Many in the construction sector are now eyeing for the government?s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which aims to rebuild or refurbish this country?s 3,500 secondary schools by 2023. Currently, the top 100 contracts in the programme offer ?6 billion worth of work. The top ten local authorities alone have work that is valued at more than ?2 billion.

Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of construction jobs are expected to emerge throughout of the programme. However, according to industry insiders, new and small contractors may find it hard to get a piece of the pie. Firstly, these contractors need to quickly familiarise themselves with the latest procurement system operated by Partnerships for Schools (PfS), the agency created by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to oversee the management of the BSF programme.

Secondly, contractors need to swiftly strengthen relations with local authorities that are in charge of handing out the contracts. The PfS encourages local authorities to establish Local Education Partnerships (LEP) that involve contractors who are capable of getting construction jobs done. As such partnerships hold exclusive rights for ten years to deliver new and refurbished schools and related services, local authorities and their chosen contractors need to form professional and pleasant working relationships.

This means that in order to successfully complete a broad range of construction jobs, contractors need to ensure that they clearly understand the expectations of local authorities to transform education within their regions. More importantly, contractors need to demonstrate that they are able to meet the various challenges posed by local authorities, particularly in areas such as design and the use of sub-contractors and suppliers.

It is vital that contractors are able to design secure, flexible, user-friendly and environmentally sustainable learning environments that fully integrate cutting-edge information communications and technology (ICT) equipment and services. Also critical are the abilities of contractors to engage with sub-contractors and suppliers who can complete the construction jobs in cost-effective and energy-efficient manners. Finally, the use of local materials and labours, including apprentices, is often a requirement that contractors cannot afford to ignore.

In short, whether the construction jobs at hand are new builds or refurbishments, contractors need to demonstrate that they recognise and further respect the desires of local authorities to establish superior learning environments where it is easy to educate kids. Specifically, contractors need to be flexible and orientate their designs to meet the local needs.

Indeed, according to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), which works with the PfS in outlining how current building standards can operate consistently throughout the BSF programme, the best designs should use plenty of natural light and create lively spaces for both teaching and learning. Some major criteria used by the CABE in assessing designs include ?making form, massing and appearance work together???, ?deploying convincing environmental strategies??? and ?creating a school that can adapt and evolve in the future???. These are surely daunting tasks faced by contractors who are keen to win some construction jobs.