8 of the biggest construction contract notices across Europe in August

Google office building, European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland with DART electric train passing (Image: Nicola.K.Photos via AdobeStock - stock.adobe.com)

New contract opportunities worth billions of Euros opened for competitive tender in August.

They include a major multi-billion-Euro decommissioning programme at Sellafield nuclear facility in the United Kingdom (UK) and prior information about a possible tender for construction works on an expansion of Dublin’s rail network in Ireland worth around €3 billion.

Other major new contract notices involve a €207 million contract to build an energy-from-waste plant in the south west of France, and details of plans to build up to 50 data centres in work worth €500 million on the German rail network.

Construction Europe has examined significant tenders advertised throughout the month of August across Europe and the UK.

Here are eight of the biggest:

1) France – Construction of new HQ for Marseille port authority: €140 million

Project details: The Grand Port Maritime de Marseille (GPMM) is seeking a construction partner to finance, design and construct its new headquarters. The port at Marseille is the main trade seaport in France. Work involves demolishing GPMM’s existing 70-year-old HQ building on Place de la Joliette close to the ferry terminal before building the new headquarters and public spaces. The construction partner will also have the opportunity to develop around 19,000 sq m of floor space in the area as part of the deal.

Value: €140 million

Client: Grand Port Maritime de Marseille

Duration: 23 years

Time limit for tenders: 19 October 2023

Tender language: French

2) France – Energy from waste plant: €207 million

Project details: Contract to design, build and operate a new energy-from-waste plant in the city of Limoges, France. The project will be split into two phases: a study/design and works phase and an execution phase involving the order and manufacture of materials and equipment, ahead of commencing operations.

Value: €207 million

Client: Limoges Métropole

Duration: 168 months

Time limit for receipt of tenders: 2 October 2023

Tender language: French

3) Egypt – Rail construction works: €300 million

Project details: While not strictly a European project, the European Central Bank is part-financing a programme of upgrade works to railway lines in Egypt. The project involves the upgrading the 54km Tanta-El Mansoura existing non-electrified double track railway section; doubling and upgrading of the 65 km El Mansoura-Damietta existing non-electrified single track railway section; and re-signalling of the whole 119 km Tanta-El Mansoura-Damietta railway line.

Value: €300 million

Client: Egyptian National Railways

Duration: 36 months

Time limit for tenders: 1 October 2023

Tender language: English

4) UK – Housing refurbishment works: €397 million

Project details: The Peabody Trust, London’s largest housing association, which has around 55,000 properties across London and the South East of England is looking for contractors to perform internal and external refurbishment on various properties within its portfolio. It is splitting the work across eight lots, consisting of four lots of internal work and four lots of external work, each divided by geographical area. External works include insulation work, asbestos removal, roof repair and maintenance works and installation of doors and windows. Internal works include kitchen and bathroom construction, asbestos removal, electrical work and central heating repair and maintenance.

Value: £340 million (€397 million)

Client: Peabody Trust

Duration: 10 years

Time limit for tenders: 20 September 2023

Tender language: English

5) Germany – Up to 50 data centres: €500 million

Project details: DB Netz, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn that owns and operates the majority of the German rail system, has set out details for work to build up to 50 data centres. The indicative notice comes ahead of a contract notice likely to be published in October this year. The framework deal requires construction of up to 50 identical data centres for the German rail network.

Value: €500 million

Client: DB Netz

Estimated date of publication of contract notice: 17 October 2023

Tender language: German

6) France – Underground and overhead electrical networks: €537.5 million

Project details: A contract, split into seven lots divided by geographical area, calls for contractors to work on overhead and underground electricity works and associated connections across four departments: Alpes de Haute Provence, Hautes Alpes, Bouches du Rhône, and Vaucluse.

Value: €537.5 million

Client: Enedis

Duration: 60 months

Time limit for receipt of tenders: 13 September 2023

Tender language: French

7) Ireland – Dublin rail modernisation: €3 billion

Project details: Irish Rail has set out brief details of its plans for a €3 billion upgrade to rail services around the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) in a prior information notice. Called the DART+ programme, it will see the existing Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) network expand from 50km to 150km. The plan is to introduce a new electrified fleet to improve capacity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost regional connectivity. It is inviting potential construction partners to participate in a market consultation on the preliminary approach to the procurement strategy for the DART+ programme. Construction on DART+ West is due to start in 2024, while the tender process for the construction phase of the Coastal North part of the programme will start next year. Irish Rail is currently preparing the procurement process for DART+ South West, while it is working on a detailed design for DART+ Coastal South amid a public consultation on a preferred route.

Value: €3 billion

8) UK – Decommissioning nuclear waste: £3.8 billion - £4.6 billion

Project details: Sellafield Limited is looking to bring together five partners across four lots to deliver nuclear decommissioning work across facilities on the Sellafield site in Cumbria, England. Sellafield, formerly known as Windscale, was the site of nuclear power generation from 1956 until 2003 and nuclear fuel reprocessing from 1952 until 2022. Facilities on the 265-hectare (650-acre) site are in a mix of states including operational, post-operation clean out, decommissioning and demolition. The scope of work for the Decommissioning and Nuclear Waste Partners (DNWP) framework deal includes construction delivery, demolition works, technical services (including safety case and design), and waste management. The four lots are split into:

• Lot 1 – Remediation (with one partner operating within high security areas and another outside high security areas)
• Lot 2 – Pond Retrievals Partner
• Lot 3 – Silos Retrievals Partner
• Lot 4 – Integrated Nuclear Waste Partner

Value: £3.8 billion - £4.6 billion (€4.4 billion - €5.4 billion)

Client: Sellafield Limited

Duration: 15 years

Time limit for receipt of tenders: 9 October 2023

Tender language: English