Progress for £22m Liverpool Princes Primary School replacement

Shaving an estimated two months off the delivery timeline, the city council has granted corporate director of city development Nuala Gallagher the ability to award a £1.8m contract for design and planning services after a procurement exercise ends next month.

The successful bidder will then commence designing the 210-place school, which will replace the current Toxteth facility. The city council described the current 150-palce building as being in “poor condition” and needing additional space to accommodate students with complex needs.

By granting Gallagher the ability to award the multi-disciplinary consultancy services contract, the city council said that the design phase would be capable of commencing once the procurement exercise wraps.

“The expectations of the school and its stakeholders are high on this project and delegating the authority to award the contract will help manage and meet expectations showing that the council is committed to making progress,” a report to cabinet members reads.

Liverpool City Council is using the Crown Commercial Services Framework to find its consultant – in particular, the construction professional services section’s lot one. There are 20 suppliers on that lot currently.

The local authority is aiming for the future Princes Primary to be net zero in operation, with the project meant to deliver a variety of social value benefits for the community.

A replacement school is estimated to cost £22m, according to a city council report from last year.