Department approval awaited to progress new 1,000-pupil school

Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) has confirmed it is awaiting Department of Education approval to proceed to select a contractor for the planned new €38m school for Oaklands Community College.

Delays in the building of the massive new 1,000-pupil school were recently highlighted by Deputy Carol Nolan (pictured).

The Edenderry project was not included in a list published in March last of 80 large-scale school building plans earmarked to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027.

In a statement to the Offaly Independent this week, the LOETB said: “The project is currently awaiting the necessary approvals from the Department before progressing to the next stage of procurement.”

"LOETB and the Design Team remain engaged with the Department and ready to proceed once the required approvals are received. Both parties remain committed to advancing the project and supporting the delivery of the new school at the earliest opportunity.”

The project was granted planning permission in August 2024, and tenders were invited for the construction of the school in January 2025.

Asked by the Offaly Independent as to the status of that tender process, the LOETB said its design team completed the detailed design report and tender documents and submitted them to LOETB. These documents were subsequently forwarded to the Department of Education and Youth (DEY) for approval to progress to Stage 3 (Tender Stage), in accordance with the Department's guidelines.

The LOETB added: “In parallel, a contractor prequalification process was undertaken. A report outlining the assessment of candidates and the provisional shortlists for Main Contract and Reserved Specialists was also submitted to the Department for review and approval. In line with DEY requirements, the validation and debriefing process cannot commence until formal authorisation is received.

“The project is currently awaiting the necessary approvals from the Department before progressing to the next stage of procurement. “

In a reply to Deputy Nolan on foot of a parliamentary question recently, Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton said the project was still undergoing a “detailed technical and cost review” under the Public Spending Code.

Given that eighteen months has elapsed since the publication of the original invite to tender for the school building project, the Offaly Independent asked if a new tender process would need to be initiated. The LOETB said: “At this time, there is no indication that a new tender process will be required.

Any future procurement activity will be guided by the Department's review, approvals and any subsequent directions issued.”