Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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76. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there has been progress on the signing of a contract for the site for the new school building for a school (details supplied); and the progress in tendering. [26457/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The major building project for this school is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b – Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been obtained.

Following a legal challenge, authorisation to re-commence the pre-qualification process issued to the Design Team and school. This advert has recently closed and the Design Team is currently in the process of compiling a shortlist of contractors for tender stage.

When the pre-qualification process for the main contract and reserved specialists contracts is complete, the project will then be progressed to tender stage.

A tender stage normally takes between 7 and 8 months to complete.

Regarding the site acquisition, legal representatives for both vendor and purchaser are working together with a view to concluding the conveyancing. There has been progress on foot of close engagement between both parties.

The present position is that the draft Contract for Sale, (incorporating a number of amendments) has been recently referred for consideration to the vendor’s legal representatives. When the vendor’s legal representatives have had an opportunity to consider all the points, a meeting of both parties is being proposed in order to finalise matters.