East Midlands
Construction
Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle (DRIIVe)
“Collaboration with Chesterfield Borough Council, neighbouring businesses and wider site users was key to a successful delivery and was at the heart of our planning and decision-making process.”
Contract Manager, Stepnell
Stepnell has completed the Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle (DRIIVe) a landmark rail innovation and training centre in Staveley, Chesterfield, delivered in partnership with Chesterfield Borough Council, Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society, the University of Derby, Chesterfield College and NewRail at Newcastle University.
Procure Via the Procure Partnerships Framework
Early contractor involvement from the start
What the £4.84m delivered
- State-of-the-art training facilities
- Classrooms and dedicated training areas
- Specialist R&D spaces including a digital laboratory
- Flexible accommodation for rail-sector businesses
- Commercial workshop spaces
- Rail education from Level 2 to postgraduate level
Putting community at the heart of the build
Social value sits at the heart of the DRIIVe scheme, with outcomes significantly exceeding targets across all categories:
Employability
£62,200
v £33,300 target
Responsible Business
£1.01m
v £480,500 target
Wellbeing
£1,600
v £406 target
A T-Level student from a local college was employed for the duration of the project and subsequently secured a full-time role with Stepnell. Local labour and machine expertise were used throughout, surpassing contractual expectations. Volunteering hours and donations were directed at local community projects and organisations connected to the Barrow Hill site.
Our Team Is Ready
If you’d like to discuss the right framework and delivery partner for you then please get in touch.
Jordan Rhoda
Framework Manager (Infrastructure)
“Procure Partnerships Framework is delighted to have supported the delivery of this nationally significant project. The tender process was exceptionally closely fought due to the importance of this project, and we are pleased to see that Stepnell, the winning contractor, has delivered this scheme to such a high standard. Our specialist Social Value team have also ensured that the project delivered real benefit to the local community, with our dedicated Operations department working closely with a range of project management stakeholders to ensure that the entire scheme ran smoothly. We look forward to seeing DRIIVe deliver huge benefit to the local and national rail communities for many years to come.”
Tom Woolley
Framework Manager (East Midlands and East of England)
“We were delighted to have been entrusted by Chesterfield Borough Council to deliver this first class, state of the art facility. Collaboration with Chesterfield Borough Council, neighbouring businesses and wider site users was key to a successful delivery and was at the heart of our planning and decision-making process. Our contribution to Social Value was significant ranging from utilising Local Supply Chain, employing Local Labour and providing a T level placement from the local College.”
Nick Banks
Contract Manager