Two in running for £11.7m Kearsley Academy
BOLTON Council has announced that it has whittled down the list of contractors bidding to build the new £11.7m Kearsley Academy to two – Balfour Beatty and BAM Construction.
The two firms will now work up detailed bids for consideration by council representatives and academy sponsors in August.
The lead sponsor for the academy is Northern Education. The co-sponsor is Bolton Council, with the University of Bolton as the education partner.
The academy, previously known as George Tomlinson School, will house 950 pupils aged from 11-18. Funding for the scheme was confirmed by Partnership for Schools yesterday as part of a package of £250m allocated for 28 schemes in the North and Midlands.
Sign-off for the Sutton High Academy in St Helens is expected to be announced within the next few weeks, and the De La Salle Academy in Liverpool will be brought forward at a later date.
A framework of contractors set to build the schools has already been agreed. Those on the list include BAM Construction, Willmott Dixon, Vinci, Wates, Balfour Beatty, Kier and Carillion.
Bolton Council’s executive member for children’s services, Councillor Nick Peel, said of the two shortlisted for the Kearsley Academy: “Both companies have a wealth of expertise and experience and both their bids were really impressive. We are now looking forward to going through the final plans and selecting a preferred bidder.”
Once the preferred bidder is chosen, the school will benefit from a complete rebuild, including a new sixth form college. Work should start on site early next year.
