Bedfordshire Schools Trust (BEST) partnered with Barker to enhance their school facilities. The project involved reviewing existing condition data, prioritising necessary maintenance works, and balancing these with school development projects, all within the School Condition Allocation (SCA) budget.
Barker was tasked with planning, specifying, and tendering a series of projects over six months, to be delivered in spring and summer 2024. The School Condition Allocation programme included seven projects across six schools, with a combined value of £740,000. The works comprised WC refurbishments, school-wide sink replacement, boiler replacement, fire safety works, drainage repair and improvement and changing room refurbishment.
The primary challenge was to ensure all projects were completed within the allocated budget and timeframe, without compromising on quality. Coordinating multiple projects across different schools required meticulous planning and communication. Barker had to ensure that all stakeholders were kept informed and that decisions could be made swiftly to avoid delays.
The programme was successfully completed on time and within budget. The Trust’s Operations Manager praised Barker for their smooth execution and effective communication. The schools involved were highly complimentary of Barker and the contractors, noting the ease of decision-making and the lack of unnecessary holdups. The positive feedback highlighted the professionalism and efficiency of Barker’s team, making the project a resounding success.
“Now that we are wrapping up our summer works programme here at BEST I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank the team at Barker for their involvement this year. From my perspective it has been a very smooth programme. We have been kept fully informed at every stage which has made it very easy to make decisions thereby avoiding any unnecessary holdups. I know that all the schools concerned have been very complimentary regarding Barker and the various contractors engaged on the projects, which has made my life very easy!”
