ISG has picked up two prison contracts worth a combined £135m.
The schemes at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset and HMP Liverpool were procured through the Crown Commercial Service framework. They form part of the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ’s) £4bn investment plan to create up to 20,000 new prison places.
Work is underway on a £79m job to build a pair of two-storey houseblocks and an extension at HMP Guys Marsh, based on Design for Manufacturing and Assembly methods. ISG said it will increase capacity at the prison by 31 per cent.
A spokesperson for the contractor told Construction News: “There was a ceremonial ground-breaking on site in February [2024] and we’re looking at winter 2025 for completion.”
Subcontractors on the project include Hannafin (groundworks), TClarke (mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP)) and PCE Ltd (concrete superstructure).
The new infrastructure at Guys Marsh is designed to be net-zero carbon in operation with a BREEAM Excellent environmental performance rating, in line with government environmental targets.
More than 70 per cent of the construction materials will be sustainably sourced, ISG stated, and the new houseblocks will include air source heat pumps and LED lighting. In addition, renewable energy will power temporary site cabins and hydrotreated vegetable oil will fuel vehicles in the groundworks phase.
The Victorian-era HMP Liverpool is undergoing an upgrade to support a proposed change in status from a Category B to a Category C prison. Work on the £56m job began in mid-February and includes a site-wide overhaul of electrical infrastructure.
“In terms of completion we’re looking at autumn 2026,” the ISG spokesperson said.
Partners on the HMP Liverpool job include AHR Architects, engineering consultancy Bland & Swift and Waldeck Consulting for MEP design.
CN reported last year that ISG was the biggest recipient of MoJ contracts in the 2022/23 financial year. The contractor is involved in the MoJ’s five-year £2.5bn constructor services framework and it is also upgrading HMP Birmingham under a £61m contract awarded last March.
Additionally, alongside Wates, Kier and Laing O’Rourke, ISG is engaged in a £1bn prison alliancing arrangement.
