Man Uni to appoint Jodrell Bank facilities manager

THE University of Manchester is searching for a facilities management firm to look after the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire.

The £200,000-a-year contract will cover cleaning, refuse, landscaping and security at the observatory, associated physics and astronomy buildings and the Discovery Centre tourist attraction.

In a tender document the university said it was looking for a contractor to “undertake a comprehensive facilities management service in accordance with legislative requirements, British Standards and manufacturers guidelines.

“The contract will include all statutory inspections and a preventative maintenance regime for the following assets along with the management of the contract.”

The Jodrell Bank job is one of two lots in the document. The other is a £50,000-a-year job to carry out the same services at the new Dalton Cumbrian Facility in Whitehaven, the home of the Dalton Nuclear Institute where academia and industry carry out research.

The total value of all the work is £750,000 over three years, with the option to extend for a further 12 months.