The DfE schools construction framework, launched on 30th November 2021, is expected to be worth £7bn to the chosen contractors over its four year term.
The framework is split into three value bands, and each value band is subdivided into regions:
- high value band (£12m+) – two regions
- medium value band (£6m to £12m) – eight regions
- low value band (£0.5m to £6m) – 12 regions
The chosen contractors in each lot are listed below.
High value band (£12m+)
Lot 1 – High value band: North
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Willmott Dixon Construction
- BAM Construction
- Kier Construction
- Wates Construction
Lot 2 – High value band: South
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Willmott Dixon Construction
- BAM Construction
- Kier Construction
- Wates Construction
- Skanska Construction UK
- John Graham Construction
- Bouygues UK
Medium value band (£6m-£12m)
Lot 3 – Medium value band: Northeast & Yorkshire
- Interserve Construction
- Galliford Try Building
- Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure
- ISG Construction
- Henry Boot Construction
Lot 4 – Medium value band: East Midlands
- Interserve Construction
- Galliford Try Building
- Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure
- ISG Construction
- John Graham Construction
- Henry Boot Construction
Lot 5 – Medium value band: East of England
- Interserve Construction
- Galliford Try Building
- Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure
- ISG Construction
- Henry Brothers
- McLaren Construction
Lot 6 – Medium value band: London
- Interserve Construction
- Galliford Try Building
- Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure
- ISG Construction
- Geoffrey Osborne
- Baxall Construction
- McLaren Construction
Lot 7 – Medium value band: Southeast
- Interserve Construction
- Galliford Try Building
- Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure
- ISG Construction
- Geoffrey Osborne
- Mclaren Construction
Lot 8 – Medium value band: Southwest
- Interserve Construction
- Galliford Try Building
- Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure
- ISG Construction
- Spatial Initiative
- Goldbeck
Lot 9 – Medium value band: West Midlands
- Interserve Construction
- Galliford Try Building
- Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure
- ISG Construction
- Bouygues UK
Lot 10 – Medium value band: Northwest
- Interserve Construction
- Galliford Try Building
- Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure
- ISG Construction
Low value band – (up to £4.5m)
Lot 11 – Low value band: Northeast
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Wates Construction
- Vinci Construction UK
Lot 12 – Low value band: Yorkshire & Humber
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Wates Construction
- Engie Regeneration
- Spatial Initiative
- Rayner Rowen Construction
Lot 13 – Low value band: East Midlands
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Willmott Dixon Construction
- Wates Construction
- GF Tomlinson
Lot 14 – Low value band: East of England A
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Vinci Construction UK
- Engie Regeneration
- The McAvoy Group
Lot 15 – Low value band: East of England B
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Willmott Dixon Construction
- Wates Construction
- Engie Regeneration
- Spatial Initiative
Lot 16 – Low value band: London
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Willmott Dixon Construction
- Wates Construction
- Vinci Construction UK
- Engie Regeneration
- Spatial Initiative
Lot 17 – Low value band: Southeast A
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Willmott Dixon Construction
- Wates Construction
- Baxall construction
- Engie Regeneration
- Spatial Initiative
Lot 18 – Low value band: South East B
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Willmott Dixon Construction
- Wates Construction
- Engie Regeneration
- Spatial Initiative
Lot 19 – Low value band: Southwest A
- Kier Construction
- Vinci Construction UK
- Engie Regeneration
- Darwin Group
Lot 20 – Low value band: Southwest B
- Kier Construction
- Engie Regeneration
Lot 21 – Low value band: West Midlands
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Willmott Dixon Construction
- Wates Construction
- G F Tomlinson
Lot 22 – Low value band: Northwest
- Bowmer & Kirkland
- Kier Construction
- Wates Construction
- Conlon Construction
A place on the DfE framework is highly prized by building contractors, BAM, for example, has secured 103 projects for the Department for Education since 2009, of which 89 are complete, 10 are in construction and four are in pre-construction. It started out on the Partnerships for Schools framework in 2009, then the 2013 contractors framework, 2014 regional framework, the 2017 construction framework and now the 2021 framework for high value (£12m+) projects.
The 2021 construction framework has four different procurement routes:
Option A1 – cost led design and build competition – only available to be used on the high value band, and will be the default option for single and batched schemes.
Option A2 – cost led two-stage design and build – only available for use on the high value band, with agreement of the framework manager, and can be used for single and batched schemes.
Option A3 – two-stage design and build – only available to be used on the mid and low value bands, and can be used for single or batched schemes.
Option B – construct only – available across all value bands.
Each procurement route will have two award options: local competition, with contractors in the lot invited to compete; and direct award, with a single contractor is invited to submit a proposal to deliver a single scheme.
The direct award process (after the first 12 months) is based on a selection process linked to the construction framework key performance indicators.
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