The government intends to complete the procurement process for a typical secondary school in just over a year – roughly half the time needed for a typical hospital scheme.

Speaking at Building’s “Understanding the Education Sector” conference this week, John Pilkington, Amey Ventures’ managing director, said a project should move from a notice in the Official Journal to financial close with a preferred bidder within 13 months.

The first projects in the 15-year Schools for the Future programme appeared in the OJ in September.

Pilkington has completed a secondment with Partnerships for Schools, the quango running the Schools for the Future programme.

He said: “What people haven’t grasped is the sheer scale of what is happening.” He believes 140 schools a year will be rebuilt and a further 95 refurbished.

Bid costs for each scheme could be up to £1m for each Local Education Partnership, the public–private framework that acts as a client for schemes.