James Review says new national contracts should be set up
Long anticipated report - published today - makes total of 16 recommendations for schools procurement
New national contracts should be set up for school building projects, according to Sebastian James’ long awaited review of the school building programme, published today.
The review, which has been delayed since December, makes sixteen recommendations for the future of schools procurement.
Among these are, as reported in Building two weeks ago, that a central body should be responsible for procurement of major projects. The review states that this central body “should put in place a small number of new national procurement contracts that will drive quality and value from the programme ahead.”
The review also states that the government should:
- Revise and simplify school premises regulations
- Reduce bureaucracy around BREEAM assessments
- Promote standardised design
- Carry out independent building condition surveys on a rolling 20% sample of the estate.
- Have a single funding stream for schools capital for each area, but have a centrally retained budget for free schools
In a letter to education secretary Michael Gove accompanying the findings, Sebastian James said: “Putting my recommendations into practice will be a major challenge. I know that I am asking for a significant change in culture and practice. Getting the right structures in place to deliver at national and local level will be vital. I anticipate that, for some stakeholders in the process, there will be parts of my suggested approach that may be less palatable than others and that there will need to be some give-and-take.”
The government will now have to respond to the recommendations, in a process which is estimated to take around a month.
A spokesperson for delivery agency Partnerships for Schools said: “A spokesperson for PfS said: “We have worked closely with the review team and the Department for Education to share our expertise and knowledge throughout the review period. We welcome today’s publication and will look at the recommendations with interest.”
Education White Paper
Following the government’s response to the James Review. The 60 page report includes analysis of proposed procurement, design and regulatory changes as well as local authorities with the biggest shortage of school places and much more
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Readers' comments (4)
What about the ICT?
OK, let's centralise the entire design, procurement, due dilligence and improvement requirement in Sheffield and save a multiple of that which would be saved being run out of London?
Having national framework may provide the substantial saving , however such saving can only be made when the client team has the experience of construction professionals on board - otherwise the whole process can be convoluted and ultimately increase the cost ?
Some of the very best recently built school have been built for significantly below average costs. If designs similar to these are used as a basis for the new schools then you will have outstanding designs at much lower costs. Unfortunately there are no indications that these schools are, or ever will be, used as examples of best practice.
If a contract is issued for a national school design then the only people able to pass, and afford the costs of, selection proceedures will be the biggest design practices, and there is little evidence on the basis of their school designs now built that top quality high functional schools will be the result.