City of Glasgow College has taken another significant step towards the construction of a pioneering new campus in the heart of Glasgow.

In November 2011 nine consortia placed formal applications to qualify to tender for the opportunity to design and construct the £200 million campus – one of Scotland’s largest infrastructure investment projects.

Today, following detailed evaluation, the College can confirm a shortlist of three bidding consortia. These are:

• BAM PPP

• Laing O’Rourke – GP4L

• Sir Robert McAlpine – Glasgow Learning Quarter

The shortlisted bidders will now be formally invited to participate in the competitive dialogue stage of the project. During this next period, each of the shortlisted bidders will engage with the College and prepare detailed designs and commercial terms in response to the College’s comprehensive statement of requirements.

The investment will see state-of-the-art buildings constructed on existing college land in Glasgow’s city centre at Cathedral Street and at Thistle Street on the banks of the River Clyde within the next 4 years. The new campus will provide a high quality and sustainable learning environment for around 40,000 students and 1,200 members of staff and deliver significant community benefits.

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The project is financially and strategically supported by the Scottish Funding Council and The College Project Team is working closely with the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) to deliver the project using the Scottish Government’s NPD (Non-Profit Distributing) procurement model.

Paul Little, Principal of City of Glasgow College, said: "We were delighted with the calibre of submissions received from many of the top players in the construction industry and we are now particularly pleased to have three excellent consortia to work with for this next phase of the project. This is an exciting time for the college as we begin to realise the prospect of a landmark new campus for City of Glasgow College which will enhance the learning experiences of many thousands of students in Glasgow for many generations to come."

Dialogue with bidders will continue during 2012 and culminate in the selection of a preferred bidder early in 2013.

Once planning consent is achieved, construction is expected to commence in the summer of 2013 with the first stages of the new campus opening in 2015 and the final phases in 2016.

Mark Batho, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, added: "The scale of this project means that its delivery is a key part of our programme of supporting modern, well-designed and inspiring campuses for the next generation of learners across Scotland.

"The City of Glasgow College is making excellent progress towards achieving everyone’s ambitions for this investment and I welcome this latest milestone."

(GK)