InFocus: News and views from the GPA (September 2023)
InFocus brings together news and views from across the Government Property Agency
News and views from across the Government Property Agency
WELCOME TO INFOCUS, September 23
Yvette Greener, Client Director
Over the past three months, we have been continuing to focus on improving our client satisfaction. We have recruited more senior client managers and are putting more of an emphasis on better planning.
We’re continuing to invest across our organisation to make sure that we are delivering the best service possible for our clients and customers. That includes investment in the latest technology, which is why we have now implemented Salesforce as our Client Relationship Management (CRM) tool. We’re excited about its potential as an enabler to us becoming increasingly client-centric, focusing on your needs and wants in a more proactive manner. Release 1 has been for our people and Release 2 will see the tool extended to all of you - our clients. We are about to start Discovery, a great opportunity for you to get involved.
To enable us to continue improving our service delivery and to fuel our growth, we are committed to investing in developing the capability of our people through our Skills and Specialisms programme. Having skilled and qualified teams is important to us and we have recently refreshed our core skills training which includes being Customer Focused.
Our Workplace Services Transformation Programme (WSTP) continues its transformation journey, with clients and customers being at the front of our contract delivery. In June our helpdesk launched in three locations and has been well utilised. Our Performance Partner, JLL, is responding to and actioning over 580 work orders. We are now working towards the full rollout of the Helpdesk to our entire portfolio, with a go-live set from November.
As you will be aware from our correspondence with you at the end of July, our procurement process has been completed for new workplace services contracts for facilities management. We are delighted to award these new contracts as we continue our service transformation to meet the needs of our clients and customers. Our dedicated team will work closely with the current and new suppliers to manage the transition process and to ensure all business activities continue to be delivered.
Our progress with implementing property technologies continues with GovPrint being available in four government hubs and continues to be rolled out across government departments. It enables departments to pay for what they use, avoiding the complex procurement and management process for traditional print contracts.
Therefore, I am pleased to report to you the progress with our new Workplace Services contracts, our continued advancement with property technology and our own new systems and processes, which continue to transform the office estate and provide a better experience for our customers, and your people.
In this issue:
- Our new Client Relationship Management tool
- Workplace Services Transformation Programme
- Clients and customers at the centre of our Business Plan
- Launching our first ESG report
- Government of Singapore visits the GPA’s Hubs for insights and inspiration
- Our annual performance 2022-23
- The GPA completes office refurb in South Colonnade
- GovPrint: simpler, cheaper, greener and secure
Our new Client Relationship Management tool
Investing in client-centric technology
We have now launched Salesforce, a Client Relationship Management (CRM) platform, to our people which will help us to deliver the best service possible for you and your people.
This is initially for internal use enabling our people who support clients to have access to real-time key information, including your queries, organised in the system by Client and Property. This has helped us work more collaboratively across our different business areas. This is a critical feature in our journey to become more client-centric and will help us resolve queries and communicate more quickly and effectively with you.
Engaging digitally with you
Our internal launch is a prerequisite for the next phase which will seek to bring the benefits of the technology we have invested, and how we communicate and partner with you.
From early next year, we’re planning to use Salesforce as a collaboration platform with you, so that both us and you have a single reference point for key information.
This will give you access to the data that we maintain with respect to the services you take, the properties you occupy and your financial position. The CRM will be a single document repository for our latest Managed Service Agreement (MSA) and Occupancy Agreements (OAs), creating a single source of truth for visibility and transparency.
The key benefits to you:
- Ability to access real-time information on demand in relation to the services we are providing to you.
- Creation of a single source for truth for key documentation (including MSA and OAs).
- Clearer communication channels with defined roles for those of you who invest in our Portfolio Services.
Thank you to those of you who have already expressed interest in supporting us to design our processes on how we use Salesforce with you. We will continue to share opportunities with you to be involved, and will share more information with you shortly.
Workplace Services Transformation Programme
In our last InFocus update, we confirmed our new security contracts and the upcoming launch of our new Helpdesk at three locations. Since then, we have secured and awarded our final contracts to our facilities management suppliers and have begun demobilisation and mobilisation activities with our suppliers. We are on track to achieve our go-live dates which begin in October and continue through November.
Update on our Helpdesk
On 19 June we successfully launched our Helpdesk in three locations: Feethams House in Darlington, Piccadilly Gate in Manchester, and Quay House in Peterborough. The Helpdesk has been well utilised. Our Performance Partner, JLL, is responding to and actioning over 580 work orders covering more than 26 services such as cleaning, pest control, security services, fire systems, and more. Also, over 15 quotations for chargeable works have been submitted and are currently being processed at various stages in the approval system.
We are now working towards the full rollout of the Helpdesk to our entire portfolio, with a go-live set from November.
The Helpdesk will be the new way of raising building service requests and the first point of contact for any building queries. Initially, service requests will be logged by phone, and soon, it will extend to raising requests online by using the Customer Service Portal. This will give you the ability to track and monitor the progress of your requests, report on performance, and gain valuable insights, improving your overall experience.
