New and improved Estates
Professional Services procurement arrangements launched by OGCbuying.Solutions
OGCBUYING.SOLUTIONS
News Release (Ref.EPS1109) issued by COI News Distribution Service.
17 September 2008
New and improved
Estates Professional Services procurement arrangements launched by OGCbuying.solutions
Organisations across the public sector striving to manage their
estates more efficiently and sustainably are to be assisted by new
and improved procurement arrangements launched today by OGCbuying.solutions.
The new Estates Professional Services framework agreement builds
on the successful performance of previous arrangements by adding
additional features and incorporating detailed feedback from
customers and other stakeholders.
For the first time the new framework agreement includes rating
support services. As a result, the dedicated rating support
framework agreement will be allowed to expire later this year.
The comprehensive service set ranges from a full appraisal of an
organisation's business needs and existing holdings in an
estate strategy, through to individual rent reviews or disposals.
These new procurement arrangements are designed to assist public
sector organisations to manage their estates in line with the
requirements outlined within:
* The Office of Government Commerce's 'High Performing
Property' programme which sets out the framework and
direction for improving strategic property asset management in
central government over a 5 year period with key actions,
milestones and objectives aimed at saving between £1 billion and
£1.5 billion per annum by 2013.
* HM Treasury 'Transforming Government Procurement'
which unveils a range of public procurement reforms to equip the
UK in the next decade with the capability to deliver world class
public services in the face of growing challenges of global
competition, changing demographics and increasing pressures on
natural resources.
Karen Webb, Category Director - Facilities, at Buying Solutions,
said today "The effective management of the public sector
estate has never been more important, or more under the spotlight.
"Getting it right can save the public purse a lot of money
and, at the same time, ensure that buildings, which produce
significant quantities of C02, operate as efficiently and
sustainably as possible.
"Defining the most appropriate property portfolio, taking
the necessary steps to achieve it and then managing it
successfully, requires a broad range of skills and experience.
Even the largest organisations need to pull in specialist
assistance or additional resources from time to time to meet
specific requirements.
"Our new Estates Professional Services framework agreement
has been refreshed and improved with additional features following
a detailed consultation process with stakeholders. It provides a
quick, easy and EU-compliant route to just the kind of quality,
professional advice and services that the public sector is looking
for, delivered by a range of highly regarded and carefully
selected suppliers."
The new Estates Professional Services framework agreement covers
advice, guidance, negotiation and assistance on property and
estates issues including:
* Acquisition of freehold and leasehold property
* Disposal of freehold and leasehold property
* Rent reviews
* Lease breaks and lease expiries
* Lease renewals
* Dilapidations
* Landlord and Tenant issues including Landlord consents, service
charges and claims
* Rating support services
* Strategic advice, including the preparation and development of
an estate strategy
* Procurement strategy for property related issues
* Development consultancy and advice
* Valuations
* Planning
* Condition surveys
* Service assurance
* Compulsory purchase
* General advice on estate and property management
Approved Estates Professional Services suppliers are: Atisreal,
Colliers CRE, Drivers Jonas, DTZ, GVA Grimley, King Sturge, Knight
Frank and Lambert Smith Hampton.
One contributor to the collaborative effort that went into
formulating the new framework agreement was Peter Jones, the
Director of Birmingham Property Services, the UK's largest
in-house local authority property consultancy which successfully
manages a portfolio worth in excess of £4 billion.
Peter's team has used the Buying Solutions arrangements for
a number of years to source specialist estates advice and
additional resources. Peter Jones said today: "From time to
time, we need a way of engaging specialist support or extra
capacity to meet specific needs or circumstances. Historically we
used our own framework agreements for sourcing these individuals
or services but when those arrangements needed renewing I was
shocked at the potential costs and timeframe for procuring a stand
alone framework.
"It looked a long, expensive and distracting prospect so
when we came across the OGCbuying.solutions Estates Professional
Services arrangements they seemed perfect for us and they have
worked extremely well. "For example the City Council has
recently completed, in quick succession, three large, seven figure
deals with Tesco. These deals involve very skilled and specialised
negotiations with people who spend most of their professional
lives working on deals like these.
"It's essential to field equally skilled individuals to
ensure that the people of Birmingham got the best possible deals.
We may not do another deal like these for several years, so
engaging a specialist on a project by project basis makes perfect
sense for us."
For more details go to http://www.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk
or call the Customer Service Desk on 0845 410 2222.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
OGCbuying.solutions is the trading arm of the Office of
Government Commerce, which is itself an office of HM Treasury.
It provides public sector procurement professionals with a route
to the products and services they need to maximise procurement
efficiency and value for money. Its contracts and framework
agreements offer substantial savings through significant buying
power, economies of scale and strategic partnerships.
Rigorous tendering and evaluation processes ensure that products
and services are checked for quality, price competitiveness,
fitness for purpose and compliance with statutory requirements.
These products and services are available through
OGCbuying.solutions' framework agreements, managed services
and other procurement arrangements.
More details are available on the website: http://www.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk
The Office of Government Commerce is an independent office of HM
Treasury, established to help Government deliver best value from
its spending. The OGC works with central Government departments
and other public sector organisations to provide policy standards
and guidance on best practice in procurement, projects and estate
management, and monitors and challenges Departments'
performance against these standards, grounded in an evidence base
of information and assurance.
It promotes and fosters collaborative procurement across the
public sector to deliver better value for money and better public
services; and it provides innovative ways to develop
Government's commercial and procurement capability, including
leadership of the Government Procurement Service.
More details are available on the website: http://www.ogc.gov.uk