Three face BAFO on £100m school

All three firms pitching for a £100m PPP schools deal in Scotland have been asked to work up best and final offers (BAFOs).

West Dunbartonshire Council has ordered extra homework for: Dutch group BAM, which owns HBG; the West Dunbartonshire Schools Partnership (Amey/Carillion); and Balfour Beatty’s Transform Schools organisation.

An insider said: "Three runners in a BAFO race isn’t the norm [there are usually only two] but it has happened before with PPP schemes in Scotland.

"Initially, the council wanted to avoid a BAFO stage because of its very tight programme. But the fact there now is one means there must be very little to separate the three bids, so maybe BAFO is the fairest way forward."

The final shoot-out is expected to put the scheme back by around three months.

The scheme involves building six new schools and two early education and childcare centres.

The schools are scheduled to open in time for the start of the September 2010 term.