Building the Education Revolution

Transcription

1 Building the Education Revolution Building the Education Revolution is a $14.7 billion investment from the Australian Government to improve the quality of facilities in Australian schools and generate jobs in the construction industry. In NSW, this translates to a $3.2 billion funding boost that will be delivered to schools throughout 2009 for projects to be completed between 2009 and Every eligible school in NSW will receive Building the Education Revolution funding. This funding is in addition to the record funding provided by the NSW Government towards building and maintaining NSW schools, including the $2 billion Building Better Schools initiative, and the $150 million Principals' Priority Building Program. Building the Education Revolution comprises three programs: Primary Schools for the 21st Century Science and Language Centres for 21st Century Secondary Schools National School Pride. Each program has the potential to make a real difference to public schools in NSW. From funding boosts of up to $3 million to provide new halls, libraries or classrooms under Primary Schools for the 21 st Century, to grants up to $200,000 to go towards refurbishments and maintenance under National School Pride, Building the Education Revolution will change the face of NSW s schools. Building the Education Revolution provides an incredible opportunity to improve the quality of our school facilities while supporting jobs right when NSW needs to. We anticipate around 15,000 jobs will be supported each year over the life of the program. It s also about providing solutions for the future: constructing facilities of the highest quality in the most transparent way to ensure this investment now has long term benefits for many generations of school children. Primary Schools for the 21st Century Primary Schools for the 21st Century is a $2.7 billion investment (current Australian Government approved funding) to build or upgrade large scale infrastructure such as libraries, halls and classrooms and other buildings in every public primary school in NSW. All eligible schools, including special schools and K 12 schools, will receive a funding boost of between $250,000 and $3 million, depending on the number of students enrolled. 1

2 The program aims to deliver long term infrastructure solutions so that schools, teachers and the wider community have access to high quality resources to support learning and improve the quality and diversity of learning environments. 254 public schools have received more than $385 million in funding under Round 1 of Primary Schools for the 21 st Century. Projects in Round 1 are to be completed by 20 December In Round 2, more than $1.6 billion in funding has been received by 991 public schools. Projects in Round 2 are to be completed by 31 January Applications for Round 3 have been submitted to the Australian Government for review. This round represents nearly $1 billion worth of projects at 539 schools. Projects in Round 3 are to be completed by 31 March The tentative construction period for Round 1 and 2 schools is from July 2009 to end of January The tentative construction period for Round 3 schools is from September 2009 to end of March More information on material requirements and an estimate of capital works by region for Primary Schools for the 21 st Century is available to download at Figures provided are estimates for planning purposes. The breakdown of schools by region and indicative funding is outlined below: Region Number of Schools Indicative Funding Hunter/Central 242 $430M Coast Illawarra & South 188 $296M East North Coast/New 339 $378M England Northern Sydney 127 $304M Riverina 162 $171M South Western 206 $445M Sydney Sydney 172 $345M Western NSW 162 $175M Western Sydney 186 $392M Total 1784 $2.94 billion How are projects delivered? Projects are delivered on behalf of each eligible school by Managing Contractors appointed in April 2009 via competitive tender. All projects must meet Building the Education Revolution guidelines. For more information go to 2

3 What are the program priorities? Building new halls and libraries. Replacing demountables with permanent buildings to support long term enrolments. Refurbishing existing facilities. Working with Managing Contractors Building the Education Revolution projects must well managed, represent value for money, and delivered on time. In addition, standard requirements in relation to areas such as workers compensation, insurance, health and safety, child protection, training, probity and reporting to the Australian Government must also be met. Given these obligations, and the consequences of failing to meet them, a Managing Contractor model has been initiated by the NSW Nation Building and Jobs Plan Taskforce for the Primary Schools in the 21 st Century program. Managing Contractors have been appointed for each of NSW s 10 education regions. They will be responsible for assigning up to $400 million worth of work over the two years from April If you are a builder, tradesperson or supplier who would like to know more about work opportunities within the Primary Schools for the 21 st Century program, please contact the Managing Contractor for your region directly: Region Managing Contractor Contact Details Hunter / Central Bovis Lend Lease ourschools@lendlease.com.au Coast Illawarra / South East Richard Crookes Construction (02) or ber@richardcrookes.com.au North Coast / New England The Reed Group (02) or BERenquiries@reedgroup.com.au Northern Sydney Bovis Lend Lease ourschools@lendlease.com.au Riverina Laing O'Rourke (02) or BER@laingorourke.com.au South Western Hansen Yuncken (02) Sydney Sydney Abigroup ber.syd@abigroup.com.au Western NSW Laing O'Rourke (02) or BER@laingorourke.com.au Western Sydney Brookfield Multiplex 3

4 Managing Contractors will be the main point of contact for schools. The relevant regional Managing Contractor will be in contact with a school once the school s application is approved. They will, in consultation with Principals, properly design and price the work required. Additional advice is also available for Principals from their Principal Liaison Officer. All work overseen by the Managing Contractors must meet the Building the Education Revolution guidelines and other relevant existing guidelines. National School Pride National School Pride will provide funding of up to $200,000 for every primary, secondary and central school in NSW to refurbish and renew existing infrastructure and undertake minor building works. Over $294 million will be invested in public schools across NSW. Timeframes for National School Pride, as set out under the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan are such that jobs in local communities will be immediately supported by the National School Pride program. Round 1 projects must be completed by the end of Round 2 projects must be completed by 1 February As part of the funding package, the NSW Government has made a commitment that all National School Pride funding is in addition to the State s record 2009 budget which includes $244 million on maintenance. How are projects delivered? Most National School Pride projects will be delivered in consultation with the Department of Education and Training s regional Asset Management Units (AMUs). Principals are able to project manage their own works and may also submit quotes already received from local contractors to AMUs for consideration. Relevant projects were agreed by schools and AMUs earlier in 2009 and in most cases, Asset Maintenance Contractors have commenced work. Project Management costs are being kept as low as possible to ensure schools can take advantage of as much funding as possible while also ensuring projects meet Building the Education Revolution guidelines. What kind of projects will be funded? Projects approved for funding under National School Pride include: refurbishment of buildings construction or upgrades of fixed shade structures, covered outdoor learning areas, sporting grounds and facilities green upgrades (water tanks) or insulation specialised infrastructure support for students with disabilities or special needs. 4

5 Science and Language Centres for 21 st Century Secondary Schools Science and Language Centres for 21st Century Secondary Schools complements the NSW Government s Building Better Schools program. It provides funding to build new or refurbished science laboratories and language learning centres across NSW to create state of the art facilities in secondary schools across NSW. On June , the Australian Government announced $810 million worth of funding for the Science and Language Centres for 21st Century Secondary Schools program, including funding of around $150 million to 118 NSW public schools. It is estimated that around $175 million of project works will be funded in NSW through the course of the program. This program is subject to very tight timeframes, with all works to be completed by 30 June Recognising a need to get projects underway as quickly possible, the BER Program Office will issue an invitation to tender to pre qualified builders in late July and the tender period will be open for 4 weeks. Work is to commence in early October (term 3 holidays). What kind of schools will receive funding? Project proposals under Science and Language Centres for 21 st Century Secondary Schools were prioritised under Australian Government guidelines based on the following criteria: Demonstrated level of disadvantage Identified and demonstrated need for the specified building Capacity to build the facility within the specified timeframes Effective and efficient use of Australian Government funding Extent to which the project incorporates sustainable building principles. FURTHER INFORMATION: More information on material requirements and an estimate of capital works by region for Primary Schools for the 21 st Century is available to download at: July