Page last updated: 31/10/18
On 16 December 2008, the Minister for Education & Science announced the third bundle of schools to be delivered by PPP (“Schools PPP Programme – Bundle 3” or “SB3”). The third bundle consists of eight schools, providing a total of 5,700 school places.
Under the PPP model, the schools have been designed, built, financed and will be maintained under a 25-year service contract. The debt financing solution comprises Bank of Ireland, the European Investment Bank, and the National Pensions Reserve Fund.
The eight schools were delivered on schedule and service delivery is now underway at each of them.
School | School places | Service Commencement |
Athlone Community College, Co. Westmeath | 1,000 | 22 Apr. 2014 |
Merlin Woods Primary School, Doughiska, Co. Galway | 450 | 14 Feb. 2014 |
Merlin College (PP School), Doughiska, Co. Galway | 650 | 14 Feb. 2014 |
Ballinamore Community School | 400 | 11 Feb. 2014 |
Scoil na Tríonóide Naofa, Doon, Co. Limerick | 850 | 10 Feb. 2014 |
Creagh College, Gorey, Co. Wexford | 1,000 | 28 Mar. 2014 |
Gaelcholaiste, Colaiste Ailigh, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal | 350 | 7 Nov. 2013 |
Tramore Voluntary Secondary School, Co. Waterford | 1,000 | 18 Mar. 2014 |
Sanctioning Authority | Department of Education & Skills |
Project Management | NDFA |
Financial Adviser | NDFA |
Legal Adviser | Arthur Cox |
Insurance Adviser | Willis |
Quantity Surveying | Bruce Shaw Consulting |
Architect | Anthony Reddy & Associates |
Civil & Structural Engineers | JV Tierney |
Mechanical, Electrical & ICT | Malone O’Regan |
The contract for Schools Bundle 3 was awarded on 9th November 2012 to BAM Schools Bundle 3 Ltd., a joint venture between BAM PPP and Dutch pension fund administrator PGGM.
Construction commenced immediately and the first school, Coláiste Áiligh, in Letterkenny opened on 7th November 2013, just 52 weeks after the contract was awarded. The final school in the bundle, Athlone Community College, was completed and opened on 28th April 2014.
The project has received a number of awards including World Finance PPP Award’s Best Education Project in Europe 2013 for its innovative funding solution which included the National Pensions Reserve Fund. The project also received the RIAI’s awards for best architecture in an education project in both 2014 and 2015 for Coláiste Áiligh and Athlone Community College respectively. Coláiste Áiligh was subsequently shortlisted for the prestigious European Union prize for the Mies van der Rohe Award for Contemporary Architecture for 2015.
All of the schools are now in the 25 year service and maintenance period and the project was formally handed back to the DoES by the NDFA in late 2014. Whilst the project has been handed back NDFA continues to provide ongoing contract management services for the project under the arrangements detailed here.
On 3rd April 2017, an Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, T.D. officially opened Athlone Community College.