Manchester City Council BSF Programme

The Manchester Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and Academies programme comprises the re-build or refurbishment of 33 secondary schools and with a capital spend of circa £509m, is among the largest in the country. Over and above bricks and mortar, the programme aims to deliver real educational change. It has been devised and implemented within the context of evolving Government, Partnerships for Schools and City Council initiatives, legislation, targets and challenges. Mace was commissioned as the overall programme manager with responsibility for formalising the strategy, defining the vision and developing business cases, while working with the client to manage consultant and contractor teams.

In order to successfully and efficiently deliver a programme of this scale, Mace had to centralise, standardise and optimise processes where possible, while maintaining the flexibility to tailor where necessary. In addition to assisting in the negotiation of a procurement business case and adopting a stakeholder management procedure that established a robust governance and communications structure, Mace also conceived and executed an ICT procurement strategy for which the client has been highly commended. Mace worked closely with every school in the programme, engaging all stakeholders including the pupils for whom each new or refurbished school was ultimately being delivered.