Decision

Advice letter: Steven Boyd, Independent Steering Group Member, ADS Alliance

Published 27 August 2025

1. BUSINESS APPOINTMENT APPLICATION: Steven Boyd MBE, former Chief Executive at the Government Property Agency. Paid appointment with the ADS Alliance.  

Mr Boyd sought advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (the Committee) under the government’s Business Appointments Rules for Former Crown Servants (the Rules) on taking up a role as an Independent Steering Group Member with the ADS Alliance.

The purpose of the Rules is to protect the integrity of the government. The Committee has considered the risks associated with the actions and decisions made during Mr Boyd’s time in office, alongside the information and influence he may offer the ADS Alliance. The material information taken into consideration by the Committee is set out in the annex.

The Committee’s advice is not an endorsement of the appointment - it imposes a number of conditions to mitigate the potential risks to the government associated with the appointment under the Rules.

The Rules set out that Crown servants must abide by the Committee’s advice^{[footnote 1]}. It is an applicant’s personal responsibility to manage the propriety of any appointment. Former Crown servants are expected to uphold the highest standards of propriety and act in accordance with the 7 Principles of Public Life.

2. The Committee’s consideration of the risks presented

There is no known relationship between Mr Boyd’s former department and ADS Alliance, which is a new organisation. He did not make any policy, regulatory or commercial decisions specific to ADS Alliance. Therefore, the Committee^{[footnote 2]} considered the risk this role could reasonably be perceived as a reward for decisions or actions in office, is low.

There is some overlap between Mr Boyd’s role as Chief Executive of the Government Property Agency and the role he wishes to take up with the ADS Alliance. However, the risks related to his access to information are limited because:

• the overlap is broad, given his work as a property professional, not specific to ADS Alliance;

• the Cabinet Office noted that he does not have access to information that would be of any particular advantage to ADS Alliance;

• he has been out of office for over ten months, creating a gap between his proposed new role and his access to information; and

• Mr Boyd has a career of many years of experience in the built environment, infrastructure and property.

There is an inherent risk that Mr Boyd could use his contacts across government to the unfair advantage of ADS Alliance - in particular should it seek to influence government policy.

3. The Committee’s advice 

The Committee did not consider this appointment to present any particular propriety concerns, subject to the standard conditions below.  These seek to prevent him from making improper use of privileged access to information, contacts and his influence to the company’s unfair advantage. It is also significant that the ADS Alliance has also confirmed it will ensure the Rules and conditions below will be adhered to.

The Committee advises, under the government’s Business Appointment Rules, that Mr Boyd’s role with the ADS Alliance should be subject to the following conditions:

• he should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of himself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to him from his time in Crown service;

• for two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government or any of its arm’s length bodies on behalf of ADS Alliance  (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients); nor should he make use, directly or indirectly, of his contacts in the government and/or Crown service contacts to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage ADS Alliance (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients);

• for two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not provide advice to ADS Alliance (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) on the terms of, or with regard to the subject matter of, a bid with, or contract relating directly to the work of the UK government or its arm’s length bodies; and

• two years from his last day in Crown service he should not advise ADS Alliance including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) on the property estate/portfolio he was responsible for in office, or in relation to government property decisions he had specific involvement in or responsibility for as Chief Executive, Government Property Agency; nor where he had a relationship with the relevant client in Crown service.

The advice and the conditions under the government’s Business Appointment Rules relate to an applicant’s previous role in government only; they are separate from rules administered by other bodies such as the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the Registrar of Lords’ Interests^{[footnote 3]}. It is an applicant’s personal responsibility to understand any other rules and regulations they may be subject to in parallel with this Committee’s advice.

By ‘privileged information’ we mean official information to which a minister or Crown servant has had access as a consequence of his or her office or employment and which has not been made publicly available. Applicants are also reminded that they may be subject to other duties of confidentiality, whether under the Official Secrets Act, the Ministerial Code/Civil Service Code or otherwise.

