Managing your estate projects
Advice on planning, managing and delivering all sizes of estate projects.
Informed and careful project planning can make sure that you:
- have the right people to help you achieve your desired outcomes
- make the best use of your resources
- understand your school or organisation’s responsibilities before the project starts, during the project, and after it has been completed
If you’re accountable for the overall performance of the school or organisation it’s your responsibility to make sure that suitably qualified and experienced people:
- develop a project plan
- oversee the project delivery
You should have processes to help you identify, define, appraise and prioritise estates projects.
Most projects involving the estate should be identified and planned through your estate strategy and asset management plan.
This will:
- provide a longer-term approach, supported by evidence
- help avoid or minimise ad-hoc or reactive projects, which often do not offer value for money
- ensure the appropriate engagement with trustees of the school and other interested parties – for example, the diocese
- make sure you have the necessary approvals to carry out the project
Example
Projects involving schools with a religious character will need the approval of the trustees of the school before starting any works or dealings with land and buildings.
Your asset management plan will identify a programme of approved projects.
You should consider and manage health and safety through all stages of a project. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) place legal duties on anyone involved in a construction project. It is important that you understand your responsibilities under CDM.
Effective project planning will:
- provide a detailed project specification
- manage cost risks
- identify any changed responsibilities for the school
It will do this by making sure that:
- resources, materials and equipment for the project are supplied on time
- you have the right skills in place to complete the project
- completed project works or newly installed equipment are fully operational
- someone has responsibility for the project works or newly installed equipment once the project has been completed
Benefits of project planning
Good project planning makes sure that:
- projects reflect and support strategic objectives
- there’s consistency and transparency in the project appraisal and approval process
- projects are prioritised to reflect the strategic priorities, resource availability and educational implications
- budget planning is informed
- appropriate actions are taken within a structured programme to minimise delays
Recording your processes
To support good project planning you should set out the:
- processes and procedures to identify, appraise, prioritise and seek approval for all property related projects
- roles and responsibilities in the process
- process to procure professional support services
- processes and procedures to report on contract performance
Use this checklist to help you plan and manage your project.
You need to have suitably qualified and experienced people to help to plan and deliver any project.
You may need skilled resources before the start of a project to:
- identify and confirm that all project needs have been considered and included in the preliminary activities
- make sure school staff are fully trained on any new equipment before it starts operation
Hire people with the necessary technical and construction skills if you don’t have them in your school or organisation.
Schools or organisations remain ultimately responsible for the delivery of their projects. You should make suitable arrangements to make sure that:
- skilled resources are appointed and available at the start of the project
- specific requirements of the project are documented and understood by the school or organisation’s management and if appointed, by any professional advisor, consultant or contractor
- a process has been developed to ensure that every project is managed in accordance with all health and safety regulations and CDM Regulations
This will require the appointment of a professional team with the:
- necessary skills, knowledge and experience
- ability to make sure that project is effective and delivered safely
Assigning responsibilities
The different stages of any project will require and involve different skills. It’s important that the roles of everyone involved are understood at the outset and that the requirements of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 are met. This includes:
- client (the appropriate school representative)
- client advisers
- project lead
- architect or designer
- building services engineer
- civil and structural engineer
- cost consultant
- contract administrator
- health and safety adviser
- procurement adviser
- principal designer
- principal contractor
You may need to procure professional expertise to help you design, price, manage and deliver estate projects.
In addition, specialist input may be required in relation to:
- design or information management
- master planning
- sustainability
- landscaping
- planning
- fire engineering
- external lighting
- acoustics
- interior design
- catering
- other specialist and support roles
Even on a small project, specialists might be required.
It is important that specialist support is procured in the most efficient way to deliver overall value for money. Mistakes in procurement processes can be costly and result in significant delays. You should:
- seek advice on procurement options at an early stage in the project planning process
- ensure you adhere to your organisation’s procurement procedures
Find out more about procuring specialist services.
