This section is designed to provide you with information on the respective roles of PfS, DfE, local authorities and other partners in delivering BSF. It also includes details of the support that is available to local authorities within the BSF programme.

Partnerships for Schools

Partnerships for Schools (PfS) were set up to deliver the national BSF programme, and have now also taken on responsibility for delivery of the Academies programme. PfS is a non-departmental public body (NDPB), and is a joint venture between the DfE and Partnerships UK.

Key roles and teams within PfS include:

Regional Operational Director
The Regional Operational Director has responsibility for PfS Project Directors in their geographical region, liaising with local authorities as appropriate. The three regions are North, Central & West and South.

Project Director
A Project Director from one of the three regional teams at PfS will be assigned to each local authority to provide continuous support and guidance throughout the planning, pre-procurement and procurement phases. They will act as first point of contact co-ordinating specialist support as required and facilitating stakeholder management. Where an Academy is separate to the BSF project, the local authority may also be assigned a Project Director from the Academies team at PfS.

Education Director
The Education Director will take responsibility, working with the PfS Project Director, for the development of the Strategy for Change offering support and challenge to ensure a continued focus on educational transformation throughout the programme.

Education ICT Adviser
The Education ICT Advisers at PfS provide guidance on the development of the BSF ICT strategy, within the framework of existing education strategies.

PE & Sport Adviser
Jointly funded by PfS, Youth Sport Trust and Sport England, the PE & Sport Advisers at PfS provide local authorities with advice on PE and school sport, the strategic development of sports facilities, facility design and sources of additional funding.

National Programme Team
The National Programme Team is responsible for managing the long term-programming of BSF, including looking after the overall budget. The team also determines funding allocations for every local authority BSF project and manages the cost benchmarking aspects of the PfS Benchmarking and Performance Management System.

Commercial Team
The Commercial Team provides support to local authority BSF Project Teams on all issues concerning the commercial aspects of the project, including understanding the adviser frameworks, market appetite for projects, the Local Education Partnership (LEP) model and how it works, and PFI. They are also responsible for review and approval of procurement and contractual documentation.

Department for Education

The Department for Education (DfE) is the Government department that owns the policy and directly funds Building Schools for the Future. (PFI credits are allocated through the Treasury.) The Schools Capital Division within the DfE is the department with responsibility for BSF.

Key roles within the DfE include:

Project Adviser
Each local authority will be allocated a Project Adviser from the Schools Capital Division, who will work with the local authority project team and provide access to policy advisers at the DfE. The Project Adviser will also monitor progress, report to Ministers and manage the various project business case approvals for the DfE.

Office of the Schools Commissioner (OSC)
The Schools Commissioner is responsible for promoting choice and diversity, championing fair access, supporting greater parental involvement in the school system and building local authority capacity as strategic commissioners of school places.  The OSC also have a key role in approving BSF Strategy for Change submissions.

Academies Group
The Academies Group at the DfE funds the delivery of Academies and is responsible for sponsor liaison. Until March 2006, it was also responsible for delivering Academies, and still retains responsibility for delivering the projects that were under way at that point.

Building Schools for the Future Investments LLP (BSFI)

BSFI is a joint venture between DfE and Partnerships UK for investment in the risk capital of Local Education Partnerships (LEPs) and the PFI projects delivered by the LEPs. Although it is a separate entity, BSFI works closely with PfS once BSF projects have reached financial close and LEPs are operational.

Public Private Partnership Programme (4ps)

4ps is local government’s project delivery specialist body, owned by the Local Government Association. 4ps provides support to local authorities through its Expert Client programme. This support is aimed at developing capacity and procurement skills for officers, schools and elected members. 4ps also operates the Gateway Review process within BSF.

Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE)

CABE is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body, funded by both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

The new CABE schools design quality programme will provide free advice and support for local authorities commissioning BSF projects. The programme integrates specialist guidance from CABE’s enabling service with the new CABE school design assessment panel process. CABE will work in partnership with DfE, PfS and 4ps to provide a coherent, joined-up package of advice to enable LAs to become client experts.

CABE also hold one-day design workshops with each shortlisted bidder during the design development stage, and form a Schools Design Assessment Panel to look at bidders’ proposals for the sample schemes and report back to local authority evaluation teams.

Key roles within CABE:

CABE Enabler
The enablers are expert architects funded by the DfE, appointed to assist LAs with the development of quality designs for BSF. Each local authority receives 20 days' support up to financial close, the use of which is agreed between the local authorityand their Enabler.

Becta

Becta is the government's lead partner in the strategic development and delivery of its e-strategy. The organisation leads the national drive to improve learning through technology, and supports the education workforce to make the best use of technology to improve learning. Becta supports BSF through tools, information and guidance, including the ICT self-review framework for schools. Becta also assess local authority BSF project ICT business cases.

National College for School Leadership

Through its BSF Leadership Programme, the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) provides training for local authorities and schools to maximise the impact of BSF investment.  Working at a corporate level in local authorities and with school leaders, the aim of the project is to build skills which will enable BSF to deliver educational transformation. The programme will include work on education visions, change management (including ICT) and dealing with complex procurements.