72. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 95 of 23 October 2024, if she will clarify what exactly the design tender is, referred to in her previous reply; where that tender can be viewed; the timescale for tenders to close; the likely timescale for the design work on the promised school to be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45465/24]

The tender referred to by the Deputy relates to the procurement of the multi-disciplinary design team consultants to provide design services for the development of the schools' design as part of Phase 1 of the ADAPT 4 delivery programme. The tender documents were published on E-Tenders as required under Public Procurement Procedures.

The tender competition is due to close before the end of the year and it is anticipated that design team consultants will be appointed in early Q1 2025. Following appointment of the design team in early Q1 2025, the project will commence Stage 1 Preliminary Design. The design team will then progress the project through the Design Stages.

It is not possible to provide a timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.