Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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82. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps her Department is taking to prioritise reducing construction costs and timescales into the future given the expansive school programme within the revised National Development Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57041/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The School Building projects are part of the National Development Plan and Project Ireland 2040. My Department is committed to progressing these projects as quickly as possible.

There are currently in excess of 250 school building projects at construction (on site) with a continuous stream of other projects at or near the tendering stage. These are being progressed as quickly as possible. During the period 2021 to 2025, it is expected the School Building Programme will provide an average of 150 to 200 completed school building projects annually to provide necessary additional capacity and support the modernisation of existing school facilities.

Overall my Department has a capital budget of €740m in 2021 rising to €1,040 in 2025. The Department of Education works within the parameters set by the Office of Government Procurement and principles of public procurement set out at both national and EU level.

School building projects are progressed through the preliminary and detailed design stages of my Departments Design Team Procedures prior to proceeding to tender and construction. These stages ensure that all projects are designed against the twin benchmarks of quality and cost control. Under these procedures my Department engages with design teams to ensure that high standards in respect of both benchmarks are met. My Department constantly endeavours to progress projects through the stages of architectural planning, tender and construction in the shortest timeframes possible consistent with ensuring high quality and cost effective design.

The Department has brought this to the attention of the Office of Government Procurement.

The Department of Education works within the parameters set by the Office of Government Procurement and principles of public procurement set out at both national and EU level.

Once contracts are awarded, any variations to the contract sum are addressed within the standard provisions of the Public Works Contracts.

If and when disputes arise, those disputes would be referred to the standard dispute resolution mechanisms of the Public Works Contract – mainly Conciliation This process provides for a short (normally 42 days) timeframe within which dispute can be resolved.