West Camp, Benbecula — Civil Works for QinetiQ
MacInnes Bros Ltd were appointed as Principal Contractor to deliver strategically critical civil works on the site of the former hockey pitch at the West Camp military site, preparing the ground for temporary accommodation as required by QinetiQ.
The works met the following key client targets:
- Provision of new services, and diversion of existing services, for temporary cabins and modular buildings
- Provision of hardstandings and foundations for cabins and modular buildings
- Connection of cabins and modular buildings to site infrastructure (MIB also successfully tendered for the transportation of 150 cabins in FS21, and a further 100 cabins in FS23)
The excavation and concreting works were carried out directly adjacent to HIAL Benbecula Airport, requiring a high standard of Foreign Object Debris (FOD) management and dust control to avoid any disruption to airport operations. MIB drew on its strong relationship with airport staff and Air Traffic Control — built up over more than 25 years as the Term Contractor at the site — to share daily updates on site activity with HIAL, with strict site housekeeping ensuring FOD risk was eliminated.
Risk management and detailed pre-planning were vital to the contract’s success, given the stringent MOD timetable: sectional completion dates were fixed, with significant penalties for delay.
