Future Schools tender costs cut by a third

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) bid costs will be cut by 30% and procurement time reduced by two months under new procurement rules to be introduced in the spring.

The rules, expected to deliver £250m of savings over the 15-year BSF programme, are the result of a review carried out by consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers for Partnerships for Schools (PfS), the BSF co-ordination body.

Construction News (CN) reported that the review calls for greater scrutiny of contractors' track record on BSF, indicating that contractors with poor records for partnering will be shut out of the £45m programme.

Contract Journal (CJ) said the new system will see local authorities use an extended prequalification process to shortlist just two bidders, based on their track records, partnering and design capabilities. The two will then have to develop no more than two detailed designs for architects. Currently at least three shortlisted bidders are required to work up any number of detailed designs. 'This way we release more market resources to build more schools,' PfS chief executive Tim Byles told CJ.

Other measures recommended by the report include reducing the overall procurement time to 75 weeks from 82 and selecting the two shortlisted bidders in 29 weeks, down from 44 weeks. CN said ministers are expected to approve the recommendations in the spring.

The news comes the week the government revealed that the much-delayed programme may complete just 35 schools in the 2008/09 financial year, instead of the 50 outlined, reported Building magazine. And in another blow to the programme, Building reported that the government's head of school design, Mukund Patel, will leave his post at the end of the month. Architects have expressed concern that Patel's departure will impact on BSF.

Patel was in charge of the building and design unit at the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DSCF) and has taken the lead in advising ministers on all aspects of schools building. He will retire at the end of February after 26 years with DSCF, reported Building.