Article


Life beyond PFI contracts


A growing number of UK schools’ private finance initiative (PFI) contracts are approaching expiry, leaving facilities managers (FM) and Responsible Persons to face the challenging task of ensuring a smooth handover while maintaining building safety and compliance. Martin Hembling, Commercial Director for Swiftclean, provides practical advice for school FM teams, focussing on water safety, ventilation ductwork maintenance and fire safety compliance. With proper planning and detailed preparation, says Martin, schools can transition services seamlessly, protecting staff and students while avoiding operational disruption.


P


rivate finance initiative (PFI) agreements were first introduced in 1992, active until 2018, to fund a range of public infrastructure, including schools; in fact, the education sector has the highest number of active PFI contracts across the public estate – 170 out of 219 in total, according to government data. After decades in operation, many of these contracts are coming to an end, leaving affected school buildings facing patchy maintenance and compliance records that could lead to billions of pounds of unplanned costs, according to analysis from Arcadis.


Schools that leave preparation for handover until the 11th hour face a backlog of issues, expensive repairs and potential downtime – the Infrastructure Protection Authority (IPA) recommends preparing for this process up to seven years before. For prospective FMs taking over responsibility for complex educational estates, this creates a minefield of unknowns. Ultimately, incumbent and future parties risk liability without strong records and robust compliance.


Changing regulatory landscape


A lot has changed since 1992 and the standards to which buildings are held accountable are much higher. One of the most


significant standard updates in recent years is The Building Safety Act 2022,


which has put building safety, maintenance, accountability and record keeping firmly in the spotlight.


Guidance has become more prescriptive and


expectations around transparency have risen sharply.


For schools preparing to handover their estate to a new maintenance provider, it’s important to act now.


30 Spring 2026 issue 4183 Laying the right foundations:


Make compliance a priority: In an ideal world, KPIs, compliance reports and maintenance logs will all be up to date. If they’re not, this must be a priority. Compliance shouldn’t be viewed as ‘just’ an administration exercise, it’s about demonstrating your building is safe and well-maintained in order to protect occupants and avoid future disputes and legal challenges.


Key compliance areas include:


• Legionella risk assessments: Covered by the HSE’s L8 Approved Code of Practice, schools must identify and assess risk sources, and implement preventative measures where needed, keeping detailed records of these measures.


• TR19 compliance: Air and Grease: Ventilation ductwork needs regular inspections under TR19®


Air to maintain


good indoor air quality, while your kitchen extract systems require TR19®


Grease


cleaning to prevent fire risks. Older systems often lack sufficient access points, making full cleaning impossible.


• Fire damper testing and maintenance: Fire dampers are essential for slowing the spread of fire and smoke throughout a building. Updates to BESA’s guide to the installation and maintenance of fire dampers, DW145, came into force last year, including requirements to document installations with up-to-date record keeping and photographic evidence, verify that damper installations meet a building’s fire strategy and manufacturer guidelines, and crucially, ensure all fire dampers are accessible for inspection and testing. The majority of existing buildings do not meet this criteria and many fire dampers are hidden/inaccessible and distinctly neglected, getting help now to meet DW145 and keep occupants safe is essential.


• Create a comprehensive asset list: PFI FM contracts often use a cost-per-square-


Top five tips for a successful PFI handover:


• Start early – Late preparation leads to hidden risks, compliance gaps and costly disruption.


• Prioritise compliance – Up-to-date records aren’t just paperwork; they prove buildings are safe, compliant and defensible.


• Address high-risk systems first – Focus early on water safety (L8), ventilation (TR19®


(DW145).


• Know your assets – Create accurate asset registers and drawings so nothing critical is missed at handover.


• See auditing as an opportunity – Strong preparation improves safety, reduces future costs and sets buildings up for long-term success.


Air and Grease) and fire dampers


metre model, which doesn’t always account for specific assets. Make sure you have schematic drawings of utilities and ductwork, and know where crucial equipment (such as fire dampers) is hidden. Specialist suppliers can help with the surveying process, ready for the next phase of building management.


Take the opportunity


While the steps for successful PFI handover might seem daunting, they should be viewed as an opportunity to review the way school buildings are being looked after, improving auditing and maintenance practices going forward, and ensuring safety for students, teachers and visitors. Ultimately, an investment now should equate to savings in the long-term – better managed buildings usually cost less to run by avoiding reactive repairs and subsequent downtime, extending asset life and reducing energy wastage.


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