Bilfinger Berger to build and operate police facilities in the United Kingdom
February 06, 2012
New Public Private Partnership project: Bilfinger Berger to build and operate police facilities in the United Kingdom
Bilfinger Berger has had a successful start to the new year also in its PPP business: A consortium led by the Group has been chosen as preferred bidder for four privately-financed police properties in the United Kingdom. The project company, in which Bilfinger Berger holds a 70 percent stake, will design, finance, build and operate the facilities. These will comprise a police operations base, a firearms training centre, three separate custody and crime investigation centres providing 132 cells as well as two police stations in southwest England. The concession is for a period of 25 years and investment volume is approximately €95 million. Financial close is expected to take place in August and the Group will then make an equity investment of approximately €6 million.
Just recently, also in the United Kingdom, Bilfinger Berger completed construction of ten community fire stations in Staffordshire under the PPP model and is now operating them for a period of 27 years. In addition, the company has recently achieved its seventh financial close in Liverpool for the development of a local health centre, which will provide much needed healthcare services to the community. Just a few days ago, Bilfinger Berger opened a €260 million healthcare project in Canada which forms part of a major expansion of health facilities in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. The company will operate the buildings for a period of 34 years.
The United Kingdom and Canada, in addition to Australia and selected countries in continental Europe, are among Bilfinger Berger's most important PPP markets. In these countries, public private partnerships are considered an established public sector procurement model for the expansion and renewal of infrastructure. In Canada, there are currently a number of promising projects in the transport and public health-care sector on the market. The British government is actively promoting the privately financed model and recently started an initiative to further develop and increase its use. As a longstanding and experienced partner to the public sector, Bilfinger Berger is confident that it will benefit from these opportunities.
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