11
Accepted
The Department recognised that it had failed to manage the Weybridge site properly given its...
Conclusion
The Department recognised that it had failed to manage the Weybridge site properly given its importance as a national asset. It said that it had approached the management of the site as if it was just a property asset, and had not recognised the wider importance of the science capability and the elements that are required to support that. The Department also confirmed that there had been a lack of investment during the 2000s.22 The National Audit Office highlighted that the Department had not had an appropriate strategy in place to manage the site over the past 20 years, or regular consideration of the strategic management of Weybridge at its board. It also highlighted the lack of investment in laboratory capacity and on-going maintenance.23
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee’s conclusion and commits to fully adopting new asset management policies, a campus strategy by Q4 2022-23, implementing a new operational asset strategy, and improving facilities management with increased technical staffing and a procurement focused on science-specific capabilities.
Government Response
Accepted
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2023 2.2 The Asset Management Policy, Asset Management Plan, Weybridge Campus Strategy, (including Development Control Plan), are on target to be fully adopted by Quarter 4 of 2022-23. Asset Management lessons learnt have been included in the procurement for the new Workplace and Facilities Management contract and these are set out below. 2.3 The planned Target Operating Model (TOM) post contract commencement will deliver an operational asset strategy from a bespoke blend of industry standard maintenance standards. The Service and Facilities Group 20 (SFG20) - the industry definitive standard for building maintenance specifications) and the Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) - an industry standard set by the NHS, will drive asset maintenance. This regime will provide the asset data and condition information, used in conjunction with the campus building strategy, to create the forward maintenance register and subsequent replacement plans. 2.4 The procurement has focussed on evaluating bidders against their capability and capacity, through science specific evaluation to deliver services to the Weybridge estate. To drive a strong technical response, bidders are being assessed on a 70:30 Quality: Cost ratio. All bidders have had a site tour and briefing from APHA Directors and the department’s Chief Engineer about site requirements. To be successful each bidder must demonstrate capability to deliver to the standards required. 2.5 The future service provider’s sub-contracting model is being tested in evaluation to ensure a balance of technical specialism and resilience. Once contracted the service provider will have full access to incumbent sub-contractors to enable knowledge retention. A key area of focus is the increase in capacity and capability of the Facilities Management team. Weybridge will have a dedicated Technical Services team with an increase of around 50% in technical management.
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Report
Twenty-Fourth Report - Redevelopment of Defra’s animal health infrastructure
16 Nov 2022
HC 42
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
3.7 yrs
Report published
16 Nov 2022