Major building work in four higher education institutions have moved a step further, after Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe announced the first bundle of public-private partnership (PPP) projects in the third-level are going to the market.

These projects, which have been handed over to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), are a library and information centre in Limerick Institute of Technology; phase two of a library project in the University of Limerick; a library extension in Cork Institute of Technology; and a digital media teaching building, consolidated workshops and multi-purpose hall in Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dublin.

Announcing the move, Minister O'Keeffe said: "I'm pleased that all the pre-procurement work has been completed and the first bundle of PPP projects in the third-level sector can now be offered to the market.

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"The total scale of the new projects is over 24,000sq/m and they'll accommodate almost 5,000 students," he said.

"The building projects, which the Government considers strategically important investments for the smart economy, will create hundreds of jobs in construction at a challenging time for the sector."

The NDFA has started the tendering process and it’s expected that the building projects will be completed by the end of 2012.

This is the first of three bundles to be procured through the PPP process.

Work on the other two bundles announced in January 2008 is continuing.

It’s expected that the second bundle of third-level PPP projects will be ready for handover to the NDFA later in the year.

The second bundle has a number of science, engineering and catering buildings in Waterford and Tallaght institutes of technology.

In the third bundle, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth is to get a maths, science and computer centre.

Carlow Institute of Technology is to get a teaching research wing and administration and support centre; and an engineering school will be built in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.

As well as entering into a contract to design, build and fund the projects, the private sector partner in the PPP process has responsibility for the maintenance of the buildings over the 25-year life of the contract and to manage and pay for services such as cleaning and security over that period.

(PR/KMcA)