This week, we’re handing the blog over to Balfour Beatty, who recently announced the signing of the Stage Two construction contract with The Scottish Prison Service, and will deliver HMP Highland, replacing HMP Inverness.
Read more about this and other projects from Account Director for the North of Scotland, Kirsten Sadler, below.
About Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty has been operating in Scotland for over a century. Today, the company employs 2,000 people across Scotland and works with a supply chain that includes a substantial proportion of local businesses.
Balfour Beatty is committed to delivering on its principle of social impact in Scotland and we work closely with our customers to deliver real, tangible social value to the communities in which we operate.
HPM Highland
The Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Government are committed to creating better environments for people to live and work in, to aid rehabilitation, reduce the risk of reoffending, and to support safer communities.
HPM Highland will deliver a wide range of benefits to those in the care of the Scottish Prison Service, their staff, partners, and communities in the north of Scotland.
HMP Highland will not only have capacity for 200 people – more than double the 97 which HMP Inverness was designed for – but also more space for activities and programmes.
The project has already created a lasting legacy, through additional jobs, training, apprenticeships, mentoring, and paid work placements for local residents including former offenders. Additionally, it has provided a meaningful benefit to local suppliers, and contributions to community projects – which will continue throughout Stage Two and once the prison becomes fully operational.
Linda Pollock, Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, said: “With the support of the Scottish Government, we are committed to investing in our estate to create better environments for people to live and work.
“HMP Highland will not only increase the capacity previously available at HMP Inverness, but also provide space for quality rehabilitative work which we know gives people the greatest possible chance of a successful return to their communities on liberation.
“This project has so far seen the creation of new jobs and apprenticeships for the local area, with more to come in future.”
With exciting projects across Scotland encompassing civil engineering, construction and building services, Balfour Beatty are on the lookout for professionals across a range of roles and locations, whatever your expertise or experience, that are critical to ambitious future plans. A new recruitment website will be going live soon, but in the meantime, opportunities can be found here: https://www.balfourbeattycareers.com/.
Significant projects in the Company’s current portfolio include :
- Edinburgh Futures Institute & Institute for Regeneration and Repair for the University of Edinburgh
- Nairn Academy (pictured right)
- National Treatment Centre, Inverness
- University of Strathclyde’s Learning and Teaching Hub
- Union Terrace Gardens renovation for Aberdeen City Council
- Glasgow Queen Street Station Redevelopment for Network Rail
- HMP Highland for Scottish Prison Service
- Dunfermline Learning Campus for Fife College
- Victorian Palm House Refurbishment for Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- North Bridge Refurbishment for Edinburgh City Council
- Stockingfield Bridge Glasgow for Scottish Canals
Meet Kirsten Sadler
My role is Account Director for the North of Scotland. Communicating is a huge part of everything I do, mostly with our customers because its my job to make sure everything’s going ok at every stage of their projects with us and that they’re happy, but also with my colleagues and wider stakeholders like politicians and community groups.
I feel very lucky to have grown up in Speyside. My parents still live in Boat of Garten and though I live in East Lothian, the north is my patch so I spend at least a week every month working out of our Inverness office and visiting local projects and customers.
The variety of work we do is so exciting: building, civils, energy and mechanical and electrical services all run in Scotland under a single business unit which keeps every day varied and means we can integrate them all for better service and performance.
Local presence is so important, our Inverness office and projects here are nearly all staffed by people who grew up or live in the area and so are genuinely connected to the communities we work in and for.
Maximising and prioritising spend with local suppliers is fundamental to our sustainable procurement approach in Scotland and particularly the north of the country. We are a truly supportive partner to our supply chain, as proven by the fact that in 2017 we were the first business in the world to be assessed against ISO20400 Sustainable Procurement.
Bespoke local spend plans for every project and early proactive engagement help make sure we are getting local businesses and organisations involved in projects in and near their communities.
Another recent award for our project delivery with NHS Highland, as our National Treatment Centre in Inverness won the prestigious Healthcare Development of the Year category at the 2024 Scottish Property Awards. We also won the award together in 2023 and 2022 for community hospitals built on Skye and Aviemore respectively.
Find out more about Balfour Beatty here.
