黑洞社区

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has unveiled the details of the first schools to come to market through the government鈥檚 flagship school building programme, six months later than originally planned.

The EFA said the first batches to come to the market through the 拢400m directly-funded part of the Priority School 黑洞社区 Programme (PSBP) comprised 20 schools, worth up to 拢154m, across the North-east, midlands and London.

The first batch of schools covers the North-east, comprising nine schools worth between 拢60-64m.The EFA said the tender for the schools would be released this month.

The next batch covers the midlands and comprises six schools worth between 拢32-36m, with tenders to be issued this month.

This is to be followed by a further batch covering London, comprising five schools worth 拢44-45m, with a tender expected in early November.

The EFA said there would be eight batches of directly-funded schools in total, with feasibility studies on the remaining five batches expected to be completed by January next year, with the schools to come to market soon after.

All eight batches will be procured through the EFA鈥檚 Contractors鈥� Framework.

Mike Green, the EFA鈥檚 director of capital, said that contractors competing for batches of schools under PSBP would not be limited on the number they can bid for or win.

He added that all 12 firms on the northern section of the academies framework attended the bidders鈥� day in Stockton for the north east batch.

Green also confirmed that the baseline designs and output specification that the EFA has released would not directly apply to the capital funded schools, but that it was 鈥渋mportant that bidders understood the direction of travel鈥�.

Work through the PSBP was initially expected to be tendered in April 2012 so construction could begin in 2012 but, was then pushed back to 鈥渓ate summer鈥�.

EFA鈥檚 Contractors鈥� Framework