Three contractors have been appointed by the University of Manchester to deliver of its £1bn capital programme that will create new jobs and boost economic growth.

Balfour Beatty, Laing O’Rourke and Sir Robert McAlpine will deliver the majority of the University’s capital projects in excess of £10 million over the next eight years.

The University of Manchester’s Campus Masterplan is the largest capital programme in the institution’s history and is one of the largest currently underway in the higher education sector.

The contractors will work on a number of major developments, including the flagship £350 million Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD), which will bring together the University’s four Schools of Engineering in one location and also provide teaching and office space.

University Director of Estates and Facilities, Diana Hampson, said: “This Construction Partnering Framework is probably unique within higher education. The scope and scale of the Campus Masterplan requires a huge amount of resource and presents significant delivery challenges. A collaborative, partnership arrangement was therefore vital in ensuring both quality and value.

“It will benefit all partners and importantly it will have environmental as well as social benefits such as creating jobs for unemployed people. We are looking forward to working closely with the three contractors on some landmark developments across our campus.”

Jon Adams, Balfour Beatty Managing Director for Northern Major Projects: “We applaud The University of Manchester for their innovative and ground breaking procurement route which enables delivery of best value and we look forward to working collaboratively with them on a framework which will see over £1 billion of new University buildings delivered to create a state-of-the-art campus in Manchester.”