Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH) has appointed Laing O’Rourke as its preferred construction partner to join the project for its next phase of design.
The international construction and engineering company was selected following a competitive process using Crown Commercial Service’s Construction Works and Associated Services 2 (CWAS2) framework, and will start work on the project under a pre-construction services agreement. The appointment comes as NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, and HM Treasury, have approved the Outline Business Case (OBC).
The seven-storey, circa 26,300 m2 facility planned for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus will be the East of England’s first hospital delivered as part of the New Hospital Programme. Following a robust procurement process, Laing O’Rourke was selected to help finalise designs and ensure maximum value for money as the project moves closer to breaking ground.
A ‘partnership’ between Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Cambridge, and its Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre (CRUK CC), the hospital will combine NHS clinical space with three new research institutes focused on accelerating detection of cancer and precision cancer treatment.
Laing O’Rourke has built 18 major hospitals since 2010, including specialist cancer care facilities – most recently constructing the Louisa Martindale Building in Brighton, the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital, the Grange University Hospital in Wales, and the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool, and before that, the Cancer Centre at Guy’s & St Thomas in London. The specialist cancer has been designed by architects, NBBJ and engineers AECOM, in partnership with patients, carers and staff. AECOM will also support with construction project and cost management.
Rory Pollock, Healthcare Sector leader from Laing O’Rourke said: “We’ve worked collaboratively with the design team, NBBJ and AECOM, on a number of healthcare projects over the past decade, and will bring industry-leading expertise to support the next stage of their design development journey. We will maximise the use of Modern Methods of Construction to bring real programme and cost certainty benefits.”
Health Minister, Lord Markham, said: “The approval of the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital’s second stage of its business case, and confirmation of its preferred construction partner, is a major milestone. The proposed new seven-storey specialist building will foster collaboration between hospital staff and researchers to help secure ground-breaking discoveries, and encourage cutting-edge treatments for patients across the entire region.”
A full planning application was submitted to Cambridge City Council in January, with a decision expected later this year. Construction works are due to start in 2024.
