Balfour Beatty bids to complete delayed Midland Metropolitan Hospital
The firm which rescued Sandwell's new £475 million hospital has lodged a bid to complete the delayed development.
Balfour Beatty now appears to be the favourite to win the contract to complete the Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Smethwick.
The company has been carrying out early works after the project stalled following the collapse of Carillion. There has been no new work on the hospital since the Wolverhampton-based construction giant went bust at the start of last year.
Sandwell NHS trust bosses are aiming to choose a new builder this summer and have revealed Balfour Beatty has moved to win the contract. The Midland Met is due to open in 2022, three years late, and will be one of the country's leading health facilities. It is currently around two-thirds built.
Remedial works were needed on the stalled hospital after it was left to the elements for much of last year. Balfour has been preparing the site to make sure it is ready for when a new contractor is chosen.
Toby Lewis, chief executive of the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which will run the hospital, said: "Our bid process is finalising a final contractor proposition from Balfour Beatty against our specification for quality, price, risk and time. This will be incorporated into the Preferred Bidder Final Business Case later in May for Whitehall approval in June."
Mr Lewis said that while the firm has not yet submitted a compliant bid, “good dialogue continues”.
