Portfolio Services - service catalogue

Estates strategies

Our role

At the point of asset transfer, we will assign you with a client manager, and develop a strategic asset management plan which we will update annually. Our client manager will discuss the ongoing requirements with you, and these demands will be considered against our Locality Portfolio Plans (where available) and our regional strategies. Transfers will require our approval when new aquisitions or retention of leased properties are required.

Your role

We require you to provide annual up-to-date strategic location plans for your department.

Our client manager will also require data on where your department strategy requirements are changing.

Service level

To maintain a high service level, an annual review will be conducted in alignment with the Strategic Asset Management Plan. We will provide a report on all lease expiries and breaks three years prior to the event date. Engagement with client on options will be undertaken 18 months prior to the occupancy agreement event date.

Estate optimisation and efficiency

Our role

We provide recommendations to you regarding efficiency, rationalisation and optimisation of spaces. We will also compile a quarterly performance report providing metrics on your properties, assessing the performance and occupancy levels (where available), and will hold detailed data on the assets. We will also support planning to improve the condition of the asset and their sustainability performance. This will help maximise the utilisation of your portfolio and minimise cost.

Your role

This process requires you to provide the data to support these metrics, for example full-time equivalent data.

Service level

Your performance report will be updated quarterly including up-to-date data as provided by you.

Space finding and Space management

Our role

To meet your requirements, we can find you space within the government estate, or help manage void space by backfilling through known demand.

Your role

For this to happen, you need to complete the new demand request form providing sufficient details on the requirements. You will need to obtain the necessary approvals from your organisation.

Service level

A response to your initial enquiry will be provided within two working days. We will endeavour to deliver the project if required to the agreed timescales and budget.

Managed services agreement

Our role

At the point of the transfer of the asset, both our teams will sign an initial Managed Services Agreement (MSA). Once completed, the MSA will need to be refreshed annually, with the process being managed by our client manager. The annual refresh will take place a year from the date of signature of the original MSA. This refresh will capture any changes to the property portfolio or services taken, which will be noted in the appendices of the MSA.

Your role

It will be your responsibility to initially review the standard MSA template and propose any requests for exceptions. The initial completed MSA, including any approved exceptions, and the annual refresh, will be signed by you.

Service level

The refreshed MSA will be updated by us annually, following agreement between us on the changes required to the property portfolio or services taken. All MSAs are subject to annual review.

Accurate Insite reporting

Our role

The mandated Insite fields required for annual reporting will be updated by us. The exceptions for this will be data related to building users which will be the responsibility of the department. These reports should be updated on a quarterly basis. Data can be conveyed to us in an agreed format, or updated directly to Insite to allow us to undertake sufficient building utilisation performance monitoring.

Your role

Building user data and building data out of our scope needs to be provided by you. Your department will be required to undertake the final sign off and validation of any submissions. This will ensure that all property costs and data for departmental activities are captured, which may have been undertaken outside of our remit and for the transferred estate.

Service level

The system will be updated within five working days of the change taking place.

Ministerial and parliamentary correspondence and Freedom of Information requests

Our role

We will cover the provision of data and subject matter expertise for properties or services managed by us. This is available to all tenants in our managed estate. However, it does not extend to occupations in other government department properties.

Your role

It is necessary for you to draft the response itself, using data and subject matter expertise input
from us.

Service level

Data and subject matter expertise will be provided by us to a timeline agreed with you, enabling you to meet the overall deadline for response. The input from us will be cleared at SCS1.

Our role

To ensure accurate budgeting and forecasting of property income and cost, we will create a consolidated invoice every quarter, underpinned by a client budget for the full year expenditure. The client budget will be based upon Strategic Asset Management Plans as agreed with your client manager, typically in the summer prior. We will also provide the property and financial details to support your business cases and approvals.

We operate using two charging methodologies for building related services:

• Quarterly charges based on annual property budgets and agreed apportionment methodology with ‘true-up’ reconciliation following year-end.
• Additional ad hoc charges invoiced monthly in arrears.

The charging methodology is determined by the expenditure classification. Charging methodologies for building-related services are applied at the property level. We will pass through the costs of service contracts.

For variable costs such as projects you request:

• You will agree a cost estimate with us in advance.
• We will undertake the work and invoice monthly in arrears.

Your role

In respect of the following operating year, or ahead of the transfer of assets, you will agree your Strategic Asset Management Plan with your client manager and the subsequent budget with our Client Finance team in Q4. You will also consider an appropriate level of contingency in onward funding requests to cover cost volatility. We will provide an agreement of cost estimates for variable cost projects.

Service level

You will be allocated a client finance manager who will advise on all property finance matters, including a quarterly finance reporting meeting and annual budget meeting to support department financial planning.