Meeting documents

In order to inform the asset review process accurately 2 forms of information or intelligence need to be assembled and maintained,

Portfolio Intelligence

Information concerning the properties themselves

o Tenure & Use

o Condition & `Fitness for Purpose'

o Value, Cost & Income

o Capacity & Utilisation

o Efficiency & Sustainability

o Statutory Compliance

Service Intelligence

Information concerning the occupiers, their needs now and into the foreseeable future

o Statutory Changes

o Service Growth / Service Decline

o New Service Delivery Models

o Changing Service Standards

o Changes in Service Frequency,

o Length & nature

o Changes in Service Location

4.1 Portfolio Intelligence

4.1.1 Condition and Repairs & Maintenance

4.1.1.1 Introduction

Property Services undertake a programme of condition surveys to identify and review the condition of all elements of buildings and prioritise outstanding repairs and maintenance.

These involve a full survey of the individual property by an experienced building surveyor. The primary intention is to record the condition, state of repair and structural integrity of all elements of each building, identify specific areas of the building which are in need of repair and record an estimated cost of remedying that repair. The surveys are carried out in full consultation and liaison with the occupier through the building manager or tenant as appropriate. Included in these arrangements are all statutory responsibilities such as fire precautions and Health & Safety.

The City of Bath is a world heritage site and standards of R&M need to reflect this status. In this connection conservation guidance has been prepared; see below for a further explanation of this.

4.1.1.2 Operational portfolio including schools

A five year cycle of surveys was originally developed and the vast majority of buildings have now been inspected. All surveys are reviewed annually, an important part of such review is a discussion with the building manager on the Service priorities in relation to the maintenance of the building and how these aspirations can be reflected in the Repairs & Maintenance (R&M) programme.

Completed surveys provide information which feeds into the Property Performance Model and form part of the Asset Review process either geographically, by Service or other category.

4.1.1.3 Revenue portfolio

Tenanted property demands an alternative approach depending on the repairing terms in the relevant lease. Many leases are drawn on fully repairing terms which mean that the tenant is responsible for all repairs. In these cases the Council is concerned with ensuring that repairs and carried out and that buildings do not deteriorate. In certain cases however leases provide for the Council to be responsible for (typically) the main structure and exterior. The Council will generally, in these circumstances, also retain responsibility for the common areas of the building such as staircases, entrance halls etc. At these properties condition information and prioritisation of R&M is considered in the same way as the operational portfolio.

4.1.1.4 R&M budgets

The Repairs and Maintenance budget provides responsive repairs to all Council properties. Planned maintenance is funded by an allocation from the Capital Programme. These budgets are inevitably less than the total requirement and the difference represents the maintenance backlog details of which are recorded by means of the Condition Survey programme.

The total R&M backlog is then prioritised by reference to fitness for purpose and in accordance with all other parameters surrounding suitability of the stock. The various budgets are submitted for approval annually and performance reported regularly to the Property Board.

4.1.1.5 R&M Strategy

A key aspiration revolves around not only understanding the condition of the stock and the outstanding repairs and maintenance but putting in place a strategy to manage and reduce any backlog. This is always going to be difficult in the light of not only general financial pressures but also increasing requirements and standards as a result of more onerous statutory requirements and regulations and the ongoing pressures of the Council's desire to contribute to the maintenance of the City of Bath as a world heritage site.

The R&M strategy is evolving and will be developed further as an action point. Conservation guidance has already been published in order to raise awareness of these issues and increase standards in the maintenance of Council buildings and will be incorporated as part of the AMP.

4.2 Service Intelligence

Service intelligence concerns the requirements of the occupiers and their perception of the suitability of the property they occupy.

The best use of resources needs to compliment where possible service delivery and reflect occupiers aspirations as part of the service planning process. Active and ongoing consultation is a key element of this. This presently comprises three distinct areas:

a) Building Suitability

b) Property Services Division Performance (Customer satisfaction.)

c) Project Performance

All areas of consultation as above include stakeholders and users to ensure that future requirements from assets are identified.

One of the key characteristics of property is the strong statutory and legislative framework. This is constantly evolving and generally becoming increasingly onerous to the owner and/or occupier of land and buildings.

4.2.1Suitability Surveys of Buildings

A corporate wide survey on property suitability is undertaken at regular intervals. The survey requests all Council services to consider the suitability of the property in terms of eg location; service delivery; occupier satisfaction; overcrowding; under-use and accessibility. The survey also invites Services to consider future accommodation needs and current or future potential sharing arrangements in relation to occupation.

A revised survey is currently being formulated and this will inform the Property Performance Model and additionally will provide valuable information for the system of proposed Option Appraisals. To raise an awareness of the importance and to encourage participation, as response is often low, it is intended to have on going dialogue and one to one meetings with building users/managers to increase the profile of these surveys.

4.2.2 Customer Feedback Surveys

Property Services has for the past four years implemented an annual questionnaire to assess customer feedback from clients and stakeholders of all its services. The results are analysed and aggregated to arrive at an overall level of customer satisfaction. This forms a local performance indicator. The primary aim is to achieve continuous improvement in the level of satisfaction with quality and the level of service given by both the Estates and Building Consultancy elements of Property Services.

This will also feed into the service planning process. The results will highlight problem areas which will lead to one to one meetings with the relevant stakeholder / user bodies where any identified problems can be addressed.

4.2.3 Post Project Reviews ( PPR'S )

For all building projects with a capital value in excess of £50,000, a Post Project Review (PPR) is carried out. This comprises a meeting with all parties to the project i.e. client, end user, contractor, consultants together with the Property Services project team. Such meeting is programmed to be held around 3 months after practical completion. An action list is produced to address any outstanding issues.

A report is produced from each PPR which together with the questionnaire information contains performance data which is used to improve the future performance of the Building Consultancy.