PGSCC Update ECSPB 02 11 23
Renfrewshire Council · 2 November 2023
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 2 November 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Page 1 of 7 To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 2 November 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: PGSCC Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Paisley Grammar School Community Campus is on track for completion in Summer 2026. 1.2 The Council previously approved a new Paisley Grammar School and Community Campus on Renfrew Road to replace the existing Paisley Grammar School on Glasgow Road. 1.3 The cost of the new school is estimated at £74.8million, which is part funded through the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme. There is a risk to this budget given the inflationary pressures being seen across the construction sector. Other similar projects in receipt of government funding which reach financial close before December this year will receive an 11% funding increase to the base funding provision. A decision on any funding uplift for this project from the Scottish Government is expected in the final quarter of this year. 1.4 The school is estimated to be complete in the Summer of 2026. An earlier programme had a completion date of December 2025, but this was recognised by the Council and the Scottish Government as a risk, with the result that the Summer date was subsequently agreed. 1.5 There has been engagement with key stakeholders throughout the design process, which is vital in informing the plans not only for how the school will look but also how it will operate. 1.6 Various key strategies like the access and facility management strategies are currently being developed, with our pre-construction advisors and the design team developing sub-contract work packages to build up the overall project cost. Once that process is complete we will contract Morrison Construction as the Principal Contractor ahead of construction beginning in March 2024.
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Page 2 of 7 ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Education and Children’s Services Policy Board are asked to note the content of this report. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 In May 2019, the Education and Children Services Policy Board approved the proposal to build a Paisley Grammar School Community Campus on Renfrew Road in Paisley, replacing the current Paisley Grammar School on Glasgow Road. 3.2 The anticipated cost of delivering the project is £74.8m with a completion date of Summer 2026 3.3 A funding contribution, to support the school element of the project, was secured through Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) in January 2021, with the community provision funded from Council resources. 3.4 The LEIP funding award is subject to compliance with funding criteria which require that the building’s condition is maintained at category A/B for 25 years; that the building must be energy efficient and digitally enabled; and that the project must support economic growth. 3.5 An internal project team is in place and a Multi-Disciplinary Design Team and Principal Contractor (providing pre-construction services only at this stage) have been appointed to support the design and delivery of the new campus. 3.6 Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders was central to the development of the project’s strategic brief and feedback from pupils, staff and parents/carers; the wider community; and partner organisations has informed the development of an overarching project vision. 3.7 Renfrewshire Council’s ambition for the young people of Paisley Grammar School and its wider community is to provide a campus which enables new learning in flexible, innovative spaces; a campus which is an exemplar for sustainability in learning, design, and the future Renfrewshire Council learning estate. The campus will create opportunities for, and connections with, the wider community, and it will deliver an environment which is inclusive, safe and engenders a culture of respect, building on the tradition and values of Paisley Grammar School. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Governance 4.1 An outline business case has been developed and industry recognised frameworks and methodologies have been employed to ensure a robust governance structure is in place.
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Page 3 of 7 4.2 This structure involves regular engagement with key stakeholders.. Governance arrangements are in place with Scottish Futures Trust (SFT); Learning Estate Programme Board (Replacing PGSCC Governance Board); PGSCC Project Team; and the MDDT and Principal Contractor. ___________________________________________________________________ 5. Review of Programme 5.1 At an early point in project development, it was identified that the original delivery date of December 2025 was extremely tight and that this created an unacceptable risk to project quality, funding outcomes and staff and pupil transition to the new building. 5.2 A meeting with SFT was convened to discuss this challenge in November 2022 and it was accepted in principle that the delivery date should be rescheduled to August 2026. 5.3 A report explaining the rationale and mitigation behind the reprogramming was submitted to the Education and Children Services Policy Board in January 2023. 5.4 In April 2023 the Scottish Government agreed the reprogramming of the project and approved the revised completion date of August 2026. ___________________________________________________________________ 6. Consultative Approach and Design Development 6.1 A wide variety of internal and external stakeholders are involved in continued engagement with the design process, in addition to the core group of pupils and parents/carers. These stakeholders include: School Facilities Community Facilities • Paisley Grammar School Community • Facilities Management • Street Scene • Passivhaus Delivery Forum • West College Scotland • Energy Management Unit • OneRen • Social Work • HSCP • Adult and Youth Services • Police Scotland • AMIDS • Community Council 6.2 Informed by these groups, the Project Team and MDDT is now developing detailed plans to reflect requirements in respect of floor plan and room layouts, adjacencies, FF&E requirements; toilet provision; ensuring we offer flexibility and choice for pupils; lifecycle maintenance; digital and wider access strategies; and external grounds materiality. 6.3 A major planning application was submitted in May 2023 after fulfilling the statutory pre-submission activities required for the development. This has included two public consultations, briefings to elected members and community councils and briefings to Paisley Grammar School staff and pupils and the parent councils of Paisley Grammar School and its five feeder Primary Schools.
