Master Plan

The college need to ascertain the viability of building on their chosen site. A desktop survey may need to be undertaken initially to highlight adverse site conditions.

Planning

The college will need to assess the planning constraints associated with their proposals and the local planners should be consulted at an early stage to avoid abortive work.

Sustainability – See Sustainability

Programme

The project programme provides an essential management tool to control the process through to completion. It should identify all necessary inputs and tasks encompassing relevant opportunities and constraints. The detail will depend on the scope and complexity of the project. As a minimum key milestones should be highlighted with timescales and completion dates. The following tasks are typical:

• Appointment of advisers and consultants
• Acquisition and disposal tasks
• Research, searches, surveys
• Stakeholder consultations
• Approvals and sign offs including college Corporations, Statutory approvals and LSC capital committee
• Design process
• Tender process, appointing contractors
• Construction on site, phasing
• Occupation and fit out

Cost Planning and Cash Flow

Cost planning should be undertaken from completion of the space model and early options generation through to the receipt of tendered costs. A cost plan should include costs associated with all aspects of a development and typically will include the following aspects:

• Construction (e.g. new build and refurbishment)
• Demolition
• Site abnormals and costs associated with compliance with conditions or Section 106 agreements which may be attached to planning permission
• Site Works ( e.g. hard and soft landscaping, services)
• Costs associated with the integration of sustainable design features
• Fit Out
• Temporary works and accommodation
• Contingencies
• VAT
• Inflation
• On-costs (e.g. Building Regulation and Planning Application fees)
• Land Acquisition / Disposal
• Professional Fees

The method used to define the cost plan will vary at different stages of the project with the degree of accuracy and certainty increasing as the elements of the project become more defined.

The project cashflow is compiled by combining the cost plan information and the project programme. This allows the expenditure and income to be allocated to the financial forecast which determine affordability.

The LSC also have cost benchmarks for both nett and gross project costs which must be adhered to. These benchmarks are updated twice annually and reference should be made to the Regional Property Advisor for current information.

Risk Management

Risk is inherent in all projects and risk management establishes procedures by which the risk is managed. It is a systematic approach to identifying analysing and instigating unwanted potential project outcomes.

The formal management tool is the risk register. It enables the risks to be tested and monitored for the duration of the project.