Perth & Kinross schools PFI faces tight schedule

Perth & Kinross Council’s £100m ‘Investment in Learning’ 30-year schools PFI is at risk of falling substantially behind schedule after tender documents were issued nearly nine months later than planned.

The delay, caused by a legal wrangle over ownership of land at the site, is sure to raise questions from the scheme’s three bidders: Miller/Ogilvie/Forth Electrical Services/A&L King; Laing O’Rourke/Mitie/ABN Amro; and AWG.

They will have to decide whether the scheme remains an attractive option with a tight turnaround between tender submission and construction, which is due to start in May next year. Completion is set for 2007.

One bidder told CJ: “The delays have caused concerns over the tight turnaround in the timetable. We have received outline plans and we still intend to work up a bid. However, we need some more assurances from the council over deliverability.”

Bidders have now received tender documents, which were due in January, and will be expected to work up their bids to construct four secondary and five primary schools across seven new campuses in Perth, Crieff, Kinross, Aberfeldy and Blairgowrie. Submissions are due back in early January.

A council spokesman said: “The council had previously issued some details of the draft  tender documents to bidders to allow them to begin work on their bids prior to a formal issue of the tender documents.”

However, the first signs that interest from bidders could be cooling came from Dave Cuthbert, chairman of Kinross High School User Group, who said that two bidders cancelled meetings with the group following the recent uncertainty.

The spokesman replied: “No meetings were cancelled, although some were postponed until such time as the invitation to negotiate was sent out. The council is confident of the continued interest of bidders and further meetings are scheduled for later this week.”

Despite a tight turnaround for the start of construction, the council said it had written in a “generous build period” and, assuming there is no further slippage, the buildings will be ready for the 2007/08 school session.

Making no apologies for the delay, the council said it had “learned lessons from other building projects across Scotland” and was “determined to ensure that things are properly planned and specified at the beginning of the process”.