Thursday 5 November 2009

Australians to Build New Scottish Hospital

Glasgow Southern General

A £550 million contract to build Scotland' largest hospital has been awarded to the firm behind the new Wembley Stadium, health officials are set to announce.

Australian construction giant Brookfield, now known as Multiplex, beat two other bids to win the right to work on the South Glasgow Hospital, which will replace the city's Southern General within the next five years.

The official announcement will be made this morning but the Herald has been told the deal is already agreed.

Funded entirely from the public purse, the new hospital will be part of a massive "health village" with 1100 beds, all in single-room accommodation and 20 'state of the art' operating theatres.

The Sydney based firm sparked controversy when it won the Wembley contract and finished the project late and over-budget. Multiplex had serious problems with their Wembley build which was finished two years late and £300m over budget.

We can only cross our fingers that the people of Glasgow don't suffer these kind of problems with their new, shiny. high-tech hospital which is badly needed.

Why there wasn't a Scottish firm which could build this at a competitive price worries me. We have the construction industry constantly shouting about lack of business, yet they've been outbid by the Australians.

The Scottish government must ensure every nook and cranny is covered with regard to the contract. Anything less will possibly come back to bite them.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting indeed.

McGonagall said...

Costing construction is a bit of a crystal ball kind of game. The cost of materials constantly changes and unforeseen snafus can change the bottom line into a nightmare.

That an Australian Co. got the job is pure horsepucky and exposes to anyone who cares to look the poverty of the SNP and their neoliberal position.

In the last depression the first countries to come out of it were the ones who restricted trade and favoured home grown solutions.

"We cannae even build oor ain hospitals."

Try that for an SNP slogan.

subrosa said...

I don't understand using an Australian company either scunnert.

What is wrong with using a Scots business? We educate superb engineers to do exactly this kind of job.

It's be the 'best value' manta answer to that I expect, while our construction industry crumbles. You couldnae make it up.

I bet the French and Germans wouldn't be hiving off such a construction to another country.

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