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Report 13 of the 19 March 2009 meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee and provides an update on stage 2 of the Safer Neighbourhoods property programme.

Warning: This is archived material and may be out of date. The Metropolitan Police Authority has been replaced by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC).

See the MOPC website for further information.

Stage 2 of the Safer Neighbourhoods property programme – update

Report: 13
Date: 19 March 2009
By: Director of Resources on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

Award of Contracts for the Stage 2 of the Safer Neighbourhoods Property Programme was approved by MPA Finance Committee in December 2007.

Contracts were awarded in January 2008 and work to deliver the 124 bases contained within the programme has commenced. The first 13 bases have been completed and work is progressing with a further 58 already in the process of development (at end of January 2009).

Work has been substantially completed to retro-fit signage to the bases constructed under Stage 1 of the programme and work is also underway to install cycle storage facilities at a number of Stage 1 bases.

In November 2008 MPA Finance and Resources Committee approved the revision of the Capital Programme, which included the re-phasing of Stage 2 of the programme over 3 financial years rather than the 2 years originally approved. A separate paper to be presented to this committee covers the financial implications of this re-phasing.

A. Recommendations

That members note the progress made on Stage 2 of the Safer Neighbourhoods Property Programme.

B. Supporting information

1. The 2nd Stage of the Safer Neighbourhoods (SN2) Programme consists of Bases for approximately 170 SN teams in approximately 124 separate locations.

2. The MPA Finance Committee on 11 December 2007 approved the award of 3 Contracts for Safer Neighbourhoods Stage 2:

  • Acquisition Specialist – OGC Estates Professional Services Framework – Bruton Knowles
  • Employers Agent / Cost Consultant – OGC Project Management & Full Design Team Services Framework – Drivers Jonas
  • Design (Architect & Engineers), Develop & Construct Contractor – SECE Major Contractors Framework – Mansell Construction

3. The Governance Structure required for the administration of this stage of the project has been led by TPHQ, with engagement from MPA Officers, and consists of a Steering Group, and a Project Board. The terms of reference for both of these committees has been revised to reflect the recent changes of structure of the MPA Committees. It has been agreed that the Steering Group provides reports at 6 monthly intervals to MPA Finance and Resources Committee, (previously via Estates Oversight Group), on progress and budgetary issues. This is the second of these regular reports. MPS Project Board reports on a monthly basis to MPS Steering Group and the most recent of these reports is attached at Appendix 1 (Exempt).

4. Phase 2 works commenced in January 2008 with the new supply chain. One of the immediate tasks was to review the data regarding numbers and locations of bases and a prioritisation scheme to be approved by Steering Group. This has been achieved and the number of Bases to be constructed was refined to 119. This has been under constant review and currently stands at 128.

5. A second detailed review of the Construction Budgets has been undertaken by the Employers Agent and approved by the Project Board, demonstrating that despite rising construction costs during 2008 it is currently predicted that the programme can be completed within the revised budget (as set at 2008/09). The rise in Construction costs has levelled off and is expected to decline during the first half of 2009, and this will enhance the opportunity of delivering the programme within the revised budget. This assessment is, however, based on the theoretical number and size of bases and will be actively monitored as the programme progresses to ensure that this is achieved. The early part of the programme has undoubtedly concentrated on the more straightforward options, and as we get to the end of the programme, we may well have to accept more expensive locations to meet the operational requirements.

6. Works on site commenced on 28th March 2008 on the first of the Bases to be constructed and to date 13 Bases have been completed, with a further 3 Bases now on site. Progress to date is assessed as being approximately 8 weeks behind the baseline programme, most of this delay being attributable to the substantial ‘learning curve’ / “mobilisation period” to be addressed by the new supply chain. However progress in finalising Lease Agreements has also been slower than anticipated, due in large part to the complex requirements of the MPA as a tenant, in comparison with commercial organisations and substantial effort is now being put into concluding a number of agreements to ensure the programme continue on track. Regular review meetings, involving our legal advisers and acquisition specialists, to focus on the delivery of completed leases, are being held and helping to alleviate this issue. The Baseline programme has now been re-cast to reflect the changed requirements to complete by the end of 2010 and the progress to date is currently in line with this programme. There are now a total of 71 projects in progress.

7. Retro-fitting Signage that was not originally included in Stage 1 of the programme has been included in the Stage 2 programmes and has now been substantially completed in 2 packages by our Main Contractor with installation of Simple Signage applied to 51 bases and installation of Complex Signage packages (which includes illuminated signs, display screens and notice boards) applied to 97 bases. There are a few exceptions to this where planning approval is awaited and these should be concluded by the end of February 2009.

8. A detailed financial report has been included at Appendix 1 (Exempt), detailing the commitments to date and the remaining budget.

C. Legal implications

There are no particular legal implications associated with this report.

D. Environment

The anticipated environmental implications are tabulated below:

  Higher / Lower /No impact Mitigation/ management of any higher impact
Level of energy use and associated carbon dioxide emissions Lower Buildings equipped with modern efficient M&E installations and to be insulated to current building regulation standards where possible.
Level of water consumption Lower Using modern equipment and plant, together with potential re-use of ‘grey’ water.
Level of waste generation/waste requiring disposal Lower Recycling initiatives to be commenced after opening new facilities.
Level of travel and transport and associated emissions No impact No additional staff commuter parking. Locations determined by availability of public transport
Raw material use and finite resources (use of recycled materials and sustainable alternatives) Lower The scheme designs will seek to, within economic bounds, maximise the use of recycled material and sustainable resources in line with best practice / regulation.

E. Race and equality impact

1. Property Services will promote equal opportunities, amongst diverse communities and across its supply chain and will undertake procurement in line with the MPA’s Equal Opportunities Policies.

2. Design and related issues will take in to account both property related issues and locations (via the local BOCU (TP) established liaison and partnerships in place). Base design issues, in accord with standard PSD approaches to new sites, will also address requirements and achievement of best practice design in respect of accessibility and disability matters (access, signage etc.).

3. Operational matters to meet DDA service needs and local requirements are also fully assessed in terms of the TPHQ set operational model and by the local BOCU as part of the overall process.

F. Financial implications

1. A detailed analysis of the financial implications of this paper is contained in Appendix 1 (Exempt)

2. The 2008/9 budget for Safer Neighbourhoods was originally set at £17.3m with a revised forecast of £24m in August 2008.This has now been revised in line with the approved Capital Programme to £18.6m in 2008/09, and the balance of £5.4m carried into 2010 /11 .

3. Dependent on approval by MPA Finance and Resource Committee to the rephasing of the contract, which is dealt with elsewhere on the agenda, the revised financial profile will be:

Financial Year  Original Budget (£m)  Revised Budget (£m)  Proposed Budget (£m)
Previous Years 43.23 43.23 43.23
2008/09 24.00 24.00 18.6
2009/10 32.60 8.25 14.0
2010/11 0 26.60 26.25
Total 99.83 102.08 102.08

G. Background papers

  • Property Procurement Paper – May 2007
  • Safer Neighbourhoods Property Procurement Paper – July 2007
  • Safer Neighbourhoods Property Procurement Paper – September 2007
  • Stage 2 of the Safer Neighbourhood Property Programme – Contract award – December 2007

H. Contact details

Report author(s): Peter Ross, Programme Delivery Director, Property Services, MPS

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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