Infrastructure Renewal
The UK government has been active in the use of the 'Private Finance Initiative' for school renewal. Most recently, this policy has been pursued through a policy known as 'Building Schools for the Future'. Other governments around the world have shown a close interest in the use of PPPs for infrastructure renewal, with some following suit.
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Costs Outputs and Outcomes in School PFI Contracts and the Significance of Project Size Demirag, Istemi and Khadaroo, Iqbal, 2010 Public Money & Management, 30; 1, 13-18 A study of UK headteachers' experiences of PFI school projects. UK
Building Blocks? An Investigation into Building Schools for the Future (PDF) Katharine Quarmby, Anna Fazackerley, 2009 Policy Exchange This report investigates the UK's £55billion Building Schools for the Future programme. It questions two underlying BSF premises: (1) that outstanding school design raises educational achievement; (2) information technology raises educational achievement. It recommends that BSF revert to a pure procurement model with the powers of its delivery body, Partnerships for Schools, curtailed. It also argues that the role of technology in UK schools requires revision and that the current BSF model pays insufficient notice to the sustainability agenda. UK
Making the Grade: Transforming education through Building Schools for the Future CBI Public Services Strategy Board, 2009 Confederation of British Industry (CBI) After five years of the Building Schools for the Future infrastructure renewal programme, improved data is increasingly available. This report reviews the evidence and makes a series of procurement and strategy recommendations.
Building Schools for the Future: renewing the secondary school estate (PDF) Public Accounts Committee (PAC), 2009 The Stationery Office An updated assessment of the UK's £55billion infrastructure renewal programme Building Schools for the Future. UK
PFI in School Building: does it influence educational outcomes? 2009 Edition (PDF) KPMG Infrastructure Research, 2009 KPMG In 2008 a KPMG Infrastructure report found that the use of PFI in school-building had a positive impact on educational outcomes in England. This 2009 edition updates their findings with a new, expanded data set - and finds that their original findings persist. UK
Building Schools for the Future (Web Page) National Audit Office (NAO), 2009 NAO
A new assessment of the BSF infrastructure renewal programme. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) project delivery times, even if the speed of delivery compares well with previous school building programmes.
More Than Bricks and Mortar: Delivering Building Schools for the Future (PDF)
Moran, Thomas, 2008
CBI
Investment in School Facilities and PFI: Do They Play a Role in Educational Outcomes? (PDF) KPMG Infrastructure Research, 2008 KPMG This study examines the impact of investment in school infrastructure, and the use of private finance, on educational outcomes. The authors find that increased investment in school buildings leads to improved attainment; this is perhaps not surprising. It is also claimed that educational attainment increases more following investment via PFI procurement than following investment via conventional procurement; however this result is not statistically significant and thus not a reliable indicator of future performance. UK
Sustainable Schools: Are We Building Schools for the Future? (PDF) Commons Education and Skills Committee, 2007 The Stationery Office HC-140 This report evaluates the progress made by Building Schools for the Future, the £45bn 15-year PFI project for school infrastructure renewal in the UK. It broadly welcomes the "hugely ambitious" project while warning against the dangers of not closely monitoring and re-evaluating goals of such size, scope and scale. UK
Building Schools For the Future: Introducing the CABE schools design quality progarmme (PDF)
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), 2007
4Ps Operational PFI/PPP Project Review 2006: Schools Sector (PDF) 4Ps, 2006 A report providing an indication on the key areas to be considered when developing a schools PFI programme based on a sample of six local authorities. UK
Assessing Secondary School Design Quality: Research Report (PDF) Comission for Architecture and the Built Environment, 2006 Cabes research into the quality of new secondary schools ISBN 1-84633-010-6 UK
Auditor-General's Report: Performance Audit:The New Schools Privately Financed Project (PDF) Sendt, R.J., 2006 New South Wales. Audit Office A report that looks into the issue of whether or not the process of awarding contracts for privately financed schools projects produces value for money. Overall the report suggests that such initiatives have potential benefits and recommends the further use of Privately Financed Projects for other ventures. Australia
Partnerships in Practice - Case Studies in Further Education (Web Page)
Department for Education and Skills (DfES), 2004
Practical case studies of PPPs/PFIs in action, covering a range of different project types.
