Cabinet members were updated in respect of the progress of the One School Pathfinder scheme at Woodchurch High School and approval was sought to award the contract to Kier Regional, trading as Kier North West, under the national Partnerships for Schools (PfS) procurement framework.  Cabinet was also asked to approve the Final Business Case which would be submitted to Partnerships for Schools. It was intended that the final contract award to Kier North West would not be made until the Authority had Partnerships for School’s approval of the Final Business Case.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Lifelong Learning moved an amendment, duly seconded, and it was -

Resolved: - That

(1)  the Local Authority’s Final Business Case be submitted to Partnerships for Schools for approval;

(2)  the relevant officers in the Children and Young People’s Department and Technical Services Departments be authorised to continue detailed contractual negotiations with Kier North West, to achieve financial close on the project;

(3)  as the project is taken forward, the Director of Children’s Services and the Director of Law, HR and Asset Management work with the school to explore all opportunities to optimise the design and use of the scheme to facilitate community use of the buildings and facilities and to integrate the project with the outcomes emerging from the Council’s Strategic Asset Review in relation to the Woodchurch area;

(4)  subject to a satisfactory financial close being negotiated and PfS approval Kier (NW) be awarded the contract to build Woodchurch High School under the PfS One School Pathfinder Initiative; and

(5)  the project be the subject of further reports as required.