BSF accused of excluding smaller firms

This week, Tim Byles, chief executive of delivery body Partnerships for Schools (PfS) was asked by a govt select committee to provide evidence that showed BSF procurement, which involves multi-million-pound bidding costs, doesn't exclude too many contractors.

A few large contractors including Balfour Beatty and Carillion have done very well out of the programme, reported Building magazine.

Byles refuted the claims, saying three more companies had come to the market, bringing the total number bidding for BSF work to 24.

Construction News reported Byle's intention to attract more small and medium-sized contractors to BSF work. 'We are keen to get SMEs to participate,' he said. 'We are already seeing them in the supply chains for bid consortiums and we are seeing some medium sized firms leading these consortia on some of the smaller BSF projects.'

He added that every school built on BSF will have a post-occupancy evaluation, starting with Skanska's Bristol Brunel Academy in the Autumn.