The Officer Key Decision meeting scheduled for Wednesday 15 July 2026 was set to consider a proposal for decarbonisation works at Central Park Primary School. The decision maker was asked to approve the award of a contract for these works.

Central Park Primary School - Phase 1 Decarbonisation Works - Contract Award Approval

The meeting agenda included a report concerning the proposed contract award for Phase 1 decarbonisation works at Central Park Primary School. The report recommended that Laura Eden, Corporate Director of Children's and Young People's Services, agree to award a works contract to South Park Heating Services Limited. The proposed contract value was £775,574.

The report detailed that Central Park Primary School, a Victorian three-storey building in East Ham, provides education for children aged 3 to 11. The London Borough of Newham (LBN) had secured external funding from Salix, alongside funding from the Department for Education (DfE) School Condition Grant, to support energy performance improvements and carbon reduction. Cabinet approval for the DfE Capital Maintenance Programme, including permission to tender, was granted on 16 November 2025.

The decarbonisation works were planned in two phases, with Phase 1 scheduled from June 2026 to October 2026. Six contractors were invited to bid, with the evaluation criteria set at 60% price, 30% quality, and 10% social value. South Park Heating's bid of £775,574 was deemed the best value for money and the most economically advantageous tender.

The report outlined that a piecemeal repair approach to the existing heating system was no longer viable, necessitating a full system renewal. The alternative of doing nothing was rejected due to the risk of continued deterioration, reduced performance, and potentially more significant and costly interventions in the future.

Financially, the proposed contract value of £775,574 included a contingency of £30,000. Internal fees were estimated at £116,000. The works were to be part-funded by the DfE School Condition Programme and were also eligible for match funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero through the Phase 4 Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. A total grant funding offer of £886,000 was received for Phase 1 works at Central Park and Brampton Primary Schools. The total estimated expenditure, including fees, was £892,000.

Legally, the Council had the power to procure the contract under Section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972 and the general power of competence under Section 1 of the Localism Act 2011. The contract value fell below the Procurement Act 2023 threshold for works contracts. The Council's Contract Standing Orders require construction contracts between £100,000 and the procurement legislation threshold to be tendered via Constructionline with a minimum of five tenderers invited, a requirement that was stated to have been complied with.

The report also addressed equalities implications, noting the Council's commitment to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. The proposals were intended to improve existing school facilities and contribute to the council's priority of Building a Fairer Newham by supporting young people and ensuring high-quality education for all children.

The decision maker was Laura Eden, Corporate Director of Children's and Young People's Services. The decision was classified as an Officer Key Decision, with the report indicating that the decision could not be implemented until the sixth working day following its publication to allow members to consider calling it in. The report was marked as exempt from publication due to containing information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption was deemed to outweigh the public interest in disclosure.