A better Building Schools for the Future

Monday, April 14, 2008

Tim Byles, chief executive of Partnerships for Schools, discusses the recent review of the Building Schools for the Future procurement process and how it will lead to cost and performance improvements.

In February, Partnerships for Schools shared the preliminary findings of our Procurement Review, the outcome of a four month consultation with Building Schools for the Future (BSF) stakeholders to explore ways to improve the timeliness, efficiency, flexibility, and, ultimately, the delivery of the BSF programme.

It is widely accepted that delivery of the BSF programme has picked up pace considerably over the past year. PfS has already introduced a number of measures that have significantly reduced the pre-procurement phase of the programme – by as much as six months. This package of measures is designed to ensure that local authorities are ready to hit the ground running as soon as they enter the programme, and it is making a real difference to the timetable for delivery. As a result, young people, teachers and their communities will benefit from their new learning environments earlier than was previously possible.

But in an increasingly experienced and BSF aware market, we felt it was important to focus on what further refinements could be made to the Procurement Phase of BSF. Over the course of the Review, we listened to the views of local authorities, contractors, industry groups and the design community and have come up with a package of recommendations that will be presented to Ministers for approval shortly.

The headlines from the initial report – produced by PwC – suggest that in a maturing market, significant time and cost savings can be made, perhaps up to £250m across the national BSF programme. In addition, the proposed new processes emerging from the BSF Procurement Review would deliver important time savings of up to two months, making this part of the process even more streamlined and efficient.

Proposals to reduce the number of sample schemes from architects will allow greater emphasis to be placed on producing the highest quality designs for schools, which are truly transformational for students, teachers and local communities for decades to come.

Key recommendations from the BSF Procurement Review include:
• A reduction in the overall procurement time – down to 75 weeks from the current 82 week model;
• More comprehensive prequalification of bidding consortia;
• Two lead bidders are selected earlier in the process, after 29 weeks rather than 44 weeks in the current process;
• Time and cost savings in the design process, with sample schemes only required for two projects, and a refocusing of time for detailed development and completion of design work;
• Integration of ICT in the BSF programme should continue as there are demonstrable benefits for building design;
• More focus on effective partnering issues throughout the procurement process.

The wide ranging and constructive discussions we have had with more than 120 individuals over the course of the Review illustrate, I believe, the massive enthusiasm and support for this unprecedented programme.

It has given us a valuable opportunity to reflect on experiences to date and, importantly, to use the views and expertise of those engaged in BSF nationwide as a springboard for these new proposals.

Together, the proposed refinements are good news for an already healthy and dynamic market, offering a range of benefits – not least the opportunity for significant cost savings at both a national and a project level.

So far, feedback from our presentation of these proposals has been generally positive from the BSF community; all sectors have told us that they found the dialogue constructive, and have welcomed the emphasis on improving partnership.

So what next for the BSF? In terms of the Review, work is currently under way to refine and finalise the recommendations, which will then be presented to Ministers for approval. If Ministerial approval is secured, PfS will publish the final report and implementation timetable.

And as for the programme as a whole, the picture is looking good. By the end of the current financial year, 12 BSF schools will have opened – including our first brand new Special Educational Needs School in Lambeth. Students, teachers and local communities from Sunderland in the North to Bristol in the South are therefore already benefiting from the new resources, and new ways of learning, in their local areas, and I look forward to working with stakeholders across the BSF community as we build on this momentum over the coming year.

More information about BSF can be found on the Partnerships for Schools website at: www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk.