KierBAM Joint Venture: ‘One Team’

KierBAM Joint Venture is part of Belfast’s ‘One Team’ that is leading the way on an extensive upgrade of Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works.

Local Belfast-based company KierBAM Joint Venture (JV) has been appointed to the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) delivery of a critical infrastructure project for Belfast, carrying out a vital upgrade to NI Water’s largest facility; Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW).

This project is a key part of NI Water’s input to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI)-led Living with Water in Belfast Plan, which was approved by the Northern Ireland Executive in 2021. This element of the plan will deliver a long-term solution to increase the capacity of the works, helping to end constraints to new connections that have been holding back development and regeneration opportunities.

With construction works due to begin in mid-2024, the forward-thinking investment project will also treat discharges to higher standards, so that water safely returned into the environment begins to improve the water quality in Belfast Lough. This will benefit wildlife, the shellfish industry, and all those that regularly enjoy the lough and its beautiful shoreline all the way to where it opens out into the Irish Sea.

The JV partners have joined The Belfast WwTW ‘One Team’, the set of companies selected by NI Water to design and deliver this vital infrastructure project. This integrated team comprises KierBAM as civil contractor, civil designers Stantec, design and build wastewater process contractors MWH Treatment, and project management consultants McAdam Design. Together this team has all the diverse range of world-class specialist skills, experience, and resources required to ensure that the optimised sustainable solution is developed and will be efficiently delivered.

“The delivery of this project will be a true team effort, and it is something the KierBAM Joint Venture is delighted to be contributing to,” says Cormac O’Donnelll, Kier’s Operations Director for the project. “We are always looking for projects where we can see the potential for substantial benefit for the local area, and the plan NI Water has in place with the Living with Water programme will clearly have a substantial impact.”

Futureproofing Belfast

The primary aims of the wider programme are to bring huge improvements to how the overall Belfast drainage and wastewater system operates – increasing capacity, protecting communities from flooding, and creating a cleaner and greener environment. This key element will provide the futureproofed WwTW needed to support Belfast City’s strategy to add another 66,000 residents by the year 2035.

Delivering social value

“Both Kier and BAM have a long track record in delivering public infrastructure projects with an integral sustainability and social value focus and have collaborated together successfully as Joint Venture partners on numerous previous projects,” says Pat McAndrew, BAM’s Framework Manager for the project.

“The KierBAM JV emphasis on working sustainably, seeking out innovative solutions, and adding social value around us means we have a lot to offer our customers and the community, and we are really pleased to be able to support NI Water in redeveloping essential water and wastewater infrastructure collaboratively. This critical project, once complete, will protect against flooding, significantly improve water quality, and provide a sustainable foundation for future developments in the region.”

Projects of this size, when planned in a collaborative way, also have the potential to bring jobs and other tangible benefits to local people and communities. These plans are at the heart of the work being done by KierBAM.

The ‘One Team’ has identified charities close to Belfast WwTW who they can support throughout the works and beyond, helping the local community and leaving a lasting legacy.

O’Donnell adds: “We have worked in Northern Ireland for six decades, with local offices in Belfast, and are fully invested in creating growth and opportunities in the community. Being able to travel to work in the morning, seeing the impact your work has had on the area where you live and work, is one of the most rewarding parts of a job in the built environment, which makes this project even more exciting for our team.”

The KierBAM JV is part of a Northern Ireland taskforce comprising Northern Ireland’s main utility companies and the CITB, who have created a groundbreaking pilot scheme to train and develop new entrants into the utilities construction sector. They also have a rich history of training and developing unemployed people, primarily through a previous government scheme called Bridge to Employment. There are many success stories, with a number of people who were given employment opportunities still working with KierBAM in management and team leader positions.

Leaving lasting legacies is part of the KierBAM DNA, and with its part in this ‘One Team’ approach, it is set to continue to support the people of Belfast for years to come.

The work at Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works is just one example of the essential work required to support a healthy and thriving population, a growing economy, and a flourishing natural environment. The delivery of high-quality drinking water and recycling wastewater safely to the environment today and tomorrow must be a priority.

Continued delivery of essential water and wastewater services is dependent on a solution being found to the future funding of the water and sewerage infrastructure.

Cormac O’Donnell
Operations Director
T: 077 9537 7216
E: cormac.odonnelll@kier.co.uk
W: www.kier.co.uk