Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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1336. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the PPP proposal to construct a new engineering building on the grounds of Waterford Institute of Technology; the new target date for the sign-off on build contract given the scheduled date of 31 March 2021 for tender award has passed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19963/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The building proposed for delivery in WIT under the HEI PPP Programme is a 12,834m2 Engineering, Computing and General Teaching building. It will consist of undergraduate and postgraduate laboratories, general and specialised teaching space, learning resource space, administration space and ancillary space. In conjunction with decanted space elsewhere on campus, the new building will increase capacity of the HEI by 1,037 students. The project is the largest in the Higher Education PPP Programme and will also facilitate a transfer of the WIT College St Building to Waterford Wexford ETB.

The higher education PPP programme consists of 11 higher education building projects divided into two bundles. WIT is included in Bundle 2. It was never the intention for the tender award to be complete by March 31st 2021. Bundle 2 projects are currently expected to go to tender in late Q2/early Q3.