You may have responsibilities as a client before there has been a decision to proceed with a project.
You should only seek approval to start more detailed project planning, design work and costing after completing some preliminary activities. This could include:
- a feasibility study
- technical or investigative surveys
- cost or budget estimates
These will help you to:
- identify risks
- validate the need for the project
- identify any planning issues or abnormal site conditions
- produce a realistic project budget
The results can be used to inform those responsible for the project.
Before starting a project, you should consider and outline:
- how any new capital asset will be maintained in the future – this should be included in the wider procurement for the project and future maintenance planning
- who will be responsible for managing new systems or facilities, such as heating
Doing this will make sure that:
- there is a good understanding of the key operating requirements
- potentially complex new systems, such as heating, are managed effectively
- the intended benefits from the project, for example, lower energy consumption and costs, are achieved
It is important to consider the scope of your project in detail. Any changes after this stage might increase costs or be difficult to do.
Asking the right questions will help you define the scope of a project. This will help you to identify the:
- desired project outcomes
- project’s spatial requirements
- important site and building issues and constraints
- statutory and legislative processes and requirements
- budget
Reviewing your options
Once you have defined the scope of your project, you must identify what different options are available to you to achieve the desired outcomes. These will include:
- maintenance works
- internal redesign
- extensions
- refurbishment
- new build
- modular buildings
Option appraisal
You should carry out an appraisal of the options you identify. Option appraisal is an evidence-based process to help you make investment decisions. This applies for all new investments, whether capital or revenue.
You should clearly understand the desired outcomes of the project. This will allow you to measure success after the project has been delivered.
By comparing options against set criteria, you can make a decision that is:
- unbiased
- transparent
- reviewed for risk
- offers value for money
This encourages innovation and consideration of alternative models of service provision.
When comparing different options, you should consider:
- cost
- timescale
- impact on (or disruption to) current services
- funding sources
- risks
- whole life issues (whole life appraisal)
- quality
- appearance
You should consider the significance of each of these factors for your project. You may need to weight or prioritise them in your evaluation.
Whole life issues
Do not focus solely on the initial cost. Consider the performance of the asset over its life, such as the future maintenance needs or energy costs (also known as life cycle costing analysis).
Some studies show that over a 30-year period, the operational costs for a building can be 5 to 10 times as much as the initial capital cost. Consideration of the long-term impact of investment is referred to as whole life appraisal.
Issues to take account of in a whole life appraisal include:
- minimum lifespan of materials and systems
- repairs - including the cost of disruption while repairs take place
- maintenance and redecoration
- energy use
- environmental and social impact
- the flexibility of the building for alternative future uses
- financial issues – such as long-term financing, operational costs including rent, rates and income, and facilities management costs
- procurement options
- acquisition costs
- ownership and potential disposal
Your decision should not focus solely on short-term cost comparisons. Investing more initially can often save money and improve building and service performance in the longer term. You should always consider the revenue implications of capital investments.
This requires a rigorous assessment. Decision makers should be given clear information on the whole life implications of each option and take decisions in that wider context.
The Constructing Excellence factsheet (PDF, 2.18MB) provides more information on how to consider operational costs alongside capital costs, during the life cycle of the building.
The degree of detail and effort put into the option appraisal will depend of the value, importance and longevity of the decision.
Delivering a project on site can have a significant impact on the school’s operation. It’s essential that the delivery of any project on site is carried out in accordance with agreed programmes, procedures and protocols.
Good project delivery makes sure that:
- the impact on school operations are minimised
- appropriate and constructive communication takes place between the contractor and school operation
- projects are delivered within the approved budget and risks of financial penalties are minimised
- potential contract performance issues are identified and appropriate actions are taken to minimise delays
A new or refurbished school building needs to be operated properly and maintained effectively. You need to ensure you understand and are prepared to take on these responsibilities. You must work with the contractor to prepare for handover.