A NORTH-EAST law firm has been appointed to work on a £4bn project setting a framework for future academy school buildings.

Dickinson Dees LLP, which has offices in the Tees Valley and Newcastle, has been appointed by Partnership for Schools (PFS) to work with it on the development of the framework.

The framework is a legal document listing contractors that local authorities can use in the design and build of academies and other educational facilities.

It will be used in local authorities not yet engaged with the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

It follows the firm’s work on a similar framework three years ago which, because of its success, needs to be expanded.

A seven-strong team from the law firm, including experts from across the procurement, projects and construction departments, will work on the project.

Kevin Robertson, partner and project manager for the engagement at Dickinson Dees said: “We are delighted to have been appointed by PFS to assist them in the establishment of this new framework, intended to be available to deliver academies, individual or batched non-Local Education Partnership BSF projects.

“The solution of creating a framework for prequalified contractors to sit on will maintain the focus on streamlined and accelerated delivery of new academy schools.

“Given the current economic climate, it is all the more important to get the framework up and running as soon as possible.”

The firm was initially appointed by PFS in 2006 to create a procurement model for the delivery of new academy buildings across the country and assisted in the development of what became known as the PFS National Framework, which was completed in 2007.

Listed suppliers were called upon to deliver specialist academies, smaller BSF projects and one-off school redevelopments.

However, the considerable uptake of projects within the National Framework, driven by the acceleration and success of the early procurements, has led to the requirement for a new, larger Framework Agreement.

It will be known as the Contractors Framework and will operate in tandem with the initial National Framework until December next year.

It is expected that the team will complete the new framework agreement by November.

Colin Howell, academies director at PFS said: “Building on the foundations of the National Framework, the new Contractors Framework has been designed specifically to open up the opportunities to all contractors with a track record of delivering secondary schools, or similar projects, enabling smaller regional bidders, as well as larger national firms to get involved.

“We are delighted that Dickinson Dees will be working with us.”