A new contractor is being sought for a £9.1m special educational needs (SEN) school project in Wales after the construction phase was called off.
Last year, ISG was commissioned to complete the design of the 64-place replacement for Brynllywarch Hall School in Newtown following a competitive tender process which included an option for the contractor to carry out the construction phase. A design was drawn up and a planning application submitted.
However, Powys County Council has decided not to go ahead with the construction phase until a further market testing exercise is carried out.
Construction news understands that the timber design of the building and its location made it difficult to achieve within the agreed budget, and the council can now look to contractors beyond the South East and Mid Wales Collaborative Building Framework (SEWSCAP), under which the project was originally acquired. .
The project’s business outline describes the existing school as “no longer fit for purpose”, with damp and moldy classrooms and uneven heating, as well as a design that gives pupils easy access to ceilings and staircases fires, allowing risky behavior.
Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for One Learning Powys, said the council was committed to providing a new facility for Brynllywarch Hall School as the existing building “no longer provided a suitable environment for teaching and support requirements for students with significant behavioural, emotional or social difficulties”.
He added: “It is important for the council to review its building projects as they progress. For this project, we have decided to carry out another market testing exercise for the building element.”
Roberts thanked ISG for its work on the project and said a competitive bidding process to appoint a new contractor would begin “at the earliest opportunity”.
The Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Program will fund three-quarters of the school building project, with the rest coming from the council.
Last month, CN reported that ISG had failed to deliver a £21.6m SEN job in West Sussex due to labor supply issues.
