contracts
Kier back on Harlow high containment lab as UKHSA reinstates pre-construction agreement
UKHSA has reactivated Kier's pre-construction services agreement for the H50 containment building in Harlow, eight years after the contractor was first appointed and four years after all main suppliers were suspended.
Kier has restarted work on the H50 high containment laboratory building at the UK Health Security Campus in Harlow after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reactivated its Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) with the contractor.
Kier said on 26 October that H50 will provide laboratories for Containment Level 3 and Containment Level 4 pathogens. UKHSA's programme business case summary records the reinstatement of the PCSA with Kier for the building.
The reactivation revives an appointment first made in January 2018, when Public Health England (PHE) named Kier Group for lot 1 of the original Harlow scheme, the new build of a specialist bioscience laboratory building. Wates Construction and VolkerFitzpatrick were selected for the other lots.
At the time Nigel Brook, Kier Group Executive Director, Construction and Infrastructure Services, said: "This £160 million project is another significant award for Kier in bioscience".
The programme
Kier said ministers decided in the 2025 Spending Review to move UKHSA's specialist scientific facilities from Porton Down, Colindale and its London corporate headquarters onto a single site at Harlow by 2038, with £3.52bn of funding announced for the programme.
According to UKHSA's business case, the £3.52bn envelope is split between capital and revenue transition costs.
| Element | £m |
|---|---|
| Capital costs | 3,022 |
| Revenue transition costs | 503 |
Kier said early works are expected from 2028, with main construction starting in the fourth quarter of 2029 and the campus complete and in service by 2038. UKHSA's business case milestones put the campus complete and in service in September 2038.
The business case keeps the high containment building as a standalone contract, separate from a two-stage Tier 1 procurement that UKHSA plans for a new main Harlow building. UKHSA said only three UK suppliers can deliver high containment construction at this scale and that any disruption could delay the critical path.
UKHSA's accounting officer assessment, approved by Chief Executive Susan Hopkins on 21 September 2026, also notes that specialist expertise for high-containment laboratory construction is limited. It says the Harlow Central option, which co-locates all scientific facilities in Harlow including the corporate headquarters and improved CL4 capability, was the only option that met all strategic objectives within the £3.52bn envelope. The business case says the new Bioscience Facility will be the only facility with Containment Level 4 laboratories.
The programme business case was approved in July 2026. In March 2026 it received an amber delivery confidence assessment from a National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) gateway review.
Background
PHE bought the vacant GSK site at Harlow in July 2017. PHE's announcement at the time gave the price of the site and assets as £25m, while the National Audit Office (NAO) said in February 2024 that the Department of Health authorised the purchase for £30m. In 2017 PHE expected the first staff to move to Harlow in 2021 with the site fully operational by 2024.
The 2018 scheme was described by PHE as a £400m capital programme expected to employ up to 2,750 people by 2024. UKHSA's 2026 business case refers to about 2,500 roles currently at Porton Down, Colindale and the London corporate headquarters being affected by the move.
The NAO said in February 2024 that the programme's cost estimate had risen from £530m in 2015 to £3.2bn in 2023, that £400m had already been spent while government had not made a final decision on location, and that the best-case delivery date was 2036, 15 years later than originally planned. The NAO also said UKHSA suspended all its main construction suppliers in 2022 at a cost of over £2m.
The government announced the Harlow biosecurity centre investment on 17 July 2025, including £250m over this Parliament, and said construction of the site in Harlow, Essex would create about 1,600 new jobs. It said the first facilities are due to open by the mid 2030s with the whole site in operation by 2038. Harlow Council said the confirmation came after years of delay.
Under Kier's stated timetable, early works on the campus are due to begin from 2028.
On the record: Kier, Harlow Council, VolkerFitzpatrick
Sources
- Kier (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-27)
- UK Health Security Agency (GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-27)
- UK Health Security Agency (GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Department of Health and Social Care / UKHSA (GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Public Health England (GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Public Health England (GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-27)
- National Audit Office (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Harlow Council (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-27)
This story was researched from the primary sources above and checked against them before publication. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it promptly.
