A consortium led by Carillion has been appointed preferred bidder for Nottingham City Council's £208m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The Inspiredspaces consortium also includes Capita Symonds and its Capita Architecture division, together with IT provider Ramesys. The construction element of the contract is worth £180m, and Carillion will also provide facilities management services for three of the new schools. Work is expected to start later this year be completed by 2010. ‘We are delighted to have achieved preferred bidder status on our third project under the BSF programme, which we expect to be a strong growth market for the group,' explained Carillion chief executive, John McDonough. ‘Nottingham City Council is a leader in sustainability among local authorities, and Carillion's strength in developing sustainable solutions was an important factor in our success.' Chris Nelhams, strategic business development director at Capita Symonds, said: ‘We are confident the programme will be of massive benefit to Nottingham, providing the region with a truly exceptional educational infrastructure.'