NCC Selects Morgan Ashurst for its £26m East Redevelopment

The National Construction College (NCC) has selected Morgan Ashurst as the preferred supplier to become the main contractor to deliver the redevelopment at NCC East’s campus in Bircham Newton through a two-stage JCT Design and Build contract.

Morgan Ashurst was selected as the preferred supplier from five shortlisted companies, following a rigorous OJEU European public sector procurement process.

A detailed planning application has already been submitted to The Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, which is expected to make a decision in January 2009. If approved, work is expected to start on the redevelopment in autumn 2009.

The £26 million, 18-month project is supported by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) which has agreed in principle to fund 80% of the costs. The balance of funding is being provided directly by the College and from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).

The build has been awarded Demonstration Project status by Constructing Excellence, an organisation which aims to improve industry performance in order to produce a better built environment. The project topic for the NCC East Redevelopment is collaboration. During the two-stage Design and Build process, all those working on the project will aim to achieve effective collaboration throughout the project teams. As collaboration is a challenge for many construction projects, NCC will share its learning from the project with the wider industry.

Andy Walder, Director, National Construction College said: ‘To get us to this stage in our redevelopment plans has taken lots of hard work and we are now delighted to have Morgan Ashurst as our preferred supplier. We look forward to working with them to deliver this flagship development, which will benefit the industry, individuals and the local community.”

NCC East will be the national specialist hub for the National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC); providing world class training for managers, for graduates and for trainees in specialist construction skills.

The NSAfC aims to ensure that first class education, training and employment provision is designed around the needs of major construction projects.

“Morgan Ashurst is proud to have been selected by the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry, to deliver this flagship project,” says Morgan Ashurst managing director in the East region John Homer. “The company is committed to tackling the skills shortage, so we are delighted to be able to help provide a world-class training facility for talented craftsmen and managers of the future.”

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Notes to editors

For further information please contact David Pidgeon on 0300 456 5403 or email david.pidgeon@cskills.org

About JCT Design and Build

Design and build is a popular form of procurement for construction work and the Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) Standard Form for Design and Build work is well established and widely used.

About the NCC

The National Construction College is the largest specialist construction training provider in Europe. The College, which is the direct training division of ConstructionSkills, has six campuses in England and Scotland. It provides courses in management, sustainability, plant operations and mechanics, groundworks, crane operations, lightning conductor engineering, scaffolding and steeplejacking, general construction, civil engineering, roofing, ceiling fixing, partitioning, surveying and setting out and floor covering.

For its flagship campus in Norfolk, the Learning and Skills Council has agreed in principle to provide 80% of the capital funding - with additional funding provided by the NCC – to redevelop the site over an expected two year period. The project will see new accommodation blocks with en-suite bedrooms; a new restaurant to cater for learners and staff; a sports centre and additional amenities including a shop, offices and training support services.

The 2008 prospectus features 160 pages of course information covering a full range of apprenticeships and adult courses offered at the National Construction College’s six sites in the East, South, Midlands, Scotland, Central and London. For a free copy please call 0844 8440466.

NCC East is committed to delivering both parts of the Learning and Skills Council’s Training Quality Standard (TQS) scheme which provides a 'new higher standard' for accreditation of training providers.

About ConstructionSkills

ConstructionSkills is the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry. It is UK-wide and represents the whole industry from professional consultancies to major contractors and SMEs. Established as a Sector Skills Council in 2003, ConstructionSkills is working to deliver a safe, professional and fully qualified construction workforce.

ConstructionSkills is a partnership between CIC, CITB NI and CITB-ConstructionSkills. All three partners are committed to working together to deliver industry-led skills and training solutions through the Sector Skills Agreement for construction. We work to negotiate the best partnership and funding deals for the construction industry to help raise standards and we develop the skills products and services employers need.