Kirklees picks Jarvis again

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council has ignored its own complaints about Jarvis' performance on an earlier PFI contract and awarded the beleaguered group Jarvis preferred bidder status on an another £25m PFI schools project.

A year ago council deputy leader John Smithson wrote to jarvis criticising its performance on its £59m PFI contract to refurbish 20 schools. The letter accused Jarvis of a "steadily increasing catalogue of poor work, dangerous practices, late handovers, inadequate standards of cleanliness and woeful consultation and liasion with head teachers that has caused disruption to teaching".

Jarvis, in joint venture with Totty, has now won the £25m deal to build three special needs schools and refurbish another two. The jv beat Wates.

A council statement described the Jarvis/Totty bid as "the best in terms of content and value for money".