Instant updates as Barbour ABI acts on school announcement

Last month the Government announced that 261 schools will be rebuilt or improved through the Government’s Priority School Building Programme, and today we’re happy to report that updates on all 261 projects are now available through our online service – Evolution.

587 schools had applied for capital investment through the Government’s new £2bn Priority School Building Programme (PSBP), but roughly half the number of schools that bid for funding (261) have been given the green light to be rebuilt, or improved. These schemes are expected to be completed by 2014, so work will begin immediately.

Furthermore, 42 schools (including 18 special schools) in ‘urgent need’ have been earmarked to receive capital funding in the form of a grant, rather than using the Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

Last month’s announcement was initially expected in December 2011 but delays occurred due to the high number of applicants and issues with verifying the condition of the schools bidding for funding.

We’ve introduced a new filter for major projects which can allow all Barbour ABI customers to access this information easily. Customers can simply log in to Evolution, edit their profile, select ‘type’ and tick ‘Priority School Building Programme’ to receive updates on all school projects involved.

Simon Mahoney, Group Director of Barbour says: “Having a combination of a great research team and the technology to support our need for instant updates, ensures that we can proudly deliver timely, accurate opportunities to our customers.”