Pilot for school property management starts

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today confirmed the start of the school facilities management pilot project, which will offer schools the ability to reduce their role in school property management.

“The facilities management service is a voluntary service for schools and boards of trustees that want to step away from day-to-day property management,” Ms Kaye says.

The Ministry of Education programme will consider the most appropriate mix of services and likely cost that could be provided to maintain and improve school property.

“This initiative is part of wider changes being made to school property management to reduce the time schools spend on day-to-day property issues and support a clear focus on teaching and learning,” Ms Kaye says.

“It is positive that 29 schools in the lower North Island are taking part in the programme. Information gathered will be used to identify opportunities to centrally procure services for all schools, and to inform options for a wider rollout of facilities management services to all schools.

“Throughout the programme, the Ministry will look to identify which services could be delivered in a way that would set consistent high standards in facilities management, free schools from the task of contract management, and achieve greater cost effectiveness over time.

“The Ministry has the bargaining power to acquire high-standard services at the best possible price on behalf of New Zealand schools.”

The pilot schools will have access to a range of facilities management services between July 1 and the end of September. Service calls will be monitored to gain detailed information about the range, frequency and urgency of work required.

“I’m pleased to see the level of response to the pilot. With 29 schools involved, we will receive a diverse range of feedback about the types of services that could be delivered differently,” Ms Kaye says.

Editor's notes:

What is the purpose of the Facilities Management Pilot?
The Ministry is running the pilot to:

• Identify maintenance needs, gather information and  test services with a range of schools; and
• Identify the types of services that could be centrally procured to establish consistent and high standards in facilities management, free schools from the task of contract management, and achieve greater cost effectiveness over time.

How were schools selected for the pilot?
The Ministry first selected a location serviced by an existing facilities management contract that had the scope to meet pilot objectives. It then identified a representative mix of primary, secondary, rural and urban schools.

Twenty nine schools from New Plymouth, Whanganui and Palmerston North accepted the invitation to be part of the pilot.

Will participating schools receive additional property support during the pilot timeframe?
To inform the Ministry about the types of services that could potentially be delivered for all schools the pilot will:

• Test service delivery by addressing a number of current maintenance issues at participating schools; and
• Develop 12-month scheduled maintenance plans and 20-year asset expenditure forecasts for participating schools.

What will happen to services that participating schools usually use during the 3 month pilot (July – September 2014)?
Current contractors will have the opportunity to continue providing services through subcontracting arrangements with the pilot service provider (Spotless Services (NZ) Limited).

What will happen for facilities management at pilot schools after September?
Schools will resume their usual contracting arrangements.

When will the outcome of the pilot be known?
The report is expected in early 2015.