AQW 41502/22-27


Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley


Tabled Date: 26/02/2026
Answered On Date: 20/03/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) any engagement his Department has had with school leaders, regarding improving how maintenance procurement works; and (ii) whether alternative models have been considered, in each of the last two years.


Answer:
The Education Authority (EA) is responsible for maintenance of controlled and maintained schools.
The EA has engaged regularly with school leaders in learning lessons from legacy Term Service Contracts (TSCs) and how maintenance contracts could be improved. This engagement highlighted the following key areas for improvement:
some poor contractor response/completion times
quality of workmanship.
repetitive site visits by contractors.
ineffective health & safety.
cost certainty for Local Management of Schools (LMS) works.
the need for improved management information systems.
the need for a greater flexibility for schools to complete non-technical minor repairs outside that of the TSCs.
As a result of this feedback, the EA has undertaken a new procurement model, comprising an 18-lot structure designed around the eleven council areas, with the Building and Mechanical & Electrical works procured separately within six procurement exercises.
The implementation of these procurements will lead to the delivery of significant changes including completion of task orders in compliance with specified Key Performance Indicators, including:
quality of workmanship.
adherence to health and safety requirements.
live reporting/tracking of maintenance works.
adherence to task order response and completion times.
The new contracts include an LMS addendum for cost certainty, which means that the most requested maintenance activities have set prices fixed for the duration of the contract, to provide assurance and transparency to school leaders.
There is also live integration with EA management information systems, resulting in live reporting on all task orders whilst providing early warning of contractual non-performance.
Ten of the 18 lots have been successfully implemented across the schools’ estate, with the remaining contractual lots scheduled to commence from 1 April 2026.