BARDSLEY Construction, the commercial division of the Dukinfield-based Roland Bardsley Group, has been appointed Bolton Housing Department's first partnering contractor.

The long-term arrangement is projected to involve the company in work worth £25 million to refurbish and modernise the council's housing stock. Peter Walthall, managing director of Bardsley Construction, said: "We are delighted with the agreement and it will generate considerable savings for Bolton MBC.

"Partnering is the way ahead for both local authorities and contractor-suppliers like ourselves because it is a far more transparent way of doing business.

"It achieves greater understanding between customer and contractor. More importantly, it abolishes the problems that continually occured in competitive tendering."

In another partnering scheme with Bolton Education Department, Bardsley Construction has built replacement classrooms at four Bolton schools -- Harper Green High, Mytham Road Primary, Devonshire Road Primary and Markland Hill Primary.