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Page 4 of 7 6.4 The submission of the planning application marked a major milestone for public awareness of the project. This allowed articulation of the full scale and ambition of the PGSCC project for the first time. The application included some architectural images showing the outside of the building and was released to the council’s social media channels, billed as ‘the first public reveal of how Paisley’s new super-school will look’. The content showcased the quality of the work that has gone into the planning and design of the new campus and expressed how our vision will be realised. 6.5 The PGSCC Programme is adhering to the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Plan of Work and is currently within its Stage 4 Technical Design element of the framework, which is planned to complete within the first quarter of 2024. Stage 5 commences in the second quarter of 2024 which marks the commencement of construction works. ___________________________________________________________________ 7. Funding 7.1 At present the approved capital budget of £75M is at risk with running forecasts in the range of circa £75M to £80M inclusive of Value Engineering (VE) options instructed. At the PGSCC Governance Board in August, the project team advised that if the contractor's original inflation cost were still to be utilised then the overall upper cost range would extend to circa £83M ( £75M ‐ £83M overall range) due to cost volatility in the construction industry at present. 7.2 Furthermore, budget pressures for Schools construction are occurring on a national scale which directly impacts PGSCC. Officers recommended to the PGSCC Governance Board that budgetary issues be considered with reference to a report issued by COSLA advising that selected SFT funded projects (those that reach financial close by December 2023) would be receiving an 11% uplift to the base m2 funding provision; at present PGSCC has not been awarded such an uplift. SFT have confirmed that Renfrewshire Council will receive a formal statement regarding any uplift after the Scottish Government Board meeting in the final quarter of 2023. However, members should be aware that in the absence of additional government funding the Council may require to allocate increased capital resource to the project, which may also increase ongoing revenue costs should any Council contribution be funded through prudential borrowing. ___________________________________________________________________ 8. Next Steps 8.1 Development of a Wider Access Strategy for the new campus will involve a variety of council services, community partners and West College Scotland. This piece of work will evolve over the span of the project and will be finalised in advance of occupation of the building in 2026. 8.2 Development of a Facilities Management Strategy for the new campus involves a variety of council services within EH&I and includes a soft-landings approach to ensure all decisions made during the project are based on improving operational performance whilst meeting the SFT funding conditions. Input at this stage of the project allows the FM teams to assist in the shaping of and planning for the building they will receive to develop maintenance
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Page 5 of 7 strategies ahead of time ie a soft landing of the asset into FM control. The strategy continues to progress and will be finalised in advance of the building’s operational hand over. 8.3 At this point, Morrison Construction has been appointed by Renfrewshire Council to provide pre-construction advice to the design team on buildability, commercial viability of emerging design concepts and to competitively tender Sub-Contract work packages to build up the overall project cost. Upon successful completion of this process, Morrison Construction will be contracted to act as Principal Contractor for the construction phase due to begin March 2024. 8.4 The FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment) design and the interior strategy has been under development for the past year. Engagement with the school staff has been undertaken throughout this process. Utilising appropriate FF&E we aim to create spaces that are dynamic, engaging, and innovative and that cater to the evolving needs of both teachers, pupils, and the wider community, ensuring a productive and inspiring learning experience for all. 8.5 The project has been split into 57 sub-contract work packages which is being tendered through Morrison Construction’s supply chain. Review of the design information developed for these packages is underway to check for accuracy of interpretation of the client’s brief and completeness of information to allow a meaningful tendering exercise to be undertaken to achieve fixed prices for the works. This exercise is due to complete in November 2023. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of this report 1. Financial This report is for noting and as such there no implications which arise directly from this report, however the risk to the current capital budget is outlined. 2. HR and Organisational Development None. 3. Community/Council Planning Our Renfrewshire is thriving - The additional learning environment will support learning and achievement for all. Our Renfrewshire is well - The additional learning environment will support the Health and Wellbeing of all. Our Renfrewshire is safe - The additional learning environment will provide safe and secure spaces for all users.
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Page 6 of 7 Reshaping our place, our economy and our future - The additional learning environment will provide an opportunity in supporting local population growth. Building strong, safe and resilient communities - The additional learning environment will provide spaces to support community activities. 4. Legal Renfrewshire Council adheres to all relevant legislation. 5. Property/Assets Through its school estate management plan the Council aims to have an efficient and well-maintained property portfolio which provides learning environments which support the delivery of the curriculum. 6. Information Technology The school expansion will have IT provision which supports digitally enabled learning 7. Equality and Human Rights The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health and Safety None. 9. Procurement Renfrewshire Council adheres to all procurement regulations. 10. Risk A full risk register is currently active for the PGSCC project in accordance with the Council’s established risk management protocols. 11. Privacy Impact None. 12. Cosla Policy Position None. 13. Climate Risk The project aims to comply with the requirements for ambitious energy efficiency targets over the long term and to comply with metrics set by funding partners Scottish Futures Trust and contribute to the Council’s net-zero commitments where possible.
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Page 7 of 7 List of Background Papers (a) Background Paper 1: SG response to PGSCC opening date- 18/04/2023 (b) Background Paper 2: Notice of Meeting and Agenda: Education and Children Services Policy Board - 19/01/2023 The foregoing background papers will be retained within children’s services for inspection by the public for the prescribed period of four years from the date of the meeting. ___________________________________________________________ Children’s Services JC/RP 23/10/2023