Ten contractors have won places on the Education Funding Agency’s four year £4Bn Contractors’ Framework for school building in England which is to start this month. A £5Bn regional framework for refurbishment of schools will start procurement later this month.
The school building framework has been divided into two lots, for the south and for the north of England, with nine places available on each lot. Eight firms have ben appointed to both north and south lots – Balfour Beatty, Bam Construction, Bowmer & Kirkland, Carillion, Galliford Try, Kier, Sir Robert McAlpine and Wates. Thomas Vale Construction has won a place n the northern lot and Willmott Dixon on the southern.
Clugston, Interserve, Shepherd and Vinci, who had places on the previous framework, have not reached the final list and Willmott Dicon lost its place on the north lot. Lend Lease, JB Leadbitter, Rydon and Apollo who had places in the old framework did not make the shortlist.
The EFA is understood to have been looking for contractors that have invested in standardised approaches to school building and who could offer assurances on price.
The successful contractors also had to demonstrate how they would tackle refurbishment projects which are expected to feature more prominently than in the Academies Framework that is about to expire.
It is also understood that losing bidders will not be able to compete for work on the £2Bn Priority School Building Programme, where about half of the contracts by value have still to be awarded.
