Buildings completed in Western Australia under the Building the Education Revolution (BER) program were rated as the highest quality and lowest price in the country, a new report says.

The BER Implementation Taskforce final report also rated building work on WA Government schools among the best in the country along with the ACT and Tasmania.

Education Minister Liz Constable said BER had been complex with many competing deadlines and pressures superbly managed by the WA Government.

“This report is a ringing endorsement of the Department of Education’s infrastructure division and the Department of Treasury and Finance’s (DTF) Building Management and Works which expertly managed the biggest capital works and maintenance program ever undertaken in WA public schools,” Dr Constable said.

“The report has not only praised the effective management of the program in WA, but commended the close involvement of school communities throughout the whole process.”

Under the Federal Government’s BER program, 671 WA public primary schools received funding for new classrooms, covered assembly areas, early childhood centres and libraries, and 774 schools were revamped with funding for maintenance such as new carpets, painting and paving.

A further 25 WA public secondary schools had specifically designed science or language centres built on site.

Finance Minister Simon O’Brien said Western Australia’s BER rollout comprised 1,008 building projects, with a total budget of $1.126billion.

O’Brien said that in WA, unlike some other States and Territories, the DTF’s Building Management and Works business unit chose to keep a close control of the procurement of the program itself by establishing a dedicated BER program management office (PMO).

“Every aspect of the BER program has been challenging, and the WA Government’s approach has well and truly delivered the goods in terms of quality, time and budget,” he said.

“This program has been criticised in other jurisdictions because of poor design, inadequate project management and huge payments to contractors, but WA had very few issues.

“Negotiations by the Department of Education with the Commonwealth allowed flexibility with BER funding, enabling WA to fund equivalent scope in all projects regardless of their location.”

Dr Constable said the State Government’s management of the project meant Western Australian students were working in brand new, quality facilities.