A shortlist of 22 contractors has been announced to procure the design and build of academies in local authorities not yet part of the Building Schools for the Future programme.
The new Contractors’ Framework offers work for up to 24 main providers and their supply chains.

A total of 14 firms are shortlisted and a maximum of 12 contractors will be appointed for each of the two geographical areas, with bidders able to express an interest in one or both.

The two geographical areas for the Contractors Framework are:

Area 1: north west, north east, Yorkshire and the Humber, east midlands, west midlands.

Area 2: east of England, south east, south west, London.

Pre-qualification questionnaires were submitted by 57 companies, from which 18 have been shortlisted to continue with Invitation to Tender (ITT) process for the north and midlands contract, and 18 for the London and south.

Tim Byles, chief executive of Partnerships for Schools, said: “With over 127 academies being delivered through BSF currently, with over 100 more in the pipeline, the new framework will enable contractors and suppliers from across the country to get involved in a scheme that has a predictable flow of work, supported by direct grant government funding'.

The successful contractors and their supply chains are expected to be in place and bidding for work from by the end of 2009. The new framework will operate in tandem with the initial Academies Framework, which will continue to operate until December 2010.

Bidders will submit ITT documentation by August 10 for detailed evaluation before the successful framework companies are announced.

Byles added: “Building on these foundations, the new Contractors' Framework has been designed specifically to open up the opportunities to all contractors with a track record of delivering secondary schools or similar projects, and as the shortlist demonstrates, this is enabling regional bidders, as well as larger national firms, an opportunity to get involved.”

The companies are shortlisted alphabetically by geographical area and * denotes the company appears on a single shortlist.
The shortlisted companies are;

Sector 1: the north and the midlands

Apollo
Balfour Beatty
BAM
Bovis
Bowmer & Kirkland*
Carillion
Clugston*
Galliford Try
Henry Boot*
Interserve
Kier
Miller
Morgan Ashurst
Shepherd*
Sir Robert McAlpine
VINCI
Wates
Willmott Dixon

Sector 2: The south, London and the east of England

Apollo
Balfour Beatty
BAM
Bovis
Carillion
Educinq*
Galliford Try
Interserve
JB Leadbitter*
Kier
Miller
Morgan Ashurst
Rydon*
Sir Robert McAlpine
VINCI
Volker Fitzpatrick*
Wates
Willmott Dixon