A new £15 million school building for up to 1,000 pupils has been built in just over a year, thanks to construction procurement specialists Scape.
Scape specialises in design, procurement and consultation for public sector construction programmes. It is a local authority controlled company with national frameworks which guarantee every project will be delivered on time and within budget for its clients.
Scape has worked with its national framework partner Willmott Dixon to build the new £15 million Notre Dame Catholic College in Liverpool. It is the first school to benefit from a £169 million investment programme which follows the scrapping of Wave Six of
Liverpool’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project. Alan Coole, business development director at Scape, said: “The new college building provides a teaching and learning environment to be proud of.
“The project has been delivered at an amazing speed – taking just over a year from start to finish.
“By using Scape the lengthy procurement process has already been undertaken on a client’s behalf so work can start immediately.
“Many public sector construction projects are completed late and exceed their allocated costs but Scape guarantees projects will be delivered on time and within budget."
As part of the project, the majority of sub-contractor spending has been with local companies to ensure they benefit from the scheme and there is a boost for the local economy.
Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the North West, said: “I’m really pleased that 60% of our budget was spent with Liverpool-based companies.
“To further underline how this project supported local jobs, 230 of the 409 people who worked to build Notre Dame lived within 10 miles, another huge boost to the city’s economy.”
The new school has an innovative design to maximise light and energy efficiency. It has the very latest technology including a hi-tech computer system with a large computer touch screen and key pad for each pupil enabling them to actively participate in lessons and answer questions.
Frances Harrison, head teacher at Notre Dame Catholic College, said: “We’re all thrilled with our new school. Everyone who has been inside has been absolutely bowled over by how light, airy and spacious it is.
“It is such an improvement over the previous building and will make a massive difference to the education we provide to our pupils.”
