Wins for Plenary and its projects at 2024 Partnerships Awards

LONDON, UK – Plenary was named Sponsor/Developer of the Year for the second year in a row and the Zayed City Schools project was awarded Best Education Project at the 2024 Partnerships Awards.

Plenary and UNSW’s Health Translation Hub project was highly commended in the Best Education Project category.

The annual awards, run by Partnerships Bulletin, are the largest celebration of excellence in the public-private partnership (PPP) industry across Australia and New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East, the UK and Europe.

Celebrating 20 years as a leading developer and manager of public infrastructure in 2024, Plenary’s portfolio of projects underlines the unique strengths of our model as an independent public infrastructure specialist, adding value at every stage of procurement, design, delivery, management and operations.

The judges commended Plenary for being professional, knowledgeable and driven, and for continually pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved through the PPP model around the world.

Highlights of Plenary’s work as a sponsor/developer in 2023 included:

• achieving financial close on the A$456 million Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, a purpose-built convention centre and accompanying precinct that includes Geelong’s largest hotel – a 200-room Crowne Plaza – food and beverage, and mixed-use commercial spaces
• commencing major work on the A$600 million UNSW Health Translation Hub; and
• completing a A$180 million refinancing of the Queensland Schools project in a challenging financial environment

Plenary’s first project in the Middle East, the Zayed City Schools project, is the first PPP schools project in the UAE and the first of its kind in the MENA region. The judges applauded the regional record achieved by the Plenary-BESIX consortium – the finalisation of the procurement process within 17 months from commencement of the business case to commercial close – and recognised the important pioneering aspect of this project for the region.

Special mention was given to the UNSW Health Translation Hub project, highly commended in the same category. The judges noted the project’s ability to bring together different specialisms, as well as its strong commitment to ESG and green initiatives alongside an innovative funding structure. In addition, the co-location of such high-pedigree academia and medical research with the provision of cutting-edge healthcare was seen as compelling.