Kier to Return to £3bn Harlow UK Health Security Campus

Kier is lined up to return to the high-containment laboratory project at Harlow's £3bn UK Health Security Campus as officials revive procurement after years of reviews and delays.

A fresh Government business case for the mega campus build sets out plans to reinstate Kier's pre-construction services agreement for the specialist and technically complex H50 building. For the wider main campus build, the Government will now launch a separate two-stage tender, expected in November.

Why did the programme stall?

The new procurement plan follows a lengthy review that effectively froze the programme. From 2022, UKHSA suspended its main construction supply chain while the Treasury and Department of Health and Social Care repeatedly reassessed whether Harlow remained the best value option after costs climbed well beyond the original £2bn estimate.

Ministers have now backed the scheme, approving the programme business case. Early works are scheduled from 2028, with main construction starting in the final quarter of 2029.

Why keep Kier on H50?

Officials warned that replacing Kier would have required a 12 to 18-month procurement exercise that risked losing the programme's place in a tightly squeezed specialist supply chain. The Government said only three UK suppliers could deliver high-containment facilities at the scale required, raising the prospect of significant delay if the programme slipped further.

The H50 bioscience building will house Containment Level 3 and 4 laboratories for work on the most dangerous pathogens. It will include the UK's first suited Containment Level 4 facilities for public health, allowing scientists to work in air-fed protective suits.

What does the main campus package cover?

The main campus design and build package will cover:

• Containment Level 2 and 3 laboratories
• Headquarters offices, logistics, security and reception facilities
• Education buildings and an energy centre
• Utilities, roads, parking and extensive external works

The contractor will be required to coordinate delivery with the separate high-containment project. The existing main building will be demolished to ground level, although officials are still examining how best to package demolition.

Before the programme stalled amid soaring cost concerns, Kier had secured the specialist bioscience laboratory package, while Wates was appointed for arrivals, administration and logistics buildings and refurbishment works. VolkerFitzpatrick had landed the infrastructure, external works and energy centre package before the project was paused for review following demolition works.

The new business case says previous contracts were terminated, expired or placed into suspension. Seven professional services packages are now also planned to support delivery from 2027/28.

How much will it cost and when will it open?

The overall £3.52bn funding envelope includes applicable VAT, inflation, risk allowances and relocation costs. Around £3bn is allocated to capital spending.

The campus will bring together UKHSA's scientific operations from Porton Down and Colindale with its London headquarters, transferring as many as possible of the approximately 2,500 roles at those locations.

Validation and dual running will begin in early 2034, ahead of the campus becoming fully operational in September 2038 — a 14-year delivery horizon from first early works to full operation.