The Business Appointment Rules explain that the restriction on lobbying means that the former Crown servant/Minister “should not engage in communication with Government (Ministers, civil servants, including special advisers, and other relevant officials/public office holders) – wherever it takes place - with a view to influencing a Government decision, policy or contract award/grant in relation to their own interests or the interests of the organisation by which they are employed, or to whom they are contracted or with which they hold office.”

Mr Boyd must inform us as soon as he takes up this work or if it is announced that he will do so. Similarly, he must inform us if he proposes to extend or otherwise change his role with the organisation as depending on the circumstances, it might be necessary for him to seek fresh advice.

Once this appointment has been publicly announced or taken up, we will publish this letter on the Committee’s website.

4. Annex - Material Information 

4.1 The role 

ADS Alliance is a strategic not-for-profit collaboration between UK built environment industry bodies dealing with data asset standards. The ADS Alliance will seek to address the current incompatibility of data standards, which is a significant and long-standing issue. There are currently four members – the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, National Building Standards, the Building Engineering Services Association and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. The members pay no fee, but jointly fund the Alliance. The purpose of the collaboration is to:

• Align data standards for mutual benefit;

• Improve built environment sector productivity;

• Support a ‘whole life approach’ to asset management;

• Support decarbonisation of the built estate; and

• Reinforce the UK’s reputation in the built environment.

Mr Boyd wishes to take up a part-time role, possibly paid, with the ADS Alliance as an Independent Steering Group Member. Mr Boyd said that his planned role is in the governance of the Alliance, helping the four members to collaborate and to refine their products. Mr Boyd’s role would also involve:

• Supporting agreement to the Alliance;

• Establishing and supporting Alliance governance (the Steering Group);

• Supporting Alliance engagement with professional institution stakeholders;

• Supporting the launch of the Alliance;

• Supporting licensing and accreditation of the use of aligned data;

• Supporting opportunities to further embed the Alliance approach in industry standards;

• Supporting the potential broadening of Alliance membership; and

• Representing the Alliance to industry stakeholders.

Mr Boyd stated that he has worked in built environment, property and infrastructure for his whole career. Prior to his role as Chief Executive at the GPA, he was HMRC’s Estates Director delivering 13 major office buildings, planning the successful drawdown of a nationwide PFI^{[footnote 4]}, and shrinking the size of the estate by two thirds. He also served in the British Army including leading its in-house engineering design and project management consultancy, and as its Director of Infrastructure^{[footnote 5]}.

The Committee contacted ADS Alliance which stated:

‘…The Alliance notes the conditions imposed by ACOBA on Mr Boyd’s work with us and we have briefed our core members. We will ensure that the conditions are adhered to’.  

4.2 Dealings in office 

Mr Boyd said that he did not make any policy, regulatory or commercial decisions specific to the ADS Alliance, which is a new body, while in office. He said that he did not meet with the company and there is no relationship between the Alliance and his former department. 

4.3 Departmental assessment 

The GPA and Cabinet Office confirmed the details Mr Boyd provided and considered the level of risk associated with Mr Boyd’s application is sufficiently low so as to endorse it - subject to standard conditions. 

1. Which apply by virtue of the Civil Service Management Code, The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, The King’s Regulations and the Diplomatic Service Code ↩

2. This application for advice was considered by Andrew Cumpsty; Sarah de Gay; Isabel Doverty; Hedley Finn OBE; Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE DL; The Baroness Jones of Whitchurch; The Rt Hon Lord Eric Pickles; Michael Prescott; and Mike Weir.  ↩

3. All Peers and Members of Parliament are prevented from paid lobbying under the House of Commons Code of Conduct and the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Lords. Advice on obligations under the Code can be sought from the Parliamentary Commissioners for Standards, in the case of MPs, or the Registrar of Lords’ Interests, in the case of peers. ↩

4. Private Finance Initiatives - which allow governments and the private sector to join forces to finance and implement projects that benefit the public sector. ↩

5. https://www.gov.uk/government/people/steven-boyd ↩