Estates & Facilities

We support clients in the development of the "bigger picture" and help them develop their estates strategy through establishing a programme of agreed tasks at project inception. This includes data gathering and analysis, key stakeholder engagement sessions to capture vision, values and ambitions, and how that all translates into a plan for the estate in terms of physical assets that can fully support future clinical aspirations and demand. The strategy developed will help the Trust in their delivery of the estate function and support Net Zero, digital and social value objectives. We work closely with the Estates and Facilities team to understand "where are we now" and establish a roadmap to get to "where do we want to be". We also assist clients with estate strategies that are part of the New Hospital Programmes and in line with guidance through all design stages and through to operation.

Our asset management support can be delivered in a way that best fits with client requirements and includes whole life cost modelling and lifecycle planning, taking the client on a journey to help them identify the "why" and the "when" to invest in their asset base. Using guiding principles of good lifecycle practice and based on the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, we help clients establish robust asset management plans to aid long-term decision making, reduce operational risk and optimise investments to maximise value.

The FM services delivered in a property or estate can mean many things to different clients; therefore we examine current strategies that set out the principles the estate or property are being delivered against and understand how the estate and FM services are supporting the overarching business objectives. We develop a detailed understanding of people, price, performance, place and processes. This then allows us to make strategic recommendations around next steps such as service variations, benchmarking and cost optimisation, and potential procurement approaches that will deliver clearly defined efficiencies whilst still ensuring effective service delivery. We support clients in developing a case for change and supporting evidence such as "should-cost" modelling.

FM services are often among the largest and most operationally sensitive contracts an NHS organisation or its subsidiary will let, touching patients, staff and the clinical environment every day. We support clients through the re-procurement of hard and soft FM services, whether as single-service contracts, bundled lots or a total FM solution, from initial options appraisal through to contract award and handover into mobilisation. Our work begins with a clear understanding of the current service: the incumbent contract, performance data, the cost base and the workforce affected, including TUPE implications. From there we develop the procurement strategy and supporting business case, test the delivery model (in-house, outsourced or hybrid), and build "should-cost" models that give clients an evidence-based view of what services ought to cost before the market responds. We prepare the full tender pack, including output specifications, commercial schedules and pricing mechanisms for services such as cleaning, catering, portering, linen and laundry, waste, security, and planned and reactive maintenance. We also design KPI regimes that link performance to financial consequence, and advise on commercial matters such as the VAT treatment of contracted-out services. Throughout, we manage engagement across estates, facilities, clinical, finance and infection prevention stakeholders, run compliant processes under the Procurement Act 2023 or through established frameworks, and support evaluation, moderation and governance approvals so that decisions stand up to scrutiny.

We help clients map out their space utilisation data and, where this is absent, we support the client in developing a clear understanding through space utilisation surveys, whereby we actively monitor space use over a defined period. This approach means that a lack of robust data is not a barrier to clients being able and supported to make informed and evidence-based decisions. The purpose of the space utilisation analysis is often multifaceted and undertaken to satisfy more than one objective; we work with our clients to maximise the value of the activity and help satisfy all requirements. As part of this exercise we collate data, capture live space utilisation data (if required) and engage with key stakeholders to understand where there are operational pressures in terms of under and over utilisation of premises. The way we provide the insight and data back to clients is often bespoke based on their individual requirements.

We help clients develop maintenance strategies which identify "how" to maintain their asset base in line with their estate's strategies and asset management plans, with approaches ranging from planned preventative maintenance through to business-focused maintenance and predictive maintenance. Different strategies can be applied to different asset bases depending on their planned productivity and criticality to the business. The maintenance strategy captures and substantiates each approach, including the case for change, and identifies the required resources, systems and data required to ensure success.

We support clients in categorising their estate into 'core, flex and tail' and, using key activity metrics and data, we devise a rationalisation plan that supports the acquisition of new premises and disposal of properties clients either own, occupy or control. This type of activity requires access to strategies and plans the client is working towards delivering alongside key property data, space utilisation data, FM services information and any operational contracts that are in place. This approach permits assessment and futureproof planning of the individual property compared to the overall estate and helps establish a long-term rationalisation strategy that can be timebound and monitored against.