Tánaiste sends WIT building project to market under PPP model

Major building work in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) moved a step further today after the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan TD, announced that the second bundle of public-private partnership (PPP) projects in the third-level sector are going to market.

The second bundle of PPP projects, which were today handed over to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), consists of two projects in Waterford Institute of Technology, and four projects in the Institute of Technology in Tallaght - a New Engineering Building, Tourism, Hospitality & Culinary Arts Building, a Multi Purpose Centre and pitches.

An 8,000 sq/m Engineering Building and a Business and Enterprise Building with a floor area of over 4,000 sq/m will be built at WIT.

Announcing the move today, The Tánaiste said: 'I'm pleased that the pre-procurement work has been completed for the second bundle of PPP projects in the third-level sector and the project can now be offered to the market.

'The total scale of the new projects is over 39,400 sq/m.

'These third level building projects are strategically important investments for the smart economy and they will create much needed jobs in construction at a challenging time for the sector.’

The National Development Finance Agency has started the tendering process and it’s expected that the building projects will be completed by mid 2013.

This is the second of three bundles to be procured through the PPP process.

Tenders were received for the first bundle in August 2010 and these tenders are being assessed at present.

Work on the third bundle is continuing and is likely to be offered to the marker in early 2011.

The first bundle includes a library and information centre in Limerick Institute of Technology; phase two of a library project in the University of Limerick; a library extension in Cork Institute of Technology; and a digital media teaching building, consolidated workshops and multi-purpose hall in Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dublin.

In the third bundle, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth is to get a maths, science and computer centre. Carlow Institute of Technology is to get a teaching research wing together with an administration and support centre.

As well as entering into a contract to design, build and fund the projects, the private sector partner in the PPP process has responsibility for the maintenance of the buildings over the 25-year life of the contract and to manage and pay for services such as cleaning and security over that period.