Bidder pulls out of Dumfries hospital

One of the shortlisted bidders for the £200m Dumfries & Galloway acute hospital has pulled out of the running.

Contractor Skanska had been battling it out with Balfour Beatty and the Laing O'Rourke-led High Wood Health consortium, after the three were shortlisted in September.

However, Skanska has chosen to withdraw from the process, without giving reasons – although assuring the trust that the decision had not been influenced by any aspect of the project, nor by the non-profit distributing model being used to procure it.

“We look forward to working with the two remaining bid teams over the coming months to further develop the detailed design of the new hospital,” said Julie White, chief operating officer at the trust.

“As per our initial timetable, it is fully anticipated that we will appoint our preferred bidder in the late summer of 2014.”

For more information on the contract, click here.