AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
Cheshire West and Chester Council awarded the Ledsham School construction project in Ellesmere Port to READ CONSTRUCTION HOLDINGS LIMITED. The published contract record states a gross value of £12,000,000 and records a signed PCSA, while stating that the full contract is due to be signed after the PCSA period.
Published outcomeOne active award, covering lot 1, is recorded for READ CONSTRUCTION HOLDINGS LIMITED.
Market significanceThis is a £12,000,000 gross public-sector construction award for a school project in Ellesmere Port.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
READ CONSTRUCTION HOLDINGS LIMITED
98% confidenceAward 1 · Lots 1 · 12000000 GBP · active
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Verified supplier identity is READ CONSTRUCTION HOLDINGS LIMITED (Companies House number 04401595). Award 1 lists this supplier and relates to lot 1. The £12,000,000 gross value is published at contract level for contract 1 linked to award 1.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Procurement status
98% confidenceComplete
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The tender status is "complete"; lot 1 is also marked "complete".
Award status
98% confidenceActive
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Award 1 has status "active".
Contract record status
98% confidenceActive
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Contract 1 has status "active".
Signing position
95% confidenceA PCSA was signed; the notice says the full contract is due to be signed following the PCSA period.
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Contract renewal description: "note the PCSA was signed first and the full contract is due to be signed following the PCSA period"; dateSigned is 2026-10-09.
VALUES
Published values explained
Published contract value
98% confidence£12,000,000 gross
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Contract 1 value is amountGross 12000000, currency GBP.
Lot-level value
99% confidenceNot published separately
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Lot 1 has no value amount or currency in the supplied record.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Pipeline notice published
98% confidence17 March 2026
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Release history records pipeline notice 024055-2026 on 2026-03-17.
Tender notice published
98% confidence20 April 2026
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Release history records tender notice 035743-2026 on 2026-04-20.
Contract award notice published
98% confidence4 September 2026
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Release history records contract award notice 083859-2026 on 2026-09-04; award date is also 2026-09-04.
PCSA signing date recorded
95% confidence9 October 2026
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Contract 1 dateSigned is 2026-10-09; accompanying description states the PCSA was signed first.
Contract details notice published
98% confidence13 October 2026
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Contract document and release history record publication on 2026-10-13.
Published contract period
98% confidence1 March 2027 to 27 June 2028
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Contract 1 period startDate is 2027-03-01 and endDate is 2028-06-27.
Maximum extent date
98% confidence31 August 2028
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Contract 1 period maxExtentDate is 2028-08-31.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Project
98% confidenceConstruction of Ledsham School, Ellesmere Port
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Tender title is "Ledsham School" and description is "construction of Ledsham school - Ellesmere Port".
Procurement category
98% confidenceWorks
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Award 1 main procurement category is "works".
Classification
98% confidenceCPV 45000000 — Construction work
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Award item lists CPV 45000000 with description "Construction work".
Delivery region
95% confidenceUKD63
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Award item delivery address specifies region UKD63.
Lots
99% confidenceOne lot (lot 1)
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Tender data contains one lot, ID 1; award 1 relates to lot 1.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procurement method
98% confidenceSelective
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Tender procurementMethod is "selective".
Procedure detail
98% confidenceCompetitive flexible procedure
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Tender procurementMethodDetails is "Competitive flexible procedure".
Competition information
99% confidenceNot published in the supplied notice data
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No bid count, bidder list, evaluation scores or ranking is supplied.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Published period
98% confidence1 March 2027 to 27 June 2028
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Contract period startDate and endDate are 2027-03-01 and 2028-06-27.
Maximum extent
98% confidence31 August 2028
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Contract period maxExtentDate is 2028-08-31.
Renewal field
92% confidenceHas renewal: yes; no renewal mechanism or extension terms are published
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Contract hasRenewal is true. The supplied renewal description discusses the PCSA and later full-contract signing, rather than setting out renewal terms.
Performance management
96% confidenceMilestones and close monitoring by the council and professional advisers; no agreed metrics published
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noAgreedMetricsRationale states: "construction project has milestones and close monitoring from the council and our professional advisors".
Above-threshold status
98% confidenceYes
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Contract 1 aboveThreshold is true.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Commercial structure
95% confidenceThe record distinguishes a signed PCSA from a full contract that is stated to be due for signing after the PCSA period.
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Contract renewal description explicitly states that the PCSA was signed first and the full contract is due to be signed following the PCSA period.
Value attribution
96% confidenceThe £12,000,000 gross value is published for the single contract linked to the single active award and supplier.
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Contract 1, linked to award 1, has gross value £12,000,000; award 1 names one supplier.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Contract-status interpretation
96% confidenceThe record is active and contains a dateSigned, but the narrative states that only the PCSA was signed first and that the full contract is due to be signed after that period.
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Contract status is active; dateSigned is 2026-10-09; renewal description states the PCSA/full-contract sequence.
Lot detail
99% confidenceLot 1 has no published title, description or separate value.
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Supplied lot record has null title, null description and null value.
Competition and evaluation
99% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice.
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No tender submissions, participant names, scores, award rationale or pricing breakdown is included.
Renewal terms
97% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice beyond the hasRenewal flag and maximum extent date.
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No option structure or renewal conditions are supplied.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The published narrative creates an important distinction between the signed PCSA and a full contract stated to be due for signing after the PCSA period; the source does not provide further detail on that transition.
- Lot 1 has no published title, description, separate value or pricing breakdown.
- Information on bid numbers, competing suppliers, evaluation, award rationale and tender deadlines was not supplied.
- The record indicates renewal but does not publish renewal mechanisms, option durations or exercise conditions.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
Ledsham SchoolCheshire West and Chester CouncilREAD CONSTRUCTION HOLDINGS LIMITEDEllesmere Port constructionschool construction contractpublic procurement
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who was awarded the Ledsham School project?
READ CONSTRUCTION HOLDINGS LIMITED is the named supplier for award 1, covering lot 1.
What is the published value of the Ledsham School contract?
The contract record publishes a gross value of £12,000,000.
Has the full Ledsham School contract been signed?
The record gives a dateSigned of 9 October 2026, but its narrative says a PCSA was signed first and the full contract is due to be signed following the PCSA period.
When is the published contract period?
The published period runs from 1 March 2027 to 27 June 2028, with a maximum extent date of 31 August 2028.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.