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Durham steel firm to build £19m Lincoln Uni facility

Durham steel company Finley Structures is constructing a second building at the University of Lincoln, after winning a contract from BAM Construction.

The family-run firm, based on Aycliffe Business Park, has started work on a 400-tonne project to construct the Sarah Swift building at the University of Lincoln.

The £19m facility will house the university’s Schools of Health and Social Care and Psychology, as well as a Professional Development Centre with ongoing training for medical professionals in Lincolnshire.

The win comes after Finley erected 500 tonnes of steel for BAM Construction to help build the £16m Isaac Newton building, which will house the university’s Engineering, Computer Science and Maths and Physics departments.

Finley Structures is now in negotiations to become a category 1 supplier to BAM, which is based in Hertfordshire but has locations across the UK, and is part of the Dutch-owned Royal BAM Group.

Jim Graham, Finley’s Operations manager, said: “Just to be in discussions with BAM about becoming a category A supplier is a great achievement.

“It’s not just ticking a box, it’s a formal agreement, a legally-binding contract which is not a very quick process.

“But it’s recognition for your company, its values and performance, and as a family-run business from the North-East we’re delighted to have this recognition.”

After working on a number of projects for BAM in recent years, Graham insists it’s the two company’s shared values which make it a perfect fit.

He added: “They’re quite unique in that BAM isn’t following a UK mode, it’s a Dutch model with a parent company from the Netherlands, where aggression is frowned upon.

“They’re very open and they expect you to be the same, so we have matching values of honesty and fair play.

“They follow our ethos, which is about getting value for money. We’ve now done a number of projects for them which is why we’re standing out to them now.”

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