Beyond Buildings: Procuring BSF Sustainably

Beyond Buildings: Procuring BSF Sustainably

27/11/09

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The Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF) is the largest capital building programme of its kind the UK has embarked on since the Second World War. The programme’s goal of rebuilding or refurbishing all of the 3,500 secondary schools in England by 2020 will have enormous implications for generations of children. It is therefore vital that the programme is sustainable and delivers value for money for the public purse.

In February 2009 the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum (WSBF) launched an inquiry into BSF. The inquiry was chaired by Barry Sheerman MP, Chairman of the Children Schools and Families Select Committee, and former Construction Minister, the Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP. The inquiry was also assisted by a steering group including Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools; representatives from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and the Sustainable Development Commission, in addition to various businesses and local authorities.

The report provides a broad healthcheck of the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the programme. Overall the report finds the programme in good health with delivery having improved substantially in recent years. However, the report identifies a number of areas of concern.

In terms of environmental sustainability, the report is pessimistic about the likelihood of BSF meeting the 2016 Zero Carbon Target. The report argues that too much resource has been devoted to technological and design attempts to “solve” issues around sustainability. This has been to the exclusion of behavioural factors in school users, a vital component if sustainability is to be successfully addressed. The inquiry also established the importance of ensuring contractors deliver buildings that match their original design. The report identifies Soft Landings and PFI as potential methods of addressing this issue.

The report goes on to emphasise the importance that BSF retain its commitment to educational transformation, noting with concern that this is not being delivered uniformly in the programme. The report highlights confusion around this issue as an obstacle to delivery. The report also argues that local authorities and schools should be allocated additional funding and be given greater support in pursuing educational transformation.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the Minister of State for Schools, Vernon Coaker MP, stated that “It is an excellent report that helps us enormously. I welcome this constructive and challenging review.”

Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, Tim Byles, commented that, “Being in the privileged position of being part of the inquiry’s steering group, I can confirm that the report was based on good evidence and challenging discussion and delivers a targeted set of recommendations”.