NEC used to deliver world-leading cancer research centre in Manchester, UK

The Paterson Building in Manchester, UK is one of the world’s leading cancer research centres. Completed in March 2023, the facility is home to 700 scientists, clinicians and operational staff dedicated to improving the lives of people with cancer.

Client, the Manchester Cancer Research Centre – a partnership between The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Cancer Research UK and the University of Manchester – procured the building through the UK government’s NEC-based Procure21+ construction framework (now Procure23). Integrated Health Projects (IHP), a joint venture of Vinci Building and Sir Robert McAlpine, was engaged as principal supply chain partner under a £118 million NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) Option C (target contract with activity schedule) in December 2019.

IHP’s supply chain partners were architect BDP, structural engineer Arup and services engineer Dalkia (formerly Imtech), each of which was contracted under an NEC3 Professional Services Contract (PSC). The NEC project manager was Arcadis.

The project involved completion of demolition works and design and construction of a 10-storey, highly serviced building with two basement levels. The reinforced-concrete-frame structure with metal and glass cladding is double the size of the building it replaced, providing 26,614 m² space for state-ofthe-art research laboratories and offices. Featuring air-source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels, it achieved a BREEAM sustainability rating of ‘very good’.

Despite the challenges of working through the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain disruption and high inflation, the building was completed to programme and budget in March 2023. It was highly commended for the Social Infrastructure Project of the Year in the 2024 British Construction Industry Awards and won the 2023 Greater Manchester Building of the Year Award.

Collaborative approach

Stuart Keen, director of capital at The Christie, says the NEC requirement to act in a ‘spirit of mutual trust and co-operation’ underpinned a fully collaborative approach by the project team from the outset. ‘From a client perspective we value the collaboration integrated into NEC, finding find it more of a non-contentious and flexible agreement than a contract. As always though, it is a function of the people involved, which is why we target supply partners who share our collaborative approach’.

He says the NEC early warning and risk reduction processes worked well to help identify and mitigate project risks. ‘Building a state-of-the-art research centre alongside a fully operational cancer hospital was never going to be completely straightforward, and we also had to deal with the uncertainty that Covid-19 and other global events brought. It was not easy, but that makes the fact that we delivered on time and budget even more satisfying.’

Keen says ECC Option C enabled the client and contractor to share project and financial risk in a fully collaborative way. ‘The pain/gain share mechanism incentivised both parties to look for cost savings throughout the works. Examples included adopting a cladding finish that supported the planning requirements and allowing early occupation of parts of the building for installation of specialist laboratory equipment and system validation’.

He concludes, ‘Over one million person-hours of construction work and hundreds of people helped to construct the Paterson Building, and I am just one of them. However, being involved in the project was one of the highlights of my career. Over 700 researchers are now working in a space that’s been designed for close collaboration and team science. I’m so proud to have played a part in giving them a cutting-edge space to do that.’

Benefits Of Using NEC

• NEC requirement to act in a ‘spirit of mutual trust and co-operation’ ensured a fully collaborative approach by the project team.
• NEC early warning and risk reduction processes worked well to help identify and mitigate project risks.
• ECC Option C enabled the client and contractor to share risk in a fully collaborative way, and the pain/gain share mechanism incentivised both parties to look for cost savings.