PPP Project - Consultation

Consultation and Communication

The Moray Council is committed to developing its PPP Project for two schools and has developed a Consultation and Communication Plan through which to communicate with stakeholder groups and the wider community. Details of the Consultation and Communication Plan can be found in the Project Handbook.

Communication will be carried out by various means according to the target group:

• Councillors will receive progress and other reports to appropriate Council Committees, and specially prepared briefings on particular subjects from time to time. The Council has established a PPP Project Board to monitor progress on the project and to provide guidance to the Project Manager and the Project Team. The Project Board, other standing committees and the full Council will also make decisions at key stages of the project procurement, such as the selection of the shortlist of bidders for the project, the appointment of the Preferred Bidder, and the eventual Award of Contract.
• Schools, Parent Councils, Community Councils, trades unions, and Council services associated with the schools will receive regular Project Updates and will also take part in specific discussion on defined subjects as required. Information will be channelled through contacts at each group, and the contact will be expected to disseminate the information to members of the group.
• The Press and the wider community will receive progress updates at key stages via Press Releases issued to coincide with Committee meetings and Project Updates. Project Updates will also be posted on the project website.

Consultation has been carried out at early stages of the development of the project involving schools, pupils, and the wider community, and this has informed the accommodation requirements of the proposed new schools.

As the project moves into the procurement stage we will continue to involve stakeholders in consultation but this should be more responsive to the development of design proposals by bidders, so that the intended programme is maintained. It is proposed that this may be achieved through the establishment of a local Reference Group for each school involved.

These Reference Groups would comprise a small group (around 6 members) of people who would be selected from identified Stakeholders (the schools, Parent Councils and community councils) and they would represent and speak for their groups and the wider community in discussions with the Project Team and with bidders. A proposal has been sent out to contacts at these identified groups and when the Reference Groups are established, details of members and the role of the Groups will be available on these pages.