The firm chosen to carry out a £370million overhaul of schools in Sandwell is set to be announced.

It is hoped that the contracts for the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) will create hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships in the borough.

Two shortlisted applications are being assessed by council officers, and a recommendation for the winning bid is set to go before Sandwell Council’s cabinet for a decision on Wednesday next week. Each application has been put together by partnerships made up of various firms including construction companies and IT experts.

The bids are expected to guarantee a certain number of jobs will be created in the local area as part of the contract work.

The biggest ever scheme of its kind in the borough, it will see every secondary school rebuilt or revamped.

Sandwell’s schools chief Councillor Ian Jones said the tender for the project had attracted interest from some of the biggest construction firms in the country.

“The quality of the bids that we have got is top of the range compared to anywhere else in the country,” he said.

“Some BSF projects elsewhere have had to go back out to the market because there has not been enough interest but that is not the case here.” He added that each bidder had to prove they had the funds available to ensure work started. He said it was very unlikely the rebuilding programme would be hit by the recession.

“The threat to the project is minimal. It is the biggest building programme ever for Sandwell schools, and the bidders have had to guarantee that local jobs and supply jobs will be created. We are talking hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships,” he added.

“The BSF team have been burning the candle at both ends to make sure it is on track, and we are on track to make the final decision on March 11.”