2 October 2006
Balfour Beatty, the firm fined millions for the Hatfield rail disaster, has won a huge new government contract.
They will be responsible for office services for the DWP nationally for seven years from March 2007.
Negligence
The contract, worth £320 million, for post opening, messenger services, switchboard operations, typing and secretarial services has been won by a subsidiary of Balfour Beatty, Haden Building Management. Balfour Beatty achieved national notoriety for its part in the Hatfield rail crash in October 2000 in which 4 people died. A judge described Balfour Beatty as being guilty of "one of the worst examples of industrial negligence" he had ever seen.
Balfour Beatty Chief Executive, Ian Tyler said:
"We are delighted that the Department for Work and Pensions has decided to award this vital contract to Haden Building Management on a comprehensive nationwide basis.
"The Department will have our full support in ensuring that it achieves optimum value for money and a flexible system readily able to meet its changing business requirements."
Achieving optimum value for money will include transferring 700 DWP staff over to Balfour Beatty and an undisclosed number of workers losing their jobs.
