Launch of Request-For-Interest (RFI) and Tender Exercise for Foreign System Schools in Singapore

Anchoring schools to meet education needs of international families and enhance Singapore’s competitiveness as a global business hub

1. The Economic Development Board (EDB) will be launching a Request-For-Interest (RFI) exercise for Foreign System Schools (FSS) on 31 January 2024. Separately, EDB and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) will also be launching a tender to repurpose a brownfield site for FSS use. More details of this tender will be shared at a later date.

2. The RFI exercise will ensure that Singapore continues to have a range of schools and curricula available to meet the diverse education needs of expatriate children in Singapore. The last RFI for FSS was conducted eight years ago in 2015, while the last tender for FSS was called six years ago in 2017. 

3. “Foreign System Schools are an important part of the infrastructure necessary for Singapore to remain an attractive operating base and investment destination for international companies as well as talent. The RFI and tender exercise will allow interested operators to submit proposals that will best cater to the education needs of expatriate families in Singapore.” said Mr Damian Chan, EDB’s Executive Vice President and Chair of the inter-agency RFI committee.

Request-For-Interest (RFI) Exercise

4. The RFI exercise provides a competitive process for FSS to obtain sites on long term leases. These are greenfield sites on 30-year leases that are zoned for educational use. In addition to new FSS entrants, the RFI exercise also provides an opportunity for existing FSS which are occupying premises on short term leases to invest for the long term and provide certainty of their presence.

5. The RFI will be evaluated by an inter-agency committee, chaired by the EDB, and comprising representatives from SLA, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

6. Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of the proposal, the track record of the FSS, and its ability to meet market demand, as well as the financial ability of the FSS operator.

Closed-door Briefing for the RFI Exercise

7. More details on the evaluation criteria and site specifications for the RFI will be provided at a closed-door briefing on 31 January 2024. Interested parties are invited to register for the briefing by emailing RFI_2024@edb.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab) no later than 12pm on 24 January 2024.

Tender for Brownfield Site

8. SLA and EDB will also conduct a tender to repurpose a brownfield site for FSS use. The tender aims to invite proposals from operators interested in providing more affordable foreign system education at suitable premises.

9. The maximum allowable tenure for the brownfield site is 9 years, and a Price and Quality Tender evaluation format will be adopted for this tender. As part of this evaluation format, bids for the site will be assessed holistically, and the quality of the proposed concept will be taken into consideration in assessing the bids. The tender proposals will be evaluated jointly by SLA and EDB. More details will be released on SLA’s one-stop property portal, State Property Online Information (SPIO), at https://app.sla.gov.sg/spio ↗ (opens in new tab) when the FSS tender is launched.

Issued by

Economic Development Board

Singapore Land Authority

8 January 2024