Oiling the wheels of Welsh justice

A Kier Group company has won a contract to provide mechanical and electrical (M&E) maintenance covering all of Her Majesty's Court Services (HMCS) premises throughout Wales.

Valued in excess of £1m, the work will be carried out by the Cardiff office of Kier Building Services Engineers (KBSE), part of Kier's Support Services Division.

Won in competitive tender, the award provides both planned and reactive M&E maintenance for nearly 70 buildings throughout Wales, including crown and magistrates' courts, county courts, tribunals, judges' lodgings, HMCS offices and storage facilities.

Starting this month, the contract will run for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend for a further two years. KBSE will provide 24/7 breakdown cover and planned maintenance for all electrical services, such as security and fire alarms, lift installations, and heating and ventilation systems.

Nine M&E workers, an assistant manager and three administrators employed by a previous contractor have been transferred under TUPE arrangements to KBSE, which has also recruited a new manager to oversee the HMCS work. David Turner has joined Kier as contract manager, with over 30 years' experience of construction and building maintenance. For the past 12 years he was Cardiff branch manager for another leading building maintenance operator.

Steve Palfrey, KBSE regional operations manager based in Cardiff, described the latest award as "a significant step forward." He added: "This is a high-profile contract, ensuring all Welsh courts, many of them historic listed buildings, are able to function securely and efficiently.

"As well as safeguarding the jobs of long-serving M&E personnel currently engaged on this work, we aim to expand our dedicated taskforce as our work progresses."

This is the second major public-service undertaking for KBSE's Cardiff office in less than a year. Last summer it embarked on building maintenance operations for all Royal Mail premises covering the south-west of England, plus south and west Wales.