Cardiff Council has appointed an interim principal contractor for the Fairwater Community Campus, safeguarding the £108 million project following ISG Construction Ltd going into administration.
Wales-based construction company Borley Engineering Services Ltd (BESL) has been selected as the emergency interim principal contractor to ensure that work on site can restart as quickly as possible. This decision comes while a tender exercise gets underway to select a replacement principal contractor to see the project through to its conclusion.
As part of the arrangements with ISG's administrator, the council will appoint BESL on an emergency basis and will save jobs and protect the works completed so far by making payments in excess of £7 million to the existing subcontractors and suppliers for works already completed. It is believed that the Fairwater Community Campus is one of the largest projects ISG had on site across the UK and this arrangement has not been replicated elsewhere. The local authority has actively engaged with the subcontractors throughout the process, of which many are based within 20 miles of the Fairwater Community Campus site.
Funded by Cardiff Council and Welsh Government, the project is Cardiff's largest education development funded under the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme to date.
The scheme includes the construction of three new build schools for Cantonian High School, Riverbank School and Woodlands High School, all situated on the single site in Fairwater.
A spokesperson for Cardiff Council said:
“We are fully committed to ensuring the progress of the Fairwater Community Campus project and have put in place an arrangement that saves the supply chain. By selecting BESL as the interim emergency principal contractor, we will get workers back on site as soon as possible, ensure workers are paid for work done, minimise delays, keep costs down, protect jobs, and safeguard the supply chain while protecting the public investment that has already taken place in what is one of the UK's largest education projects.
“This project is vital for the current and future generations of pupils in the three schools, and to the wider community, that will be utilising the new facilities on the campus, and we are dedicated to seeing it through to completion.”
Timeline for Fairwater Campus Project:
1. Delivery of works through BESL (November 2024 – April 2025)
- Works start on site in November following mobilisation.
- Orders placed for remaining subcontractors and suppliers.
- Scale of project to increase to the peak of 300 workers on site.
2. Tender Process for Remaining Works (November 2024 – April 2025)
- Commence the tender exercise for the remaining works.
- Evaluate bids and select a new main contractor.
3. Recommencement of Remaining Works (April 2025)
- New main contractor takes over the project.
- Project continues in line with programme.
4. Completion of Key Milestones (2025 – 2027)
- Early 2027 full occupation, including final Inspections and handover.
The council said the timeline aims to ensure that the project progresses smoothly and is completed with minimal disruption, safeguarding jobs, and maintaining the quality of the educational facilities.
