You are in :
  HEFCE

Report 98/26

Improving poor estates: Awards by the HEFCE 1998

To Heads of HEFCE-funded institutions
Heads of DENI-funded universities
Of interest to those responsible for Estates and Finance
Reference 98/26
Publication date May 1998
Enquiries to John Rushforth tel 0117 931 7416
e-mail j.rushforth@hefce.ac.uk
Stuart Cross tel 0117 931 7348
e-mail s.cross@hefce.ac.uk
Andrew Smith tel 0117 931 7001
e-mail a.smith@hefce.ac.uk

Executive summary

Purpose

1. This document announces the awards by the HEFCE under its 1998 initiative to improve poor estates.

Key points

2. We received 230 bids, requesting over £289 million. Following a two-stage assessment process, the HEFCE Board agreed to fund 45 projects totalling £52 million.

Action required

3. No action is required.

Background

4. HEFCE 97/22 invited institutions to bid for funds to improve poor estates. The initiative was targeted at major capital refurbishments and projects related to restructuring and more efficient use of space. We also invited proposals to improve inadequate library and learning resource facilities.

5. Institutions were expected to provide funds to match the contribution requested from the Council.

6. An advisory panel drawn from the HEFCE Board and the sector's representative bodies (CVCP and SCOP) oversaw the competition. Details of the panel's membership are attached at Annex A.

Assessment

7. The initiative was run in two phases:

a. Institutions submitted project definitions in a standard format by 15 December 1997. We received 230 bids, requesting just over £289 million. The advisory panel agreed a screening process, which was applied to produce a long-list of 93 projects.

b. The advisory panel scored the long-list of bids. These marks were consolidated and reviewed by the panel at its meeting on 16 April 1998. The panel then made recommendations on funding to the HEFCE Board. The panel is currently reviewing the screening process.

Awards

8. We originally set aside £105 million for the financial years 1998-2001. Based on the recommendations of the advisory panel, the Board agreed to fund 45 projects totalling £52 million, phased over three years. The awards are listed at Annex B.

9. All institutions have been offered a grant based upon 50 per cent of the estimated total project costs detailed at Annex B, subject to the following:

a. Where actual project costs exceed the bid estimate, the level of grant stated at Annex B will not be increased.

b. Where actual project costs are below the bid estimate, the level of grant will be reduced pro-rata.

c. No institution is being offered more than £4 million.

Conditions of grant

10. HEFCE Estates Advisers will visit successful institutions to agree project costs, profiles of expenditure and the method of grant payment. Awards are subject to institutions providing further information and, in the case of projects recommended to receive more than £2 million, a visit by a panel member and Council officers.

Audit and evaluation

11. We will audit the awards to check that the work described in the bid has been carried out, and that value for money has been obtained from the funds.

12. We will also carry out an evaluation to assess the impact of the initiative.

Further information

13. We will provide the sector with further feedback on the bids received and consult on the 1999 round of the initiative in June.

Annex A

Membership of the advisory panel

Mr Brian Fender (Chair) Chief Executive, HEFCE
Dr Keith Taylor Chairman and Chief Executive, Esso UK plc
Ms Caroline Neville Principal, Norwich City College of Further and Higher Education
Professor Sir Gareth Roberts Vice-Chancellor, University of Sheffield
Ms Dorma Urwin Principal, Worcester College of Higher Education
Professor Gary Crossley Deputy Director, The Surrey Institute of Art and Design
Professor Maxwell Irvine Vice-Chancellor, University of Birmingham
Professor John Bull Vice-Chancellor, University of Plymouth
HEFCE Secretariat
Mr Steve Egan Director of Finance and Corporate Resources
Mr John Rushforth Head of Estates
Mrs Susan Holloway Clerk to Panel

Annex B

Institution Title of project Total project cost
£000 		Funding recommended
£000
Bolton Institute of HE Chadwick refurbishment 1,500 750
Bournemouth University Poole House refurbishment 1,557 778
Bretton Hall Renewal of underground heating mains and teaching accommodation 622 311
Brunel University Refurbishment for the Faculty of Arts 422 211
University of Central Lancashire Refurbishment of the Maudland Building 2,733 1,366
Cheltenham and Gloucester College of HE Park Campus, Main Building - Learning Centre refurbishment 856 428
Chichester Institute of HE Alterations and refurbishment to St Michael's House, Bognor Regis campus 2,600 1,300
Cumbria College of Art & Design Main building redevelopment and replacement of Portacabins 4,252 2,126
De Montfort University Hawthorn refurbishment (Phase 2) 7,038 ) 4,000
De Montfort University Clephan refurbishment 5,932 } Combined
De Montfort University Lincoln City rationalisation and refurbishment 2,620 ) Total
Edge Hill College of HE Open access IT and multi-media teaching and learning centre 1,713 856
Edge Hill College of HE Teaching and Learning Building 1,341 670
Goldsmiths College Replacement of Back field Huts A and B with new two-storey brick clad building 994 497
University of Huddersfield Redevelopment of the Queensgate Campus 1,879 940
University of Kent at Canterbury Templeman Library improvements 260 130
Kent Institute of Art & Design Concrete repair work - Maidstone and Rochester Colleges 429 214
King Alfred's College, Winchester Library extension for independent learning 3,227 1,613
Leeds Metropolitan University City campus learning centre 12,706 4,000
Liverpool John Moores University Trueman Street campus: rationalisation of Trueman Building and relocation of Sports Science 1,285 642
London School of Economics & Political Science Library remodelling and creation of a learning resources centre 12,000 4,000
University of Luton Space rationalisation project 821 410
Nene College Learning resource centre 3,420 1,710
Norwich School of Art & Design Lecture theatre 235 117
Nottingham Trent University Waverley refurbishment / restructuring 1,800 900
Nottingham Trent University Clifton Hall relocation and disposal 4,000 2,000
Oxford Brookes University Learning resources centre and pooled teaching rooms 1,556 778
Oxford Brookes University Part refurbishment of Sinclair Building 1,762 881
University of Plymouth Overcladding of Smeaton Building 1,472 736
University of Plymouth Plymouth Library refurbishment 794 397
University of Plymouth Overcladding of Davy Building 1,740 870
Ravensbourne College Refurbishment and additions to library facilities and learning resource centre 400 200
Roehampton Institute Richardson Building 113 56
Rose Bruford College Replacement library at Lamorbey Park Campus 595 297
Sheffield Hallam University Mary Badland/Eastgrove refurbishment 1,866 933
South Bank University Old extension refurbishment 2,773 1,387
University of Southampton Winchester School of Art new build and re-modelling 1,500 750
University of Southampton New College restructuring, Building A 310 155
University of Surrey Remodelling of large open laboratories 891 445
University of Sussex Falmer House refurbishment 1,750 875
University of Teesside Clarendon Building repairs and refurbishment 3,500 1,750
Thames Valley University Improving poor estates 8,121 4,000
The London Institute London Institute accommodation strategy - consolidation of London College of Printing onto a single site at Elephant and Castle 20,766 4,000
University of Wolverhampton Shropshire teaching block 4,753 2,377
Worcester College of HE Modernisation and development of teaching facilities for sport and performance arts 2,574 1,287
Total 133,478 52,143