Sheffield Hallam is setting up a procurement alliance to carry out the redevelopment of its city centre campus, using the NEC4 Alliance contract.

Under the terms of alliance, the main contractor, consultant and client will all have an equal say on the board of the project, which will be overseen by a manager.

The aim is to encourage collaborative behavior by the project team, said Toby Ward , Head of Estates Development and Projects at Sheffield Hallam University, whilst speaking at the Construction Frameworks Conference: “All the partners have a vested interest. As the client, we don’t have casting vote, which will be challenge for the team. We had to think quite hard about that as the client but it’s for the overall good of the project.”

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The tender is due to be issued this month (December) and the contract awarded in April.

He said market engagement suggests the market is ready with the university having received a ‘resoundingly positive response’ for its proposal, and Ward said that the experimental contract structure aligned with the university’s strategy to encourage innovation.

As part of this approach, he said that Hallam doesn’t just want to see contractors with a track record in higher education bidding for the tender: “It’s easy for university or client to say want more of the same. It would be good to share other sectors; experience in higher education which traditionally hasn’t been done.

Michael McGill, Category Manager for Construction and Estates at the North East Universities Purchasing Consortium, cautioned that firms should do their homework before seeking work in the higher education sector before putting bids in.

“At the end of the day a building is a building, but the supply chain is a nightmare and anyone who comes to the table needs a good understanding of how they operate,“ he said, adding that non-HE specialists often had ‘no knowledge’ of how the sector operates.
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