UTRECHT, 5 March 2009 – At the end of February 2009, Komfort - a cooperation between Ballast Nedam, Strukton, and John Laing - has signed an additional contract with the Dutch Ministry of Defence for the realisation of an additional 1,000 workstations for defence employees at the Kromhout Barracks in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The parties involved also closed additional financing agreements for the extension of the Public Private Partnership project.

On 4 June 2008 the DBFMO contract with the Dutch Ministry of Defence was signed; on 23 July 2008 the first financial close was communicated.

The additional financing amounts to € 90 million. The debt will be jointly funded by ING Bank N.V. and N.V. Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten, whilst John Laing, Ballast Nedam and Strukton will provide the required additional equity.

Kromhout Barracks
The contract and the additional financing are connected to the realisation of an additional 1,000 workstations for defence employees at the existing location of the Kromhout Barracks. This site is to be the base for the headquarters of the Royal Netherlands Army, and parts of the Defence Materiel Organisation and the Support Command of the Ministry of Defence. Construction started early February 2009, with completion (including the extension), expected at the end of 2011.

Komfort’s proposition includes all the elements of the design, building, finance, facility services, maintenance and operational services in an integrated 25-year DBFMO (Design, Build, Finance, Maintain and Operate) contract. The total agreement now represents a value of approximately € 450 million, including the extension.

Komfort is a cooperation between Ballast Nedam, Strukton and John Laing, who have teamed up with Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten, Karres en Brands landschapsarchitecten (landscape architects and urban planners), and ISS Facility Services. Legal adviser is Allen & Overy; RBC is financial adviser.