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Southampton BSF proposal draws major interest from industry
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"08/02/2010
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Some of the biggest names in the construction industry turned out for Southampton City Council’s Building Schools for the Future Bidders’ Event last week. More than 250 individuals from nearly 120 organisations attended to find out more about the city’s £200m programme to invest in its secondary school estate.
The guest list included national consortia already delivering BSF projects elsewhere in the country and Southampton-based businesses looking for opportunities to enter the supply chain.
During the morning, potential bidders were briefed on the construction, infrastructure and facilities management requirements of Southampton’s programme. They also took part in workshops to find out about students’ expectations of their new schools and the city council’s position on design, ICT and educational transformation.
Councillor Paul Holmes, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “BSF is a huge commitment by the council to improve education. So, it is reassuring that so many organisations have invested their time to find out more about our proposals. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the city and we hope that from this event we can move forward to find the right partner to help us deliver our programme.”
The Bidders’ Event was staged with Business Southampton to maximise the opportunity for local businesses to mix with national contractors.
Sally Lynskey, CEO from Business Southampton, said: “We are delighted to have supported this event which proved very popular and a massive success. The Building Schools for the Future programme will not only provide a variety of opportunities for local businesses it is also critical for the future aspiration and attainment of students in the city, providing them with an innovative learning environment.”
Southampton’s BSF programme is set to rebuild or remodel seven secondary schools, improve ICT at a further three and revamp up to four special schools. The project will be phased in two parts with the first, worth in the region of £110m, focussing on building work at five schools expected to go into construction from 2012.
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