Kier is set to return to one of the UK’s most technically demanding health infrastructure programmes as the Government revives delivery of the UK Health Security Campus at Harlow following several years of reviews, delays and rising costs.
A new Government business case proposes reinstating Kier’s pre-construction services agreement for the specialist H50 high-containment laboratory building, while a separate two-stage competition is expected to be launched for construction of the wider campus.
The decision represents a significant step forward for the programme after the main construction supply chain was effectively suspended from 2022 as the Treasury and Department of Health and Social Care reassessed the project and its escalating cost.
Ministers have now approved the programme business case, with the overall funding envelope standing at £3.52 billion. This includes VAT where applicable, inflation, risk allowances and relocation expenditure, with approximately £3 billion allocated to capital investment.
Early works are scheduled to begin in 2028, ahead of main construction starting in the final quarter of 2029.
At the heart of the development will be the H50 bioscience building, one of the most complex elements of the programme. It will contain Containment Level 3 and 4 laboratories designed to enable scientists to work safely with some of the world’s most dangerous pathogens.
The building will also provide the UK’s first suited Containment Level 4 facilities for public health, allowing specialist scientists to operate in air-fed protective suits within a highly controlled laboratory environment.
Retaining Kier for this element is intended to protect the programme against further delays. Officials concluded that replacing the contractor could require another 12 to 18-month procurement exercise, potentially jeopardising access to a highly specialised construction supply chain.
Government assessments indicate that only three UK suppliers have the capability to deliver high-containment facilities at the scale required, demonstrating the specialist nature of the engineering, building services and construction expertise needed for the project.
Alongside H50, a fresh two-stage tender is planned for the wider main campus construction package, with procurement expected to begin in November.
This package will encompass Containment Level 2 and 3 laboratories, headquarters offices, logistics and security facilities, reception areas, education buildings and a new energy centre.
The extensive infrastructure programme will also include utilities, roads, parking and external works. The successful main campus contractor will be required to coordinate closely with the separately delivered high-containment laboratory project.
The existing main building is expected to be demolished to ground level, although officials are continuing to examine the most appropriate procurement and delivery strategy for the demolition works.
Before the programme was paused, Kier had secured the specialist bioscience laboratory package, while Wates had been appointed to deliver arrivals, administration and logistics buildings together with refurbishment works. VolkerFitzpatrick had secured the infrastructure, external works and energy centre package. Previous contracts have subsequently either been terminated, expired or placed into suspension.
Seven professional services packages are now also planned to support the renewed programme from 2027/28.
Once completed, the Harlow campus will consolidate UK Health Security Agency scientific operations currently based at Porton Down and Colindale alongside its London headquarters. The programme aims to transfer as many as possible of the approximately 2,500 roles currently based across those locations.
Validation and dual running of the new facilities are expected to begin in early 2034, reflecting the extensive testing and commissioning required for such technically sensitive laboratory environments.
The campus is scheduled to become fully operational in September 2038.
With the business case approved and construction procurement preparing to restart, the Harlow programme is moving back towards delivery as one of the largest and most technically complex public health construction projects planned in the UK.
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