Bouygues UK, the lead contractor building the landmark Pentre Awel development in Llanelli, is keen to speak to more local sub-contractors interested in working on the project.

The call-out follows a successful online event held to connect with those looking to collaborate, where businesses from around south and west Wales met online with the Bouygues UK project team to discuss the various contract opportunities on the innovative multi-million-pound development.

Pentre Awel is being delivered by Carmarthenshire County Council and part funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal, is the largest regeneration scheme in south west Wales. It will bring together life science and business innovation, community healthcare and modern leisure facilities at the 83-acre Delta Lakes site on the Llanelli coastline.

Bouygues UK is already working with many local sub-contractors at the Pentre Awel site, as part of its commitment to provide employment, training and skills opportunities to local people and underrepresented groups.

Companies so far contracted to work on Pentre Awel include: Green4Wales, Redsix Partnership, Gavin Griffiths Group, Dyfed Steels, Dyfed Recycling Services, Owen Haulage and Shufflebottom – and Bouygues UK is keen to increase that number further.

All of these companies are supporting Bouygues UK with its sustainability initiatives on site. Green4Wales is providing Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel to the site and the project’s supply chain, reducing the amount of fossil fuel being used and helping Bouygues UK reduce its carbon emissions. Redsix Partnership is undertaking the site’s One Click Life Cycle Assessment report, to help track the project’s environmental impact and embodied carbon.

Gavin Griffiths Group is recycling the project’s concrete pile cap and repurposing the material for use in other areas of the build. Dyfed Recycling is taking waste from the project, 99% of which is being recycled, while Owens Haulage is storing office furniture from Bouygues UK’s other projects so it can be reused at Pentre Awel rather than being sent to landfill.

Sustainability is also high on the agenda of the companies working on the physical structure of the building. Dyfed Steels is providing the reinforcement bar for the project’s foundations which has 98% recycled content, and Shufflebottom is providing the structural steel for the building, which also has 80% recycled content.

Peter Sharpe, Bouygues UK’s Pentre Awel Project Director, said: “As a west Wales boy, it’s great to be working with so many local companies, and we are keen to collaborate with even more. 

“We want to meet with as many local contractors, big and small, as possible to discuss the various opportunities we have on this project. It is a key objective for Bouygues UK to deliver employment and training for local people and companies, to ensure that we leave a legacy long after the building work on Pentre Awel is finished.”

Peter added: “For those interested in working on the project with us, please get in touch with me direct and keep an eye on the Sell2Wales website, for information about our upcoming Meet the Contractor events. The more companies we meet, the more opportunities we will have to work with them and create local jobs when we start work later in the year.

“You can see that sustainability and looking after the area is really important to us at Bouygues UK and so if you believe you can add to the great work already being done by our local sub-contractors, please get in touch.”

Cllr. Gareth John, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture and Tourism said: “As a County Council we have been working with Bouygues UK in promoting the opportunities for local sub-contractors, suppliers, and businesses within the construction industry. I would urge any interested party that’s local to Llanelli and Carmarthenshire to get in touch with Bouygues using the contacts provided. There are real opportunities for local businesses across a wide range of trades to work on the project. This can either be directly to Bouygues UK as the principal contractor or via the many sub-contractor packages and appointments linked to such a large construction project.”  

Bouygues UK has opportunities for numerous trades over the next few years of the project, from those in external works to companies who specialise in internal fixings.

Further opportunities for local businesses to work with Bouygues UK will be posted on sell2wales.gov.wales, leading up to the start of construction in Autumn 2023. Those interested are also welcome to contact the project director Peter Sharpe at peter.sharpe@bouygues-uk.com