Boldon-based, OPUS Building Services, has been awarded a £1.5 million lighting contract by industry-leading, civil engineering business, VolkerStevin, for the New Wear Footbridge, Sunderland and has also reported a record breaking £19 million annual turnover.
The prestigious contract is to install state-of-the-art lighting to the underside of the service tunnel, which runs the full length of the 250 metre long by 10-metre-wide bridge. The lighting show will be the visual centrepiece of the Riverside Sunderland development, one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects.
OPUS was chosen for the project by VolkerStevin, which was keen to use a local contractor with high technical capacity and a sizable work force, as a local supply chain reduces carbon footprint and also reinvests in local suppliers and people.
A vital part of the £500 million investment, which will see the banks of the River Wear and Sunderland transformed, the New Wear Footbridge will provide connectivity between Sheepfolds and the city centre.
OPUS has also achieved a record annual turnover of £19 million, following a raft of completed contracts. The company is currently completing works on a number of contracts for customers such as Robertsons, TRI construction, Vest construction, McCarrick Construction and the NHS.
Established in 2006, OPUS, employs a team of 80, providing clients across a wide range of sectors with innovative, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable solutions, that encompass all aspects of mechanical and electrical engineering project life cycle including design, co-ordination, installation and commissioning, to ensure projects run smoothly from inception to completion.
Gavin Richardson, managing director, OPUS, said: “The past year has seen unprecedented growth for the company and we are well equipped to continue delivering projects to this scale, and beyond, thanks to our highly skilled and dedicated workforce that are a huge part of our vision for the future.
“It’s an extremely exciting time and there is a burning desire to continue to be best-in-class and to grow. Indeed, there is symmetry between the ongoing development in Sunderland and OPUS. The possibilities are endless and the ambition unrelenting. That is why, it is so meaningful to have been appointed by VolkerStevin. It is fantastic to see a company of vast scale appreciate the talent we have here in the region and one that believes in supporting and championing the local supply chain.
“Works are anticipated to reach completion in August of 2025 and, as someone who was born and still lives in Sunderland, I am thrilled that OPUS will leave its mark on Wearside history.”