The contracts are the first that ISG has secured through the Department for Education (DfE) construction framework. They are the result of the contractor demonstrating its ability to cut costs through standardisation.
The largest of the five contracts is for a new, 630-pupil primary school built in Midsomer Norton in Somerset. Designed by Hatcher Prichard Architects, the school site will cover an area of 6.5 hectares. The scheme includes improvements to the local highways and the construction of new footpaths and a cycleway.
ISG will also deliver medium-scale schemes designed by Scott Brownrigg and Rock Townsend including a tech-led digital primary academy in Monkerton, Devon and three special education needs (SEN) facilities in Swindon, Ealing and Redbridge.
The contract awards are the result of collaboration between ISG, its supply chain and the DfE to develop a consistent approach to building school facilities, using standardised components. This follows a recent call from the Infrastructure & Projects Authority for guidance on a new approach to publicly-procured buildings using an increasingly standardised approach to cut costs.
Zoe Price, group director, public sector frameworks at ISG, said: “We have been working in partnership with experts from a range of disciplines for over 18 months to develop a standardised component approach to the delivery of classrooms. The recent government announcement of an industry consultation on standardisation clearly points to the efficacy of our decision to drive this approach forward in 2019.”
She added: “The relationships we hold with architects, M&E contractors and our wider supply chain partners have enabled us to design a pioneering pre-construction process, which ensures high-quality components are standardised across all DfE projects. When we combine this with measurable social value impact initiatives and collaborative planning, we can demonstrate a new way of delivering the vital infrastructure we need to support the aspirations of our local communities.”
ISG will start on site from February 2019 with all projects due for completion by August 2020.
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