Will the delivery of the new school be delayed? Elected officials urgently recalled to revive "unsuccessful" contracts in Breil-sur-Roya

The operation was impressive. Six modular spaces recently arrived by air , via helicopter, and were placed on the town's multi-sports ground. From the start of the school year, they will welcome elementary school students, while the building is given a makeover. The renovation work will last a year, the same duration as the rental of the modular spaces (estimated at between 150,000 and 200,000 euros). Faced with a project of this magnitude ( 2.2 million euros , co-financed by Europe and the Department), time is therefore of the essence. Especially when two months were needed to coordinate the arrival of temporary classes in the town.

"It seemed necessary to avoid children having to attend classes, with all the disruptions associated with the work and the safety issues that this entails," explained the mayor, Sébastien Olharan, at the last municipal council meeting. "The work must not extend beyond the following school year, because we will not be able to pay a second year's rent."

Only one lot awarded out of seven

While the elected members of the municipal council were planning to enjoy their summer vacation, they were called back to the meeting to approve a question relating to public procurement. The bids received for this project, divided into seven lots, proved to be well above the project management's estimates, leading the municipality to declare the procedures "unsuccessful."

This is the case for lots 1 (concerning demolition, structural work and the facade), 2 (exterior joinery, metalwork, roofing) and 3 (partitions, false ceilings, floors, interior joinery, painting). "We will have to relaunch a consultation by dividing it into several lots. Sometimes, the more we have, the more companies we have that can respond and the lower the prices can be," indicated Sébastien Olharan.

For lots 4 (high and low voltage electricity, solar panels) and 5 (plumbing, sanitary facilities), bids were received within the expected range. They will be optimized through negotiation. The tender for lot 7 (elevators) will also be relaunched, due to a lack of bids.

In the end, only lot 6 (asbestos removal) was awarded. It went to the company Isolea, for a total of 59,976.93 euros.

The municipality now hopes to begin construction as quickly as possible. A month's notice is needed before asbestos removal work can begin, making the timeline even tighter. The race is on to ensure students return to their renovated classrooms by the start of the 2026 school year.