William King Construction has been awarded its largest and longest ever contracts by the Programme and Project Partners at Sellafield.

The Cumbrian SME, with foundations in the housing and building trade, will support PPP over the next 16-years on key decommissioning projects at the Sellafield site.

John Rossiter, PPP Head of Supply Chain, said: “SMEs like William King Construction are vital for PPP to deliver both world class infrastructure and support tangible outcomes and benefits for the West Cumbrian community.

“I’m delighted that William King Construction is the next SME to secure a long-term framework with PPP, which will help support its future growth and expansion.

“We’re proud to have businesses like William King Construction and entrepreneurs like Will in our supply chain and we’re excited to see the business and its commitments to West Cumbria continue to flourish.”

The firm becomes the latest SME to benefit from PPP’s pioneering SME Matchmaker Service and secure a long-term 15-year framework to support Key Delivery Partner (KDP) Sir Robert McAlpine on delivering KDP8 – Groundworks and Concrete (Civils), also worth up to £12 million.

In addition, William King Construction will also be commencing work on the SRP project, worth approximately £4 million – the business’ largest project to date and a major boost for itself and the local economy.

Will King, Founder and MD of William King Construction Ltd, said:“Securing long-term contracts and frameworks within the PPP portfolio of work enables us to continue to grow our business and keep up our momentum of employing local people, from apprentices to professionals.

“We have a great track record of employing local school leavers and supporting them in gaining qualifications and the experience to allow them to grow and curate their own careers in the construction industry.

“Our involvement with PPP and the longevity this brings will only help us to further increase our offering to the local area over the coming years.

“We currently have six former apprentices working on PPP projects, which demonstrates that our approach works. The natural progression from apprentice, to tradesperson, supervisor, then beyond in to engineering and management roles is very real, and we can offer all of this at William King Construction.

“Again, this would not be possible without the confidence PPP have in us as a local SME.

“We will continue to carry the West Cumbrian flag by employing local people and empowering homegrown talent, whilst retaining the core elements upon which our business is built.”

After diversifying its products and services to support high hazard reduction in the nuclear industry, William King Construction has been building a strong reputation within the sector, having already won a number of other major contracts at Sellafield.

It is a shining example of how SMEs can adapt and fine-tune their offering for a new and thriving sector.

The longevity and security offered by these two long-term contracts will enable William King Construction to continue its investment into future talent in the local area, through its own apprenticeship scheme and employment opportunities.

It now plans to expand its current training offerings and has created its new The Brick Trainer, an innovative brick training station that can be easily transported to classrooms and set up to give young people an insight into what a career in construction could look like.