Sodexo closes 25 year contract for PPP schools

25 March 2009

Sodexo Ireland has reached financial close on a 25 year contract worth €35m to look after the day-to-day management of four schools in Offaly and Laois under the public private partnership model.

Sodexo will be employing staff on-site to look after maintenance, cleaning, waste management, energy management, caretaking, building services, pest control and operate a helpdesk. Sodexo is principal sub contractor to the Macquarie Partnerships for Ireland (MPFI) which will design, build, finance and operate the schools. Pierse Contracting is the construction contractor.

Jeremy Dicks, managing director, Sodexo Ireland, said: “Sodexo has extensive experience in PPP and PFI projects and is delighted to sign its first deal in Ireland, especially as it is supporting new schools within the local community. Sodexo will manage all maintenance and catering issues, enabling the principal to focus on the academic development of the school and its pupils”

St. Rynagh’s is an amalgamation of the existing St. Rynagh’s Vocational Schools and La Saine Union Secondary Schools and will provide 450 pupil places. The other two schools are St. Mary’s CBS and Scoil Chriost Ri in Portlaoise which will be housed in two new buildings on a shared campus with some shared facilities. In total, this is the first of five bundles of schools, spread over a two year period, with 23 schools being built in total. The first four schools are officially due to open in 2010.

New CEO for Sodexo

Aidan Connolly has been appointed chief executive of Sodexo UK and Ireland. Aidan is currently the company's finance director and will replace Yann Coleou who will relinquish his position to focus exclusively on the integration of the recently acquired Radhakrishna Hospitality Services Group (RKHS) in India. (The RKHS acquisition will make Sodexo the leading food and facilities management services company in India and will employ over 20,000 people across 1,000 sites.)

At Sodexo, Aidan is a member of the UK and Ireland executive team and has played a key role in the recent successful development of the business. More recently he has taken a lead in negotiations regarding the £12 billion Defence Training Review project which resulted in Sodexo becoming a 50/50 equity partner in the Metrix consortium which will deliver the construction, site services and training facilities for the Defence Technical College in St Athan, South Wales.

Aidan will report to Philip Jansen, in his capacity as chairman of the UK and Ireland and CEO, Europe. A new finance director will be appointed in due course.

Sodexo is one of Ireland’s biggest food and facilities management services providers to clients in the corporate, education and healthcare sectors. It employs over 2,000 people in 200 locations nationwide. Clients include Hibernian, Allianz, the Central Bank and the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Across the UK and Ireland, it employs a total of 45,000 employees providing food and facilities management services to clients at over 2,300 locations in the corporate, education, healthcare, leisure and defence sectors.