The Director of Children’s Services reported that there was a requirement for the Council to appoint a Technical Adviser to the Wirral Academy/BSF Programme under the national Partnerships for Schools (PfS) framework, initially to implement the agreed capital works at Birkenhead High School Academy, but with the provision for further Academy and Building Schools for the Future (BSF) works. He outlined the advantages of joint procurement and reported that the capital allocations provided by PfS included £400,000 for the procurement of Technical Adviser support to implement the approval and subsequent procurement process, using the PfS Contractor Procurement Framework. He commented that the contract for the support would require careful management to ensure no additional financial risk to the Council, either through the allocation being overspent or through contractual issues.

Resolved – That Cabinet:

(1)  Approves the appointment of the Technical Adviser under the Partnership for Schools (PfS) Framework in respect of works at Birkenhead High School (Academy 1).

(2)  Approves the provisions for the same Technical Adviser to be appointed Academy 2 and BSF Phase 1.