AYRSHIRE builders McTaggart Construction have been appointed as new partners for public sector agency hub South West Scotland.

The family-owned business, which was recently named Scotland’s best large employer of apprentices, has been successful in the refresh of hub SW’s construction partnerships agreements.

The three yearly review aims to ensure the highest quality projects are delivered for local people and communities in the south west of Scotland.

This year’s extensive open market procurement process saw new companies partnering with hub SW, while it continues to strengthen relationships with existing partners.

Balfour Beatty, BAM Construction, Kier, Morgan Sindall and Morrison Construction have been appointed as the Tier 1A Construction Partners.

Ashleigh (Scotland) Ltd, CCG (Scotland) Ltd, Cruden Building Scotland, Linear Design & Construct, McTaggart Construction, Ogilvie Group and Robertson Group are Tier 1B Construction Partners.

Michael Ross, chief executive of hub SW, said: “We are delighted to announce our refreshed construction partner line up with experienced partners who all share our dedication to serving public sector participants and local communities, ensuring our projects recirculate money locally, create local jobs and enable local apprenticeship and education opportunities.

“These relationships strengthen our focus on achieving high quality, sustainable projects that demonstrate value for money whilst investing in a continuous improvement model to ensure the best possible output for our participants.

Janice Russell, managing director of Dalry-based McTaggart Construction, said: “We are proud to be a new partner and share the commitment to high quality development and investing in local people. Our team firmly believe we can make a positive difference and help change lives and we look forward to working with hub SW to achieve those aims.”

Mr Ross added: “Our contractor partners were selected due to their track record of delivering high quality social infrastructure projects, expertise in cost management, ability to deliver our participants net zero ambitions and alignment to our unique hub SW Community Wealth Building model that focuses on skills, economic development, and community investment.”

Dr Willie Mackie, chair of hub South West, added: “It is fantastic to see such a robust and effective line up of construction partners on board. Our business is much more than bricks and mortar. We are committed to adding economic value, enhancing people’s lives within our communities, and using our networks and supply chain to provide opportunities for local businesses to participate in our delivery programme.”

To date hub SW has delivered over 90 local community-changing projects to the value of £754m across the education, social housing, healthcare, leisure, office and economic regeneration sectors. A further £450m of projects are currently in the construction and development stages along with a healthy pipeline of projects.