Eighteen firms have been picked as technical advisors to help deliver the Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF).
The new PfS Technical Advisory Framework, offering technical and project management advice, is one of four BSF adviser groups set up to aid delivery of the BSF programme. The others are Education, Financial, Legal, and Technical.

The PfS frameworks have been set up to help local authorities choose the right private sector partner to work with to deliver BSF, the capital investment programme which aims to rebuild or renew England’s state secondary schools.

The technical adviser role focuses on technical areas such as undertaking or arranging surveys and the management of those tasks.

Thirteen of the 18 firms have also been appointed as lead advisers, as indicated by* in the list below. The lead adviser role includes the overall management not only of technical inputs, but also of legal, financial or ICT.

Partnerships for Schools, the agency responsible for delivering BSF, announced the firms' appointments.

Tim Byles, chief executive of PfS said: “It is nearly four years since PfS launched the adviser frameworks, and over this time we have seen the importance of being able to recommend well-informed professional support which is committed to the objectives of the BSF programme, whilst also guaranteeing competitive rates and value for taxpayers’ money'.

He added: “With the addition of the lead adviser role in both the technical and financial frameworks [local] authorities have increased choice for this service'.

The members of the new Technical Advisory Framework are:

Capita Symonds

Currie & Brown

Cyril Sweett*

David Langdon

EC Harris*

Entec UK

Faber Maunsell*

Faithful & Gould*

Gardiner & Theobald*

Gleeds*

MACE*

Mott MacDonald*

Mouchel*

Navigant*

Ove Arup*

Turner & Townsend*

White Young Green

WSP*