Private sector companies

With unprecedented government investment and a commitment to a 15-year programme to rebuild or renew every secondary school in the country, Building Schools for the Future (BSF) presents major long-term business opportunities all over England. The DCSF and Partnerships for Schools (PfS) want to help the private sector to achieve innovation and economies of scale, to plan long term, and to develop a more standardised approach to drive efficiencies and improve quality.

The scale and longevity of the BSF programme requires a new strategic approach to the delivery of the schools' estate renewal, the development of market capacity and long-term partnership working with private sector organisations.

PfS has been set up as the national programme manager and delivery body for BSF. It will also be the private sector’s main interface with the national programme

PfS is working with the DCSF to make it easier for the private sector to work with local authorities. The standardised process that has been developed will help all parties to engage in the renewal of the secondary school estate through the establishment of Local Education Partnerships (LEPs)

reduce the current burden of procuring school buildings, ICT and other services

• speed up the procurement process – and make it more integrated;
• reduce the cost of repeat procurements (and bids) for subsequent phases of work;
• ensure value for money through the sharing of good practice and adherence to quality standards

In order to make the establishment of each LEP as efficient and timely as possible, PfS has produced a comprehensive set of standardised procurement and contractual documentation

BSF is a real opportunity to showcase innovative, inspirational design and to demonstrate how it can impact on education standards and the quality of life within schools. Across the whole programme, we are looking for high-quality, sustainable projects and services. Successful partners will be those that are able to demonstrate an understanding of the broader requirements of local communities and supply chains.

There are also major opportunities to get involved in the education sector through £3 billion of other capital investment in schools, including the primary capital programme and targeted capital funding.

See Teachernet for more information

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