Three shortlisted for new £400m Royal Hospital

A shortlist of three bidding for a 30-year Private Finance Initiative contract with Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust have been named.

Balfour Beatty, which is bidding on its own, will compete against The Hospital Company and Horizon.

Horizon is a consortium of Spanish-based FCC, John Laing Investments and Interserve Investments with Sheppard Robson, John Cooper Architects, and Spanish practices Aidhos Architects and Lamela Architects as architectural advisors.

The Hospital Company has Carillion teamed with Uberior Infrastructure Investments, which is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, and American architect firms NBBJ and HKS.

BDP is working with Balfour Beatty as architectural advisors.

The contract would involve the design, build and operation of the 1m sq ft new hospital on a cleared site next to the current base being replaced.

Tony Bell, chief executive of Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We are delighted to have such a strong group of bidders and are looking forward to working with them. It is very important for us to make sure we identify the best possible construction partner, so the people of Merseyside and beyond have a new hospital of which they can be proud."

Outline planning permission for redeveloping the site has already been granted by Liverpool City Council.

One of the three bidders will be eliminated this autumn and the remaining two will submit final bids in February next year.

Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust expects to name a preferred bidder next summer, with financial close and start on site in early 2012.

The winning contractor will be expected to produce a masterplan for future development of the remainder of the large island site off London Road.

The Treasury Infrastructure Finance Unit may provide debt finance if the private sector is unable to raise sufficient debt finance.