Schools' bids are in

New, state of the art schools for Bridgwater drew a step closer as two bidders submitted their proposals for the £100 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) contract.
 
Aura, a consortium led by Sir Robert McAlpine, and BAM, a consortium led by BAM PPP UK Limited, have submitted their applications to rebuild Chilton Trinity Technology College, Robert Blake Science College and Elmwood School.
 
The bids cover every aspect of how the three schools will be designed, built and maintained. They include how the schools will look, fixtures and fittings, ICT, costs, community and leisure use and more.
 
The selected bidder is expected to be announced in February 2010. Building work is expected to begin in summer 2010 and it is anticipated all schools will be open by the end of 2012.
 
Building work on the remaining three schools, East Bridgwater Community School, Penrose School and Haygrove School, will begin in early 2011, subject to planning permission.
 
The developments will be run by a joint partnership known as the Local Education Partnership. It consists of the chosen bidder, Somerset County Council and Building Schools for the Future Investments.
 
Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, the organisation responsible for delivering the national BSF programme, said: "I am pleased to see that Somerset's scheme is progressing well. Across the country we have seen over 130 schools benefit from BSF investment, with 96 local authorities engaged in projects to improve the life chances of school pupils and local communities as a whole."
 
Cllr John Osman, Somerset County Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "This is a major milestone for a project that will bring tremendous benefit to education in the Bridgwater area and we are delighted to have bidders of such high quality."