Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Construction of Edinburgh Schools February 2017 CONTENTS CLAUSE PAGE SECTION 1 - PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE INQUIRY ................................................................................................................. 1 SECTION 2 - BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 2.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.3 INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS ............................................................................................................................. 3 2.4 WITNESSES................................................................................................................................................................. 4 SECTION 3 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 5 3.1 REMIT ITEM 1 ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 3.2 REMIT ITEM 2 ............................................................................................................................................................ 8 3.3 REMIT ITEM 3 .......................................................................................................................................................... 10 3.4 REMIT ITEM 4 .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 3.5 REMIT ITEMS 5 AND 6 .............................................................................................................................................. 15 3.6 REMIT ITEM 7 .......................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.7 REMIT ITEM 8 .......................................................................................................................................................... 20 3.8 CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................................................................... 20 SECTION 4 - PPP1 SCHOOLS – DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION RESPONSIBILITIES ....................................................... 24 4.1 LIST OF PPP1 SCHOOLS ............................................................................................................................................ 24 4.2 ORIGINAL AND CURRENT OWNERSHIP OF SHARES IN ESP ...................................................................................... 27 4.3 RESPONSIBILITY FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ................................................................................................ 28 4.4 DESIGN TEAM .......................................................................................................................................................... 28 4.5 CONSTRUCTION TEAM............................................................................................................................................. 29 4.6 RESPONSIBILITY FOR INDEPENDENT CERTIFICATION .............................................................................................. 31 4.7 COUNCIL MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE FOR OVERSEEING THE PPP1 DEVELOPMENT .............................................. 32 4.8 MANAGEMENT OF THE OPERATIONAL PHASE OF THE PPP1 SCHOOLS AFTER OCCUPANCY ................................... 34 SECTION 5 - CHRONOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................................... 37 5.1 COLLAPSE OF THE GABLE WALL AT OXGANGS PRIMARY SCHOOL........................................................................... 37 5.2 RELEVANT TECHNICAL TERMS ................................................................................................................................. 40 5.3 INVESTIGATIONS AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE COLLAPSE AT OXGANGS SCHOOL ....................................................... 46 5.4 EXTENSION OF STRUCTURAL SURVEYS TO THE REST OF THE PPP1 SCHOOL ESTATE .............................................. 50 5.5 RESULTS OF EXTENDED SURVEYS AND DECISION TO CLOSE PHASE 2 PPP1 SCHOOLS ............................................ 51 5.6 PROPOSED STRATEGY FOR AN EARLY REOPENING .................................................................................................. 56 5.7 TECHNICAL SOLUTION TO RESOLVE INADEQUATE EMBEDMENT OF WALL TIES ..................................................... 58 5.8 DISCOVERY OF MISSING OR INADEQUATELY SPACED HEAD RESTRAINTS ............................................................... 60 5.9 DECISION TO CLOSE ALL PPP1 SCHOOLS ................................................................................................................. 62 5.10 DECANTING AND RELOCATION OF PUPILS AND STAFF ............................................................................................ 63 5.11 COUNCIL MANAGEMENT OF THE CONTRACTUAL ISSUES ....................................................................................... 69 5.12 INABILITY TO ACCESS ORIGINAL STRUCTURAL DESIGN DRAWINGS AND OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION .......... 69 5.13 RESULTS OF THE SURVEYS OF CAVITY WALLS .......................................................................................................... 71 5.14 EXTENT OF WORKS REQUIRED BEFORE SCHOOLS COULD BE SAFELY REOPENED ................................................... 84 SECTION 6 - ACTIONS FOLLOWING THE OXGANGS SCHOOL WALL COLLAPSE ..................................................................... 101 6.1 REASSURANCE IN RESPECT OF OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNCIL ESTATE ............................................................... 101 6.2 REPORTS OF DEFECTIVE FIRE-STOPPING PPP PROJECTS........................................................................................ 103 6.3 CONTRACTUAL ENTITLEMENT TO DEDUCTIONS FOR CLOSURES OF THE PPP1 SCHOOLS ..................................... 110 SECTION 7 - REMIT ITEM 1: PPP FINANCING – RATIONALE AND IMPACT ............................................................................ 113 7.1 POLITICAL CONTEXT FOR PROCUREMENT IN THE 1990S....................................................................................... 113 7.2 PFI IN THE PROCUREMENT OF SCHOOLS IN SCOTLAND ........................................................................................ 114 7.3 APPLICATION FOR GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR EDINBURGH SCHOOLS REDEVELOPMENT ............................... 114 7.4 PROCUREMENT OF THE PPP1 EDINBURGH SCHOOLS PROJECT............................................................................. 116 7.5 CONCLUSIONS – RATIONALE FOR USING PPP ........................................................................................................ 117 7.6 CONCLUSIONS - EFFECT ON THE QUALITY OF CONSTRUCTION ............................................................................. 122 SECTION 8 - REMIT ITEM 2: CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS WITH ESP ............................................................................. 124 8.1 COUNCIL REVIEW OF DRAWINGS PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION ............................................................................... 124 8.2 THE REQUIREMENT FOR AS-CONSTRUCTED DRAWINGS ....................................................................................... 127 8.3 THE CONTRACTUAL ROLE OF THE INDEPENDENT CERTIFIER ................................................................................. 129 8.4 QUALITY ASSURANCE UNDER THE PPP1 CONTRACT ............................................................................................. 132 8.5 CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... 134 SECTION 9 - REMIT ITEM 3: REASONS FOR WALL COLLAPSE AND SCHOOL CLOSURES ........................................................ 136 9.1 BEHAVIOUR OF WIND AROUND BUILDINGS .......................................................................................................... 136 9.2 REASON FOR THE COLLAPSE OF THE WALL AT OXGANGS SCHOOL ....................................................................... 138 9.3 REASON FOR THE CLOSURES OF THE SCHOOLS ..................................................................................................... 151 SECTION 10 - REMIT ITEM 4: QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESSES .......................................................................................... 161 10.1 INDEPENDENT SCRUTINY OF CONSTRUCTION QUALITY ........................................................................................ 161 10.2 EMPLOYMENT OF CLERKS OF WORKS TO PROTECT QUALITY ............................................................................... 165 10.3 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INDEPENDENT CERTIFIER IN PROTECTING QUALITY........................................................ 166 10.4 IMPACT OF