• BSF was launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families in February 2003 to rebuild or upgrade England's entire secondary school stock.
• Partnerships for Schools (PfS) was set up as a non-departmental public body in 2004 to deliver BSF.
• Investment for BSF is £2.5-£3bn a year over its 15-year lifetime.
• By 2020 most local authorities will have completed their full BSF programme.
• 13 BSF schools were open by this July, with 22 more due to open this month.
• 35 BSF schools are expected to open during 2008/09, around 115 the following year, increasing to around 200 annually from 2010/11.
• BSF estimates that across the programme as a whole, half of the fl oor space will be new build, 35 % major remodelling, and 15 % refurbishment.
The process
1. Pre-engagement: local authorities submit a readiness to deliver document prior to entering the programme and work with PfS.
2. Strategy for change: key document produced by local authorities on joining BSF, setting out education strategy, requirements and plans for ICT provision.
3. Outline business case: key document to gain formal approval for a BSF project to move into procurement.
4. Procurement: potential bidders submit a pre-qualifi cation questionnaire and those that have pre-qualifi ed then enter the competitive dialogue process. One bidder is selected.
5. Financial close: local authorities work with the selected partner to fi nalise details of their project and submit a fi nal business case. It usually takes around 30 months from entering the programme to reaching the stage when construction can begin.
6. Operational local educational partnerships (Lep): once a Lep is established (involving local authority, consortium and PfS), it will work to develop proposals for further schemes in the area.
