IN Brief:
- MAG has selected suppliers for a five-year framework serving Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.
- Nine lots cover building, civil engineering and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work, with individual packages up to £5m.
- The £500m figure is an estimated framework ceiling, with projects placed through future call-offs.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has appointed suppliers to a five-year construction framework covering Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports. The arrangement divides small and medium works into nine location-specific lots for buildings, civil engineering and mechanical, electrical and plumbing services. Eligible tasks include terminal refurbishment, fit-out, new installations and site infrastructure works, with individual packages up to £5m.
The 30 October award record identifies a £500m estimated framework value excluding VAT, or £600m including VAT, and a planned term from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2031. That aggregate is the ceiling for potential procurement across the three airports over the framework’s duration. The eventual distribution of work will depend on the location and scope of individual airport projects and the procurement arrangements applied to each lot.
The structure divides the work by both discipline and location. Building lots cover new construction, internal fit-out and refurbishment in terminal buildings, offices and commercial areas, with design and build options. Civil engineering lots include the repair, alteration, improvement and construction of roads, bridges, utility networks, drainage and other site infrastructure. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing lots cover new installations, minor works, inspection and testing, including water, gas and electrical networks. The separation allows a project to be procured against the relevant airport and technical scope.
A range of contractors appears in the award records, including CK Rail Solutions, VolkerFitzpatrick, Allied Infrastructure Management, BAM FM, Dalkia Engineering and Galliford Try Construction. Different companies are appointed across different lots and airports, so inclusion in the wider framework does not mean that every supplier can undertake every type of work. The selection creates a pool of eligible firms from which the airport group can commission individual schemes under the framework rules.
Terminals, offices and commercial areas will often remain in use while refurbishment or fit-out takes place. The building lots therefore encompass work that must be planned around passengers, employees, maintenance access and live building services. Separating works areas, protecting escape routes and arranging any service isolation are project-level requirements that the airport and its contractor must resolve before mobilisation. The chosen approach will vary with the terminal or other building involved and the working hours available.
Airside civil works introduce additional interfaces because access to operational areas is controlled and infrastructure can sit close to aircraft movements and airport services. Repair or alteration of roads, drainage and utilities may require temporary traffic arrangements, isolation of services or planned work periods that fit aviation operations. Any project-specific method will need to address the location, affected assets and the airport’s operational requirements. The existence of a five-year supplier framework does not mean that construction can proceed without those individual controls.
The civil engineering scope includes roads, bridges, utilities, watercourses and storm drainage. Repairs or new connections may require surveying, excavation, temporary access arrangements and reinstatement, especially where an asset forms part of a busy route across an airport estate. Drainage and water distribution work also has to fit the existing networks and maintenance arrangements. The framework gives MAG a procurement route for those disciplines without preselecting a particular repair method or location for future work.
The building services lots present a different set of interfaces. Alterations to electrical distribution, water systems, gas services or ventilation can affect areas that remain in daily use, making isolation and recommissioning central parts of the programme. Inspection and testing work may be required independently of a major construction package. Separating mechanical and electrical procurement from the building and civil lots enables MAG to appoint contractors according to the services involved without treating every intervention as a full building refurbishment.
A smaller works package can still require extensive operational coordination. For example, a modest electrical upgrade may need an agreed shutdown and testing period, while drainage work near an operational road requires controlled access and reinstatement before the route returns to use. MAG can use the relevant framework lot to select suppliers with the appropriate technical scope. Project value, airport location and access constraints will determine the contract requirements when the airport places each call-off.
The framework is scheduled to begin on 1 December, with appointments divided across the three airports and the three construction disciplines. Its £500m advertised value sets the upper boundary of procurement possible through the arrangement during the five-year term. Subsequent call-offs will identify the individual contractors, work locations, values and delivery programmes as projects are authorised.
