Seven up for £250m Lancs BSF

Seven runners are in the race for Lancashire County Council’s £250m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme.

The seven longlisted bidders are: Accent Group (Bradford and Northern Housing Association); Catalyst Education (Bovis Lend Lease); Education 21 (Mowlem); First Class Consortium (Hochtief); Inspired Spaces (Carillion); Paradigm (Taylor Woodrow); Spirel; and Transform Schools (Balfour Beatty).

Accent is tipped by observers to make the shortlist. The group is heavily involved in regeneration in the area after winning the £140m Bradford and Airdale NHS LIFT contract last year.

Lancashire’s BSF scheme will see eight secondary schools in Burnley replaced by five new-build schools and a separate sixth-form centre and three schools in Pendle replaced by two new-build schools.

The Wave One scheme has now been promoted to pathfinder status by Partnerships for Schools, the organisation that is overseeing the BSF programme.

A shortlist of three bidders is expected by the end of July with a preferred bidder emerging by March 2006. Financial close is due by August 2006.