Building Schools for the Future: A New Approach to Capital Investment (PDF)
Department for Educaton & Skills (DfES), 2004
Public launch document for the Building Schools for the Future initiative.
Consultation Document - Building Schools for the Future: A New Approach to Capital Investment (PDF)
Department for Education & Skills (DfES), 2003
First consultation document for the Building Schools for the Future initiative.
Controlling the PFI process in schools: a case study of the Pimlico project
Edwards, P. and Shaoul, J. , 2003
Policy & Politics vol.31 no.3, Jul 2003, pp.371-386
This article explores how value-for-money control procedures in PFI projects are applied to schools. The Pimlico redevelopment project is taken as a case study; the evidence casts doubt on the effectiveness of regulatory control. It goes on to consider possible adaptations to PFI methodology to account for conflicting interests and targets of LEAs and school governors.
Improving School Buildings (PDF)
Audit Commission, 2003
Asset management planning - does not cover the PFI in detail, but does mention specific issues concerning the PFI in the context of wider discussion about school buildings.
PFI in schools: the quality and cost of buildings and services provided by early private finance initiative schemes (PDF)
Audit Commission, 2003
Compares the quality, cost and delivery times of a sample of early PFI schools with traditionally funded schools built around the same time.
Some Lessons from Using PFI for School Building Projects Ball, R.; Heafey, M. and King, D. , 2003 Local Government Studies vol.29 no.2, pp.89-106 UK
Client Guide Achieving well designed schools through PFI Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, 2002 Uses CABE's experience and knowledge of best practice to help the main stakeholders, particularly the client, private sector partner and the school community achieve well-designed new and refurbished schools through PFI. UK
Taking the initiative - Using PFI Contracts to Renew Council Schools (PDF)
Accounts Commission for Scotland, 2002
This report on PFI in the education sector in Scotland examines the procurement, awarding, implementation, and value for money of a sample of PFI deals. It finds that financial considerations were most important in undertaking PFI, with councils managing the process well and consistently with best practice. It identifies case for a centrally led best practice in specifying school requirements. Indications of value for money are positive, with substantial benefits of PFI over traditional procurement processes. But the benefits of PFI are not always consistent.
Improving Government Performance Through Competitive Contracting (Web Page) Utt, Professor Ronald. D , 2001 The Heritage Foundation: No. 1452 This paper examines the potential experience of a greater use of competitive contracting in the USA. This idea is raised with a commitment to increase the involvement of the private sector where possible by the federal government. The paper includes case studies of present examples in the USA of contracting, and also offers lessons from past privatisation. USA
Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (Web Page) Stosch, Walter A. , 2002 The Public Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act grants public entities the authority to create public-private partnerships for the development of a wide range of projects in education and infrastructure. The law enables public entities to determine when there is a need for a project so that they are able to call upon the services of private sector companies to gain from the benefits that they can offer in providing a public service. US
New Tax Law Boosts School Construction with Public-Private Partnerships (Web Page) Utt, Professor Ronald. D, 2001 The Heritage Foundation: No. 1463 This paper looks at the changes expected from the US Tax Relief Bill signed in 2001, which provides greater incentive to engage in public private partnerships (PPP). It outlines the benefits of PPP's using examples from Europe, the UK, Canada and the US. The author asserts that through partnerships, the US school system can focus on education, whilst for profit developers can apply their expertise in the construction of facilities. USA
Investing for Excellence (Web Page)
Department for Education & Skills (DFES), 1999
Modernising the Schools Infrastructure in England (PDF)
Ken Beeton, Head of Schools Capital and Buildings, Department for Education and Employment, 1999
Keynote Talk at the UEF/PEB/CAE International Symposium, 30th October 1999; Baltimore, Maryland, USA
How Public-Private Partnerships Can Facilitate Public School Construction (Web Page) Utt, Professor Ronald. D, 1999 The Heritage Foundation: No. 1257 This paper explores PPP as an alternative to federal and state borrowing for school construction. It looks at various case studies including the partnership approach adopted in Nova Scotia in Canada, and the experiences of England, Wales and Scotland. The paper concludes that through using a modified approach of contracting such as the one proposed in the Public Schools and Partnerships Act would allow Congress to avoid any risks that maybe involved in using the PPP approach whilst being able to use the resources of the US private sector. USA