dublin (Image: michabo19 via AdobeStock - stock.adobe.com)
Project details: Ireland’s National Transport Authority has sent out a notice indicating that it plans to launch a competition to procure a client support services partner to assist it with the management and delivery of the Core Bus Corridors Infrastructure Works in Dublin, which forms part of the NTA’s wider Bus Connects programme. The project involves providing approximately 230km of bus priority and around 200km of cycle routes. It will be spit into 12 schemes across Dublin and the greater Dublin Area and be delivered in a phased approach. The NTA plans to use a New Engineering Contract (NEC) form of contract.
Value: €200-€250 million
Client: National Transport Authority
Estimated date of publication of contract notice: 1 November 2023
Language: English
4) Slovakia – Hospital construction: €244.9 million
Project details: Martin University Hospital, north east of Slovakia’s capital of Bratislava, is planning to build a new university hospital building. The client has called for a modern, patient-centred hospital that his highly efficient and undemanding in operation, built on the principles of sustainable design and with “smart” solutions integrated into the building.
Value: €244.9 million
Client: Univerzitná nemocnica Martin (Martin University Hospital)
Duration: 56 months
Time limit for tenders: 30 October
Tender language: Slovakian
3) UK – Schools (and other works) construction framework: €461 million
Project details: Essex County Council in England will procure a four-year multi-supplier framework agreement for construction services, starting in 2024 to replace a previous arrangement. The Essex Construction Framework 3 will provide design and construction services for education and other capital construction and major maintenance projects. It may also be used by Essex Housing for suitable future schemes. Construction relating to schools is the main project type procured through ECF3’s predecessor, EFC2.
Value: £400 million (€461 million)
Client: Essex County Council
Duration: 4 years
Time limit for tenders: 26 January 2024
Language: English
2) Netherlands – Framework for multiple water projects: €552 million
Projection soil protection Dutch national railways (NS) marshalling yard Zwolle, Netherlands (Image: Vitens)
Project details: Dutch water utilities company Vitens is planning to increase investment by €90 million to €350 million a year to replace and expand its existing assets. As part of that plan, it is moving away from organising tenders per project, which it says leads to insufficient knowledge accumulation among contractors. Instead, it wants to proceed with long-term partnerships under a framework deal worth hundreds of millions of Euros.
Value: €552 million
Client: Vitens
Duration: 48 months
Time limit for tenders: 11 October
Tender language: Dutch
1) UK – Capital works programme for Northern Ireland Water: €931.1 million
Project details: NI Water, a publicly owned company which provides water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland, is putting together a professional services framework consisting of five lots, with multiple suppliers to enable the delivery of its capital works programme and consultancy services associated with the delivery of its services. The framework will facilitate the provision of framework management, including feasibility, design and climate change, surveying and modelling, project management, site supervision, programme management officer services and innovation and efficiency services for projects from inception through to construction stages. The largest of the five lots by some distance is lot three, which covers feasibility, design and climate change. Its total estimated value is €744.9 million.
Value: €931.1 million
Client: NI Water
Duration: 48 months
Time limit for tenders: 12 October
Tender language: English
