CONDITION REPORTS ARE KEY TO FUTURE FUNDING AND MAINTENANCE
Mark Few
Mark is a Director at Watts Group PLC and he says that the James Review has called for every school to carry out an independent condition report on their premises. In a funding climate where all expenditure is under scrutiny, now is the time to ensure that a diligent approach is taken towards the upkeep of school buildings
“We must have a system for school building which is much simpler, less bureaucratic, and which targets priority projects.” This is the conclusion of the James Review of Education Capital, commissioned by the Government to look in detail at how the Department for Education (DfE) could achieve better value for money and improve efficiency via capital investment in schools. The review was carried out by a steering group led by Sebastian James, Group Operations Director of Dixons Retail PLC, and included Barry Quirk, Chief Executive of the London Borough of Lewisham, and Sir John Egan.
The review argues for reform of the capital allocation system so that investment is focused on the condition of buildings. Schools should take responsibility for their own maintenance; rather than replacing school buildings, vast amounts of money could be saved if they are not allowed to fall into disrepair. The report also urges making “best use of professional expertise” to ensure that optimum use is made of school budgets. In a letter to Education Secretary Michael Gove accompanying the release of the review in April, Sebastian James blames the failure of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Programme to spend funding wisely, on the fact that the “Government has not ensured that contracts are always negotiated by those who have the appropriate expertise.”
The review makes a number of key recommendations. These include:
● Establishing a central database of school condition and carrying out independent building condition surveys on a rolling 20% sample of the estate to provide a “credible picture of investment needs”;
● Revising and simplifying school premises regulations;
● Developing a clear, consistent DfE position on what ‘fit- for-purpose’ facilities entail;
● Reducing bureaucracy around BREEAM assessments; 42
● Putting in place a small number of new national procurement contracts to drive quality and value from any future building programme;
● Maximising the value for money delivered through
maintenance and small projects; and ● Promoting standardised design.
In its initial response to the review published in July, the Government commented that “having carefully considered the review, we agree fully with its aims of focusing the available capital where it is needed most, and getting the best possible value from the capital that is spent...we must ensure that buildings are procured as efficiently as possible, so that the greatest possible number of children and young people benefit from the funding available. We must also ensure that buildings are fit for purpose.”
In particular, the Government agrees that:
● The Department for Education must immediately start work to collect information on the building condition of the education estate;
● The funding available should be used efficiently, allocated by a funding formula that addresses greatest need;
● There should flexibility in how best to deploy the available funding locally; and
● There are clear potential efficiency benefits from using a more centralised approach for procurement and building project delivery.
The importance of ensuring that condition surveys are
undertaken across the school estate is further underlined by the latest round of capital funding for schools via the Government’s new Priority School Building Programme. The demise of the BSF programme has left many schools around the country in desperate need of capital investment and some now find their buildings beyond economic repair. To tackle this problem, earlier this year the Department for Education launched a privately financed programme to provide school facilities, designed to address the problems of schools in the worst condition.
Provision of funding (to be announced in December) will be prioritised by determining the condition of school buildings and tackling the worst schools first. The application form calls for schools to provide evidence of need, based on a building condition survey obtained or updated within the last two years. Schools that cannot provide a condition report will not be eligible. This emphasises the necessity of school authorities to ensure they have their buildings surveyed on a regular basis – not only for the current funding application but also to ensure that future maintenance can be planned and carried out in the most cost effective and efficient manner.
Promoting effective maintenance, based on data provided by condition surveys of the school estate, is a cornerstone of the James Review. Making the right decisions across the whole range of school buildings from classrooms through to science, sports and arts facilities requires a thorough, strategic and systematic approach, bringing together the critical components of building fabric and services, energy and carbon.
THE TERRIER - Autumn 2011
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