24 May 2018

With already impressive credentials for delivering both electrical and mechanical renovation and new build projects within the education sector, the Manchester and Leeds businesses of Quartzelec, the international and independent engineering services provider, has recently secured two new contracts worth over £1.4m.

Quartzelec has successfully secured the M&E package of work for two new ‘modular’ schools – under the second phase of the government’s Priority School Building Programme (PSBP).  Imminently due to start, Croftlands Junior School in Ulverston, Cumbria, is the first to be built under PSBP2 and this six‑month project represents a £600,000+ order for the business. Hilderthorpe Primary School in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, is a project valued at £800,000 that is also due to commence in May 2018 and is scheduled to complete by the year end.

The M&E elements for both schools includes; power and lighting installation, telecoms, data, fire protection, security and incoming gas and water.  Both of these existing schools will remain fully operational throughout the duration of the works with significant elements of the new buildings being manufactured off-site. This improves quality and efficiency and means the new facilities will be ultimately delivered with minimal disruption.  They are then shipped to site, erected and final fitout completed, with the now redundant buildings demolished, and the land put to other use.

“From an M&E perspective, this method of construction brings multiple logistical, economic, environmental, health & safety and quality benefits”, explained Joe Ryan, Electrical Contracts Manager at Quartzelec. “Greater control can be achieved in a manufacturing environment rather than a building site but all of the ‘normal’ elements including power, water and sanitation that you’d expect in a full M&E project are still included within the scope. We just need to carry out the provision of services work locally and then connect them all up as part of the final ‘on-site’ phase.”

Under the second phase of the PSBP programme, individual blocks at 277 schools will be rebuilt and refurbished in this modular way using capital grants, and all projects have to be completed by the end of 2021.

Quartzelec credentials

Over recent years Quartzelec has successfully secured and delivered a number of M&E installation and maintenance contracts within the education sector.  These have included a £4.6m contract from main contractor Morgan Sindall plc, that covered four framework school projects located in Preston, Widnes, Birkenhead and Blacon Cheshire; a £1.4 Million multi‑requirement project for the new Wirral Met College Campus at Wirral Waters; a £275,000+ contract for the complete rewiring of St Margaret’s CofE Primary School in Manchester; and a £1m+ M&E contract for Springbank Infants and Westroyd Infants; both part of the Pudsey Schools cluster between Leeds and Bradford.

Elsewhere other major M&E installation contracts have included the prestigious £1.4m Heritage Lottery funded project for the new Windermere Jetty Museum; a £3m M&E design and installation contract for 135 bespoke ‘retirement’ homes for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group in South Manchester; a £1.1m new build contract for the West Yorkshire Archive Store; and a £1.3m project at Stafford Retail Park.

Success at Quartzelec

In 2017 Quartzelec celebrated 10-years of OEM independence and 100 years of heritage, building its reputation as a cost effective provider of electrical engineering services. Key to this was strong leadership, a dedicated and knowledgeable 600 plus workforce and a positive ‘can do’ approach that enabled the business to achieve a £63.4m turnover with continual global growth. Commenting on this Daniel Laval, Quartzelec’s MD concluded: “The past 10 years has given us the opportunity to flourish and truly establish ourselves as the competent partner of choice for reliable, responsive and cost effective independent support solutions and we are now consolidating plans to grow the business further over the coming decade and beyond.”

Quartzelec has a rapidly expanding contracting business that delivers both mechanical and electrical installation and maintenance services for an ever growing portfolio of prestigious projects. The company also has the ability to repair, refurbish and rewind large, project critical motors and generators with state-of-the-art production facilities along with an extensive library of design drawings and a full design department and has the ability to work on any OEM manufactured machine and/or equipment, including those built by its previous heritage companies such as GEC Machines, GEC Alsthom Large Machines, ALSTOM and Cegelec.