Laing O'Rourke wins £270 m BSF deal

Laing O'Rourke has been appointed by Barking & Dagenham Council to deliver its £270million Building Schools for the Future Programme (BSF). Laing O'Rourke will rebuild or renew every secondary school in the borough, and Trinity Special School, to create inspirational 21st century learning environments.

This decision follows a ten month procurement and selection process.

The initial phase of construction which will commence in February 2011, will involve the renewal of Dagenham Park Church of England School and The Sydney Russell School. Upgrades of other schools will commence between January 2012 and June 2013 with all construction work completed by April 2015.

All construction and facilities management will be carried out by Laing O'Rourke. Information Communications Technology (ICT) services across all the schools will be delivered in conjunction with RM, a leading provider of ICT educational solutions.

Cllr Rocky Gill, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education and Children, 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 Barking and Dagenham. We have selected our Preferred Partner through a very stringent selection and scoring process. Building Schools for the Future represents the best opportunity to invest in our schools for generations. Not only will it transform buildings but will enable us to improve the educational curriculum for young people, providing them with more opportunities to access education, training and employment as well providing opportunities to the wider community."

Barking and Dagenham Council will now form a Local Education Partnership (LEP) with Laing O'Rourke. This will be the body responsible for delivering the BSF programme in Barking and Dagenham.

Mark Richardson, Business Unit Leader, Laing O'Rourke Construction South, said: "We are of course delighted to have been selected as preferred bidder, and this is also great news for the residents of Barking and Dagenham. We look forward to cementing a close partnership with the Borough through the Local Education Partnership, supporting their aspirations for more prosperous communities, and delivering outstanding designs and value for all schools in the programme."