Skanska has been selected by Bristol City Council as Preferred Bidder for its “Building Schools for the Future” programme. Skanska will enter into a 10-year partnership with the Council to develop schools as part of the transformation of education in Bristol.
The BSF initiative is being pioneered nationally by Bristol along with three other local authorities. These authorities are known as “pathfinders.” The Bristol programme will be carried out through a Local Education Partnership, or LEP, made up of Skanska, the Council itself, and the Partnerships for Schools (a Department for Education and Skills subsidiary).
The first phase of the programme comprises the rebuilding of Brislington Enterprise College, Hartcliffe Engineering Community College, Speedwell Technology College and Whitefield Fishponds Community School and covers design, construction and financing, as well as the operation of the facilities for 25 years following their completion. Skanska will also integrate and manage ICT provision on the four sites and the new north Bristol school in Redland and this provides a valuable opportunity to support the transformation in education.
In addition to mainstream provision for over 5,000 pupils on the four sites, 50 places for pupils with Severe Learning Difficulties and 30 places for 14-16 year-olds at risk of exclusion have been incorporated into the proposals for the Hartcliffe Education Campus. Places for twenty pupils with Complex Learning Difficulties will be integrated onto the Brislington site.
The partnership between Bristol City Council, Skanska and Partnerships for Schools provides a platform for developing all medium to large school projects in Bristol during the next ten years.
Councillor Jos Clark, executive member for children’s services, said: “We received high quality bids from three contractors and are delighted to select Skanska as our preferred bidder who will provide and maintain four new schools and associated facilities for 25 years. This is an exciting step as it is a key element of the council’s policy to transform secondary education in Bristol. The management of the school buildings, which will also be taken on by Skanska, will free up more time for teaching staff to teach.”
Barry White, Skanska’s Education Director said: “ We are delighted to be chosen by Bristol City Council as their partner to help deliver the school programme. We develop schools in the UK, Scandinavia and America and are very excited about using our experience in cooperation with the Council to support the drive to transform education in Bristol.”
The schools projects in Bristol are the first within the framework of the British government’s “Building Schools for the Future” (BSF) initiative, the aim of which is to modernize all the compulsory-level and upper-secondary schools in the UK during the next 15 years. A total of GBP 2.2 billion annually is to be invested in the modernisation program.
DETAILS ON SCHOOL PROVISION
- At Brislington Enterprise College a new building at the rear of the existing school will be built for 1485 pupils plus a sixth form of 250 and 20 children with Complex Learning Difficulties.
- Speedwell will also have a new building for 1080 pupils plus a sixth form of 100 with the possibility of attached additional leisure facilities to include a fitness suite, dance studio, reception and a possible children’s area.
- Whitefield Fishponds will have 1080 11-16 places in a new building.
- At Hartcliffe, the plan is a 945-place secondary school, a 200 place vocational centre, a nursery, a student support centre for 14-16 year-olds at risk of exclusion and SLD provision for 50 pupils. It will be known as Hartcliffe Education Campus.
DETAILS ON SKANSKA INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
Skanska Infrastructure Development, (Skanska ID) formerly Skanska BOT, is a world leader in Public Private Partnerships (PPP). The Infrastructure Development team invests in, develops and operates roads, hospitals, schools, power plants and other social infrastructure in partnership with the public sector, with the objective of improving the lives of users.
PPP is taking hold in many parts of the world where the need for infrastructure outstrips available public sector resources. By investing in the companies set up to deliver these facilities, Skanska ID provides the finance and expertise for development, design, construction and operations.
Our success relies on our enabling excellent integration and collaboration across the Skanska businesses, harnessing the full knowledge and capability of a truly unique team – the Skanska team.
We’re more hands on to make sure that our investments grow in value, while delivering long-term benefits to the communities we serve. It’s a very different way of doing business to Skanska’s traditional construction role.
DETAILS ON SKANSKA UK
Skanska UK operates under three business streams, combining design, building, civil engineering and building services with a wide range of specialist skills to provide integrated project solutions for its clients.
These business streams are:
PFI/PPP Business Stream
Civil Engineering & Specialists Business Stream
Construction Business Stream
All Skanska UK’s Operating Units have attained certification to the management systems ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001.
Skanska UK operates to the Skanska Code of Conduct, a copy of which is published on our website.
DETAILS ON INITIAL PROJECT FINANCING
The initial project will be funded through the UK Government’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Skanska will invest GBP 4.8 M (approximately SEK 65 M) through Skanska Infrastructure Development, the Skanska unit for investments in social infrastructure. Investors in the Community and Partnerships for Schools will be co-investors in the initial project. The design and build contracts to be undertaken by Skanska UK are expected to total approximately GBP 113 M (about SEK 1.5 billion).
Negotiations will be concluded in the next phase, at which time financing of the project will also be arranged. The construction contract will not be included in Skanska UK’s order bookings until these arrangements have been finalized.
Whether future projects are implemented within the framework of a public-private partnership (PPP) or as conventionally financed design/build projects will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
ENDS