VolkerFitzpatrick has been awarded a £9 million contract to construct a new operational hub in Cambridge on behalf of Cambridge City Council. This is the first contract VolkerFitzpatrick has been awarded through the Procure Partnerships Framework, which they were appointed on last September.
The new hub, covering 7500m2, will be used to accommodate Cambridge City Council’s fleet vehicle parking. The works include refurbishing and converting an existing car showroom, whereby the building will be stripped back to its steel frame structure and a new aluminium framed full-height window-curtain walling system will be installed.
A two storey extension to the side of the existing hub will be constructed and include timber cladding with vertical slats across the large first-floor windows. This building will provide a range of staff facilities along with offices for the operational team and will serve as storage for the council’s fleet used for cleaning, landscaping, maintenance, and health and safety.
Stuart Deverill, VolkerFitzpatrick’s Building Division, managing director, said: “We are delighted to secure our first contract through the Procure Partnerships Framework. This contract award highlights our dedication to excellence, innovation, and expansion. Our regional approach will allow us to deliver our in-house construction expertise in a way that most benefits Cambridge City Council.
Tom Woolley, Key Account Manager at Procure Partnerships Framework, added: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with our contractor partner VolkerFitzpatrick, Gleeds and Cambridge City Council to deliver this project. The new operational hub will be a welcome facility for the operational team at the council, and we look forward to watching this scheme come to life.”
The contract is a part of the new £8bn framework, which is set to become the largest ever awarded in the UK, comprising 9 sub-regional lots and spanning five value bands. VolkerFitzpatrick has been awarded the framework in both infrastructure and construction sectors, for London, South East and East of England in lots ranging in value from £5m to over £30m.
The framework streamlines the procurement process and offers clients confidence in the quality of the work, backed by a series of benchmarks concerning delivery and costs, allowing them to manage and mitigate the risks involved with large-scale projects.
VolkerFitzpatrick is due to start construction of the new operational hub in July 2024, with project completion in Q2, 2025.
James Elms, Cambridge City Council’s City Services Director, said: “I’m pleased we’re now in a position to move ahead with a longer-term solution for our operations. It’s particularly positive that the buildings on the site are suitable for retrofitting, meaning the new operations hub can be built using lower-carbon methods. We’ve pledged to get the council’s own operations to net-zero by 2030, and so it’s also great that we’re now going to be able to invest longer term, installing solar panels to support the transition of our fleet to electric.”
VolkerFitzpatrick is committed to investing in the future workforce and supporting the growth of local communities and SME’s. As well as this, they will be engaging with local educational establishments in Cambridge, to provide opportunities for apprentices and graduates.
