The UK's Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has announced that it is extending its ground breaking Property Benchmarking Service for central Government and making access to the service available across the wider public sector through the establishment of a new framework on the OGC's online Contracts Database.
Launched in 2006, the Property Benchmarking Service has established OGC as a leader in providing public sector asset managers with the tools to measure and report on the business contribution of their real estate assets and services, and the knowledge they need to drive continuous improvement. The service provides an analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of a building's performance against key indicators. Its use became mandatory from April 2008 across Whitehall for office buildings over 500 m² and it has already contributed to delivering strong property asset management in central government.
The newly-established four-year framework, delivered by OGC's supply partners IPD Occupiers, specialists in property performance measurement, will allow the service to continue to develop and expand its scope. This will provide the catalyst for the delivery of further potential savings and greater efficiency across the whole of the public sector.
The data will include all operational property costs, space usage, environmental consumption data and workplace productivity information. It will then be analyzed and scored against Government targets and measured against private sector performance.
The service is part of the OGC's High Performing Property initiative, which aims to save up to £1.5 billion annually by 2013. It has already helped managers to target improvements in key buildings and has given Government departments access to performance indicators that challenge environmental performance across all office buildings.
Speaking about the service, Nigel Smith, OGC Chief Executive said: "The property benchmarking service has already seen success in central Government and by providing access to the wider public sector we hope to spread the best practice and benefits that it can bring. In the current economic climate it is essential that public sector organisations utilise tools and initiatives that can help to guarantee them value for money. This service will do just that.
"From the work the OGC has already done on improving the government estate, we have concluded that improved use of workspace is the most effective way of achieving significant efficiency savings from the public sector's property portfolio. It will also have a beneficial impact on the sustainability performance of the public sector estate."
The new framework can be accessed via http://www.ogc.gov.uk/contractsdatabase/list_all_contracts_1410.asp
Source: OGC
