What Contractors Should Take Away from Education Estates 2025

The Education Estates 2025 conference was a timely reminder of the pivotal role that construction plays in shaping the future of learning environments across the UK. For general contractors, the event offered more than just networking opportunities—it presented a vital window into the evolving landscape of school construction, procurement reform, and the growing expectations from the Department for Education (DfE).

1. Digital Strategy and ICT for Schools Now Core Requirements

ICT has long been a strategic component of school construction projects, and its importance continues to grow. The Education Estates 2025 conference highlighted how central ICT remains in the Department for Education’s planning and delivery frameworks—not only for supporting teaching and learning but also for operational efficiencies and environmental performance.

Contractors are expected to integrate robust digital infrastructure into their build plans from the outset. This includes ensuring alignment with the digital strategies of schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs), providing scalable networks, and creating flexible learning environments. Increasingly, buildings are being designed with Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, using sensors and connected devices to collect and utilise data to optimise environmental conditions such as temperature, air quality, and energy consumption.

Novatia’s experience as an ICT Construction Partner has shown that early engagement with ICT consultants dramatically improves design and delivery, ensuring compliance with both educational and technical standards.

2. Contractor Insights: Collaboration and Whole-Life Thinking

A recurring theme at Education Estates 2025 was collaboration. The CF25 framework explicitly encourages early contractor involvement and closer alignment with consultants and clients. This collaborative approach helps mitigate risks, particularly in areas like planning consent, environmental issues, and unforeseen ground conditions—all of which were highlighted as performance risks in CF25 documentation.

Contractors are expected to demonstrate continuous improvement, social value contributions, and information management capabilities in their bids. Those who can showcase strong delivery performance and innovative construction methods—while building trusted partnerships with ICT and design consultants—will be best placed to succeed.

3. Procurement Is Getting Smarter—And More Competitive

In the evolving environment of CF25, continuous improvement is critical—not only to meet the Department for Education’s (DfE) rising expectations but also to stand out in the competitive landscape of project awards within the framework.

Contractors must commit to refining their bidding strategies, enhancing pre-construction planning, and strengthening contract delivery processes. This includes embedding lessons learned, adopting innovative methods, and demonstrating strong performance across key areas such as digital infrastructure, sustainability, and social value.

Partnering with experienced advisors—particularly those with deep knowledge of DfE frameworks and school ICT requirements—can play a pivotal role in helping contractors evolve their practices and deliver consistently high-quality outcomes.

Next Steps for Contractors

Education Estates 2025 has made it clear: the future of school construction is intelligent, integrated, and increasingly strategic. Contractors who wish to lead in this space must:

• Understand CF25 requirements and prepare for the evolving competitive landscape
• Prioritise ICT from the outset by engaging trusted digital partners
• Enhance collaboration across all project phases
• Align their delivery approach with the strategic expectations of the DfE

At Novatia, we support contractors bidding for and delivering under DfE frameworks by providing expert ICT consultancy, solution design, and end-to-end support throughout the build lifecycle. Learn how we can help your next school construction project succeed at https://www.novatia.com/contact.