The Department for Education is to use existing frameworks to procure £400m of school repairs works. The DfE revealed announced that 261 schools, from 587 applicants, will be either rebuilt or have their “condition needs met” under the Priority Schools Building Programme. It said 42 of the schools most in need will be started with a £400m of funding direct from government, reported Construction News.
While the DfE confirmation will provide some of the extra clarity that many contractors have been calling for this week, it will also come as a blow to major firms that are not on the existing contractors’ framework.
Contractors likely to be chasing the work include Balfour Beatty, Bam Construction, Carillion, Interserve, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, Morgan Sindall, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska, Wates and Willmott Dixon.
However, firms including Laing O’Rourke, Miller and Skanska will not have access to the work.
There are two academies frameworks; one covering the North and Midlands, the other covering the rest of the country.
The government has also given the green light to 15 new University Technical Colleges (UTCs), including a construction college for young people in the West Midlands.
Government approval will lead to a further pipeline of work for contractors, with all 15 UTCs likely to be procured through the academies framework Building reported.
The West Midlands UTC is being supported by CITB-ConstructionSkills and a range of firms, including Willmott Dixon, Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Lovell.
The private sector-run schools will provide a range of vocational and academic qualifications to 14- to 19-year-olds.
The government has now approved 34 UTCs, including colleges supported by the Shard, Mace, Lend Lease, Taylor Wimpey, Enterprise and Wates.
Last week Wates was appointed contractor on one of the first UTCs to gain approval, an £8.5m engineering and digital specialism UTC in Sheffield.
