Consortium with contractor O'Hare & McGovern reaches financial close on £80m deal to build and operate four schools

Facilities management firm Interserve has sealed the deal on two PPP education contracts in Northern Ireland.

Its consortium with contractor O'Hare & McGovern has reached financial close on two schemes, involving the design, build, operation and maintenance of four schools. The deals are worth £80m in construction and facilities management revenue, according to Interserve, which said it would invest around £3m in the two projects.

The first contract, for St MacNissi's Educational Trust, covers three schools: St Joseph's primary school in Carryduff, St Mary's primary school in Portglenone and Our Lady and St Patrick's college in Knock.

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The fourth school, St Patrick's grammar school in Downpatrick, will be built on behalf of the Trustees of the De La Salle Congregation and will cater for 665 secondary school pupils.

O'Hare & McGovern aims to build the schools over the next two years, after which Interserve will manage them for a period of 25 years.

Interserve chief executive Adrian Ringrose said the projects “underline both the continuing importance of the PPP model as a means of delivering social infrastructure and our commitment to providing modern, effective facilities for the people of Northern Ireland".