Successfully applying the public-private partnership model

Although the concept of public-private partnerships and the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) are now well established in the UK, other countries are only now beginning to embark on this road. Before taking its own first steps into PPP, the government of the Republic of Ireland looked closely at the lessons learned across the Irish Sea. The result is a streamlined procurement and delivery process which is designed to ensure that much-needed new facilities - in infrastructure, education and other areas of the public sector - are provided in a timely way with plenty of scope for innovative design.

Benefiting from experience
With its wide experience of the educational PFI sector in the UK, Jarvis was the natural partner for the Republic’s first schools PPP partnership. The Company was appointed in 2001 to deliver five new secondary schools, in a ‘bundled' contract.

Design innovation was highlighted as a key requirement in this pioneering programme, as it was widely acknowledged that existing schools designed under more traditional procurement arrangements were typically quite restricted in their flexibility and general level of facilities. Ireland, however, has always been proud of its excellent quality of teaching and PPP is opening up the opportunity to match this teaching excellence with the latest level of facilities and learning environments.

The evaluation process - which resulted in the choice of Jarvis - gave equal weighting to four key aspects: design, the legal contract, service delivery and funding. Jarvis was ultimately chosen not only for its overall performance but for the quality of the designs it put forward rather than simply an overriding criteria of affordability. Head teachers from the schools involved were particularly impressed by Jarvis's willingness to discuss design issues with them, even before the Company had been awarded the contract.

Consistent delivery
All five schools were completed and delivered on or ahead of the scheduled delivery date of 20 December 2002. One of the first to welcome pupils into their new environment was St. Attracta’s Community School at Tubbercurry in County Sligo.

From the start, Willie Ruane, principal of St. Attracta’s, was impressed: “It’s a magnificent facility that will benefit the students in their education. It’s an ultra-modern, airy and spacious building and I think, as a learning environment, it will be second to none. From my point of view, as a principal, it means that I will be able to spend much more time running the school, as opposed to managing the building and dealing with maintenance issues. All in all, I think it sets new standards in terms of facilities for Irish secondary students."

Continuing partnership with the whole community
Under the PPP process, Jarvis now provides the five schools with a range of facilities management (FM) services which includes building maintenance, cleaning, grounds maintenance and IT support. These services are supported by a common help desk and Jarvis Command, a sophisticated database-driven management information system.

As part of the FM arrangements - which run for 25 years - Jarvis is also helping the schools take advantage of a whole range of means to generate income when the buildings and facilities are not being used by the schools themselves. This involves working with the local communities to develop and promote everything from adult education classes to summer camps.

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Factfile

• The Republic of Ireland's first educational PPP programme
• Five new secondary schools delivered - at a capital cost of some €70 million
• Streamlined procurement process resulted in rapid delivery of new facilities
• 25-year on-going facilities management partnership, with Jarvis taking on all risk of maintenance and life cycle costs
• Focus on innovation in design, building and operating the schools, to ensure improved efficiency