Press release: Leicester announce preferred bidder
04 September 2006
LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL has today announced the appointment of the Miller Consortium as the preferred bidder for the city’s £235 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme.
The announcement represents the launch of the new partnership between Leicester City Council, the Miller Consortium and Partnerships for Schools (PfS) to refurbish or rebuild secondary schools in the city.
Cllr Hussein Suleman, Cabinet lead for children’s and young people’s services said: “ I am delighted that we have been able to make this announcement today. We are entering into a partnership committed to improving the way secondary education is delivered in Leicester. We have chosen our preferred bidder through a very stringent selection and scoring process, and I am confident that we are on to a winner.
“This project represents the best opportunity to invest in our schools in generations. Not only will it transform buildings, it will also enable us to improve the educational curriculum for young people, providing them with more opportunities to access education, training and employment.
“When the programme is complete – Leicester’s secondary schools will be the envy of other cities across the country”.
The Miller Consortium will build and provide building facilities and crucial ICT services. The companies forming the consortium are Miller Construction, GSL and Centerprise International – who as the ICT provider will deliver £24.5 million of ICT infrastructure.
Phil Harris, Miller’s Public Private Partnership Bid Director said: "We are thrilled to be selected as Leicester's partner for the city's key BSF Programme. Our entire team is looking forward to working closely with the city, schools, the people of Leicester and PfS over the coming months and years. Our goal is to establish an educational environment that is second to none, to inspire learners and teachers alike and enhance the educational opportunities for the people of Leicester. We can't wait to get started!"
The council will now form a Local Education Partnership (LEP) with the Miller Consortium and PfS; this will be the body responsible for the delivery of the BSF programme. The LEP will be a long-term partnership that undertakes to build or refurbish schools and maintain them properly over their lifetime.
Andrew Robertson, Deputy Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools said: “We congratulate Leicester on choosing their preferred bidder for BSF and look forward to working with the council and the Miller Consortium on transforming the educational estate of the city. Leicester’s announcement brings the total of committed investment in BSF – local authorities at preferred bidder stage or beyond – to over £1.2 billion.
“The national programme has entered a phase of real delivery that will have a significant impact on secondary education, both locally and nationally”.
BSF will transform the city’s secondary schools and create better educational facilities by 2012. It represents the biggest investment in city schools since Victorian times.
The funding is part of a national programme over the next 15 years. Leicester is one of the first areas to benefit. It will make the curriculum more innovative and exciting, and transform the educational experience on offer in Leicester
Work is due to start in 2007 at the four schools in phase one of the BSF programme. The phase one schools are Beaumont Leys School, Fullhurst Community College, Judgemeadow Community College and Soar Valley College.
The remaining 11 schools will be delivered in a further three phases over the following six years.
End
Notes to editors:
- Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the largest single schools capital investment programme for over 50 years. The aim is to rebuild or renew every one of England’s 3,500 state secondary schools during the 15-year lifetime of the £45 billion programme.
- Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is the delivery agency for BSF. It was established in April 2004 as a non-departmental public body, and is operated and funded under a joint venture between DfES and Partnerships UK.
For media enquiries only, contact Lucia Chaplin, Leicester City Council press officer, on 0116 252 6074.
E-mail: lucia.chaplin@leicester.gov.uk
