Sacyr and Dragados win €3.5bn hospitals

Sacyr UK and Dragados, part of ACS, have been lined up for two of the first hospital projects under England’s New Hospital Programme, according to programme updates published on May 19. Sacyr UK was matched with Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, while Dragados was matched with West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. The proposed pairings sit inside the NHS Hospital 2.0 Alliance, a 12-year framework set up to deliver major new hospital builds and refurbishments across England. Contracts have not yet been executed, and NHS bodies said the programme remains subject to governance and contractual requirements before signing this summer. ### Which hospital jobs did the two Spanish groups get? Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust said on May 19 that Sacyr UK is the proposed delivery partner for its scheme under the collaborative allocation process. The same programme update named Dragados as the proposed partner for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. Building, a UK construction trade publication, published the same list of first-wave pairings on May 19. (fhft.nhs.uk) NHS England’s March 27 contract award notice said the Hospital 2.0 framework is designed to let trusts award call-off contracts for detailed design, construction, commissioning and handover of hospital schemes. The notice said works can be allocated through collaborative allocation, mini-competition or direct award procedures. ### Why is Frimley Park one of the biggest prizes? (fhft.nhs.uk) Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust says its replacement Frimley Park Hospital is backed by about £1.5 billion to £2 billion of NHS investment. The trust says the existing hospital was built in the 1970s using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC, and that the project is in wave one of the national programme because of the urgency of replacing the site. (find-tender.service.gov.uk) Negocios, citing the UK programme in March, reported that individual first-wave hospital budgets ranged from roughly £500 million to as much as £2 billion, with Frimley Park at the top end. That helps explain how the two awards together are being described in Spanish business coverage as worth about 3.5 billion euros. (fhft.nhs.uk) ### What is West Suffolk building? West Suffolk’s scheme prospectus says the existing hospital contains significant RAAC in walls and roofs and that reviews concluded its serviceable life was unlikely to extend beyond 2030. The document says the trust has outline planning permission and has acquired land at Hardwick Manor next to the current site, allowing a fully new acute hospital to be built before the old one is demolished. (negocios.com) West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust describes the project on its website as a replacement hospital intended to improve patient care, support staff and meet future demand. The trust has scheduled a board meeting for June 5 and another for July 31, according to its public events page. ### How do these awards fit into the wider NHS programme? NHS England said in its award notice that the Hospital 2.0 Alliance is a multi-supplier model created to standardise design and delivery across the New Hospital Programme. (competefor.com) The framework covers major capital works and is meant to support one of the biggest hospital-building programmes in a generation. (wsh.nhs.uk) Dragados said on March 2 that it had been selected as one of 10 construction partners on the alliance. In that statement, Health Minister Karin Smyth said the government was backing a standardised approach to hospital building, and Natalie Forrest, chief programme officer at the New Hospital Programme, called the alliance “a defining moment” for healthcare construction in England. (find-tender.service.gov.uk) ### What happens next before work starts? The New Hospital Programme said on May 19 that it, participating trusts and construction partners would not comment further on individual partnerships, allocation outcomes or commercial arrangements until contracts are signed. Building reported that the first deals are set to be signed over the summer. Earlier industry coverage said first-wave projects are expected to start between 2027 and 2029. (fhft.nhs.uk) (dragados.com)