University of Birmingham awards Build Higher £500M framework

The University of Birmingham has appointed Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson to its £500M ten-year construction framework, which will see the campus deliver innovative new academic spaces to complement its existing facilities.

The new construction framework will focus on improving higher education facilities in the West Midlands, concentrating on the enhancement and development of the University of Birmingham’s own estate as well as procuring capital projects over the next decade. It is also available to other higher education institutions across the UK.

G F Tomlinson has been appointed to deliver projects between £2.5M to £10M and was successfully selected on its ability to demonstrate understanding of the challenges and requirements within the higher education sector, as well as capability of working collaboratively with universities to deliver high quality buildings on time and within budget whilst achieving a high level of social value.

Chris Flint, G F Tomlinson’s framework director, said: “We are delighted to have been successful in our bid for the University of Birmingham’s new framework, which will see us build strong, long-term relationships with the University of Birmingham and its selected contractors and consultants to deliver the University’s ambitious expansion plans for campuses over the next ten years.

“We have established a reputation for delivering high quality, sustainable projects in the higher education sector, creating environments which nurture academic learning, research and collaboration.  This appointment provides further opportunities to build on this with the University and other HE institutions whilst at the same time reinforcing our presence in the West Midlands.”

Head of Procurement Jonathan Jones said: “The University of Birmingham has always prided itself on its scale of ambition to deliver first rate services and resources for its students and staff. With a planned additional infrastructure investment of £500M over the next few years, we also wanted to develop further procurement opportunities by creating our own University construction framework. This framework not only allows the University to optimise its value for money, but is also available for other universities to use and benefit from the collective spending power and contractor relationship development.

“By working closely with our key contractors, we can collectively develop additional opportunities with initiatives such as social value, environmental enhancements and sponsorship opportunities.”

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