Education
"The challenge is to determine the most appropriate buildings in which to deliver modern education and the best procurement mechanisms to achieve this." Paul Thomas, Divisional Director, Construction
Osborne’s experience of building for the educational sector spans primary, secondary, further and higher education, and is built on early engagement and long term relationships with our clients.
Previous mechanisms for procuring primary and secondary schools have favoured large multi-national contractors over medium-sized contractors like Osborne. The mechanisms now being brought forward are more sustainable, in that they focus on local delivery, and will enable us to use the skills we have in this sector to the best advantage of our clients.
As a privately-owned business we take a long term view in our commitment to the education sector, and we take time to understand our clients’ needs and develop solutions that are appropriate to each school.
In secondary education the trend for Local Education Partnerships consortia enables Osborne to work alongside local authorities in areas where we already have a presence and where we understand the community and its educational needs.
In the past year we have completed two primary schools as part of our £34 million framework agreement with the London Borough of Redbridge, and are currently undertaking an £8 million extension at Slough and Eton School.
Osborne is recognised as one of the top ten contractors in the UK further education sector. We have recently been appointed to redevelop West Thames College in Isleworth, Middlesex, in a project valued at £51 million. We are also the preferred partner for the development of Chichester College in West Sussex, our largest single contract award to date at £71 million.
All further education buildings must achieve a minimum BREEAM Very Good rating to qualify for funding. Osborne’s expertise in energy effective construction and innovative building techniques make us ideally placed for advising on sustainability issues.
We also have an excellent track record with higher education clients for new university buildings, including specialist laboratories. Recently completed projects include a £7.7 million engineering faculty for University College London and a flagship centre for the University of Winchester.
We selected Osborne at the end of 2007 following a competitive tendering process to redevelop our Isleworth campus using a two-stage design and build contract. We chose Osborne because they had sufficient experience in successfully completing major projects in the education sector, and their approach was professional, friendly and appropriate to our needs. Our project is worth a total of £70 million over a four year period. It is a substantial rebuild of the college campus. This has brought a variety of challenges, not least being the need to minimise the disruption to the college and to complete various sections in a timely manner. Osborne works with us closely and involves the whole organisation, from the Executive Director downwards, to ensure that the project runs smoothly. Kulbir Sethi, Director of Finance, West Thames College
For more information about our expertise in this sector click on our Education brochure or contact construction@osborne.co.uk