Costain has received a series of adjudication decisions following a contract bust-up with National Grid.

The contractor and client parted ways in June 2020 more than halfway through a £113m upgrade to gas compressor stations at Peterborough and Huntingdon.

In a stock echange update today Costain said: “Under the terms of the termination agreement with National Grid, there is an expected requirement to make a payment of £53.5min January 2022, which now represents the maximum cash outflow under the contract.”

The adjudicator found in Costain’s favour in principle in three out of the four compensation events but chose not to determine the financial amounts in respect of them.

Costain said: “We will pursue a financial settlement with National Grid in respect of these compensation events. As not all compensation events have been decided in our favour, we now expect there to be an overall cash outflow in respect of the contract.

“Given the recent adjudication decision, we have an entitlement to recover a proportion of this payment and will be discussing the timing and amount with National Grid

“The payment, if made, will not affect our banking arrangements and we will continue to have a strong balance sheet that enables us to deliver our business plan.

“There will be an associated charge to the income statement for the current financial year reflecting such payment.”

The contractor added that year end net cash, before any period end timing benefits, will now be ahead of market expectations at around £100m while full year adjusted operating profit is expected to be in line with market expectations.

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Developer Sellar Property is in talks with Network Rail for a landmark redevelopment at London’s Liverpool Street Station.

The proposed major project is at an early stage of development although an indicative construction cost has been put at £1.5bn, according to initial estimates seen by the Enquirer.

The project would be Sellar’s third major station scheme in the Capital following the Shard at London Bridge Station and the Paddington Square project at the Great Western terminus.

Liverpool Street is the third busiest station in the UK and has significant overcrowding problems which Network Rail Infrastructure is keen to tackle.

It wants to improve access and passenger flow at the station to allow for future passenger growth, while freeing Sellar to bring forward office, retail and hotel plans around the southern and south east entrances.

Sellar holds exclusive development rights over the Andaz hotel, which would form part of the major redevelopment scheme, while Network Rail owns the Victorian 50 Liverpool Street Building, which would be demolished to improve station access.

The proposed redevelopment plan would also involve construction of a new two-level station concourse with greatly increased circulation space, construction of a new hotel and a major office building and associated ancillary facilities.

Network Rail and Sellar are now in formal talks with view to entering into a development agreement by 2023.

 

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