BB: What’s happening?
The man that at one time led Laing O’Rourke on the Brighton Hospital private finance initiative (pfi) scheme before moving over to contractor Balfour Beatty (BB) is again mulling over what to do with his building division.
Lindsay McGibbon, managing director, regional buildings at Balfour Beatty, is looking at the structure of his workforce.
“Things aren’t great, the change of leadership has again made things quite toxic here and there are some changes going on and a number of us are in dialogue, says a source.
Pulled out
It was in 2021 McGibbon pulled BB out of part of the building market to increase focus on certain civil engineering projects possibly what Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn wanted and knows the firm is good at.
These are projects like HS2 and Devonport though BB is also well placed to pick up a substantial £150 million job at RAF Molesworth with W S Atkins.
Yet still engaged
In addition Balfour Beatty is also thought be strongly engaged with future health and defence frameworks.
Back in 2021 McGibbon let go of the whole of the London work winning team leaving the city part of the England and Wales region.
Back then two London projects were causing issues in a major loss making mode, north of £60 million.
This was when McGibbon was managing director, London. A year later he has more power as managing director regional buildings.
McGibbon and Brighton hospital pfi
As for Brighton McGibbon was executive, special attention review on Brighton 3T’s for LO’R, BSUH & NHSE&I – University Teaching Hospital.
McGibbon was involved in this
This trust turned to the Scape framework for smaller projects as the massive 3Ts redevelopment programme was still heading towards completion in November, 2022, 2022.
BDP was lead designer on this scheme and McBains took over as QS from Turner & Townsend two and a half years ago. Former director of estates Duane Passman also left in July 2020 because the scheme had been on site for many years and was significantly delayed.
Switch to Scape after LoR delays
In April, 2020 a senior source at NHS E+I confirmed RLB was invited to look at the Brighton 3Ts programme before the above happened as it was not a HIP scheme but had been around for over ten years and might have an impact on the programme.
RLB technical team
The RLB team was asked to look at the maturity of specific projects, like Whipps Cross and Brighton, to see if there was anything that NHS England should be aware of which would “help them along the way or if there was any fundamental risk.
The work wasn’t focused simply on the HIP (the name then) schemes but on a number of projects across the country. This was a technical assurance role involving a number of different activities though RLB was called the “HIP technical team.
Among the other cost and commercial consultants which have or are still working at Brighton: WT Partnership, Ward Williams, Currie and Brown.
DEOP update
The two frameworks BB is looking at are DEOP, which is defence and the NHP which is health. There was a meeting with NHP Cohort contractors and other interested firms at Canary Wharf on January 31, 2023.
About 12 firms from off Crown Commercial Services framework Lot 5 initially showed interest in the 11 DEOP Lots available for the £4 billion UK defence work.
The latest indications are the following look well placed: Balfour Beatty, Gallifor Try, ISG, Graham, Kier, Skanska and Morgan Sindall.
Robertson likely to be eyeing this work too
Another name doing the rounds is Robertson which picked up a circa £100 million contract at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland for Boeing and a separate living accommodation package. This scheme was hindered last year when a modular supply chain contractor went bust.
