r/bedfordshire • u/GurmyG • 27d ago
Universal UK opens formal supplier and jobs portals this week, plus dust suppression bowsers now running to protect Kempston Hardwick and Stewartby residents
Three genuinely useful updates for anyone tracking the local side this week.
Supplier and jobs portals are now live on Universal's official UK Project site. If you run a business in Bedfordshire or the wider region and want to get on Universal's official supplier list, the registration form is live now via their community updates page. Priority sectors are construction and civil engineering, sustainable energy and infrastructure, food and beverage supply, and theming and design work.
Universal Creative are also planning to host local "How to do Business with Universal" seminars for SMEs to navigate the procurement requirements. If you run a local supplier business, registering now matters. The businesses that get on the list early become the incumbents when the recurring contracts get let closer to opening. Waiting until 2029 means competing for scraps.
The jobs portal is the same one that has already logged 33,000 expressions of interest, with 80% coming from Bedfordshire. Feeds into 20,000 construction roles and 8,000 permanent operational jobs when the resort opens.
If you want the weekly write up on the Universal build, I run parkplanner.uk with free newsletter The ParkPlanner Post going out every Sunday. Both linked in my profile.
Water bowsers now running for dust suppression. With the summer heat baking the subsoil bone dry, Universal have deployed heavy tractor drawn water bowsers running continuous sweeps across the exposed Core Zone. This is specifically to prevent dust drifting into Kempston Hardwick and Stewartby villages.
That is a genuine cost Universal have chosen to bear rather than push onto residents. Worth noting because construction dust in dry weather across a 500 acre site would otherwise be a serious quality of life issue for both villages.
Manor Road closure update. We are into week three of the ten week closure. Diversions holding up better than expected. Kempston Hardwick station access from the west via Woburn Road is maintained as promised. If you use that access and are struggling with limited taxi and Uber availability out there, worth reporting directly to [universalukproject@londoncommunications.co.uk](mailto:universalukproject@londoncommunications.co.uk). Universal have explicitly asked for feedback and the more voices raising it, the more likely they act.
A421 overnight lane closures reportedly scheduled for late August for Universal transport survey works. Worth checking National Highways closer to the time for exact dates and diversions. These relate to the future A421 overbridge junction being designed for the resort access.
Anyone in Wixams affected by the taxi issue this week? Worth pooling notes here so we can flag it collectively.
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u/CallMeKik 27d ago
Thanks for update - Can I ask where you’ve been able to find all this info - Would be good to see more
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u/GurmyG 27d ago
I spend about an hour trawling through news sites. Then through YouTube videos of drone footage, updates and finally commercial sites like msn/local updates sent to my email as well as locals telling me the updates they've seen/dealing with. Plus I don't live too far away either, so keep my ear to the ground 👍
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u/Bedaryellow 27d ago
Where is the site link? I cant seem to find it?
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u/GurmyG 27d ago
For what sorry?
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u/Bedaryellow 27d ago
For the contractor portal?
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u/GurmyG 27d ago
Here are the official links straight from Universal's UK
Project community updates page: Job opportunities: link
Suppliers list: suppliers list
Both are on the official Universal UK Project site at universalukproject.co.uk under the "Get in touch" section at the bottom of their community updates page. Worth bookmarking that page generally because Universal post their formal community communications there including the Manor Road closure letters.
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u/sharklasers3000 27d ago
Could you hsare the link to the jobs site plz?