We will be sharing further communications and information with you in the coming weeks so you’ll know exactly what’s happening and when.
New FM contracts awarded
Our procurement process has been completed for new workplace services contracts for facilities management (FM). We have awarded the contracts to the following suppliers:
Hard FM services: Focusing on customer comfort and safety, such as building maintenance, ventilation and air conditioning maintenance, will be delivered by ISS Mediclean in the North and Central regions, and Atalian Servest Ltd will deliver this in the South and London regions.
Soft FM services: Focusing on customer community and support, such as cleaning, housekeeping, hospitality and catering services, will be delivered by Atalian Servest Ltd in the North, ISS Mediclean in the South, Mitie in the Central region and ISS Facility Services across London.
We have entered into initial five-year contracts, plus extension options for a maximum of two years, with each supplier.
Our dedicated team is now working closely with the current and new suppliers to manage the transition process and to ensure all business activities continue to be delivered. The initial impact to you with these new contracts will be limited while the transition begins. There will be some phased adjustments as the mobilisation process completes but we will continue to keep you updated every step of the way.
Client engagement
We understand that there may be questions around the transition process and what is happening next. Our Workplace Services Director, Dominic Brankin and Deputy Director of Workplace Services Delivery, Louis Roberts, held ‘WSTP Client workshops’ on 8 and 10 August to confirm what the next steps are and the go-live plan.
We are planning further engagement with you and are currently working with the Client Solutions team to schedule further engagement sessions which will take place in the coming weeks. We are also providing a fortnightly transition update alongside the monthly WSTP update.
If you have any questions about the programme, please continue to reach out to our dedicated WSTP team - [email protected]
Clients and customers at the centre of our Business Plan
We have published our Business Plan 2023-24 which summarises the progress we made throughout last year and articulates our ambition for the year ahead. It sets out clear deliverables for our key programmes across our key strategic objectives:
- Support growth across the UK
- Transform the Civil Service
- Contribute to Net Zero
- Better value for clients
- Build our capability and capacity
Our Plan is underpinned by our 10-year strategy which has been developed to transform the way the Government office and warehouse portfolios support public service delivery.
Our target for this year is to focus on consolidating and embedding excellent customer service. After four years of rapid growth and major change, we see this year as an opportunity to embed the progress we have already made to prepare for further improvements in service delivery and future growth.
We have substantially increased the space we own and manage for departments from just over 300,000 square metres in 2020 to over 950,000 square metres at the end of 2022-23.
Using our Civil Service know-how, private sector expertise and commercial acumen, we are creating a transformed, shared, sustainable and value for money government estate. This is enabling a modern Civil Service and improving client performance while supporting greater productivity and wellbeing for civil servants.
We are continuing to deliver what is important to you, improve our estate, reduce carbon emissions, and deliver significant savings for the Government.
We invite you to read the full Business Plan 2023-24 here.
Launching our first ESG report
In August we published our first Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report. This is an important milestone for us as it confirms and sets out our commitment to sustainability and social value. It also captures in a single place the progress we have already made.
The built environment accounts for 25% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. This is why we have committed to achieving a Net Zero carbon portfolio by 2025, where we are on track to get to 50% of our Net Zero target by 2032, recognising the impact we have on the environment and our communities.
We are proud of our achievements so far including:
- Our 90+ carbon saving schemes have resulted in £1.16 million in cost savings
- Reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2,400 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum
- Supporting in the relocation of 12,000 civil servant roles to UK regions as part of the Levelling Up agenda
- Receiving an Inclusive Environments Recognition by the Construction Industry Council
Clive Anderson, our Director of Capital Projects, said:
Our ESG report provides a handrail for the behaviours and professional standards we set and the culture we wish to portray. It reflects an impressive milestone in our journey.
We invite you to read our full report on GOV.UK. We recognise ESG is a journey and we hope to build on our current activities to become an ESG leader in our sector.
Government of Singapore visits the GPA’s Hubs for insights and inspiration
In collaboration with our strategic partners, JLL, we recently hosted a delegation of property experts from Singapore for two days. The visit focused on sharing our commercial expertise and experiences of public sector estate management, workplace design and employee experience. The visitors included representatives from JLL Singapore, the Ministry of Finance (equivalent to our HMT), the JTC (Jurong Town Corporation) and the BAC (Building and Construction Authority). The JTC is the Government of Singapore’s equivalent to the GPA, and wanted to know more about the progress we have made since we were formed. They also wanted to understand more about our holistic approach to managing the complexities of public sector real estate.
The event began at our Government Hub in Birmingham, where visitors toured the building and heard insights from our senior subject matter experts across workplace experience, property (deals and commercial) and technology.
The following day we visited our Government Hub at 10 South Colonnade in London where senior experts from capital projects and workplace services showcased how we are transforming the Government’s office portfolio .
Both days gave the opportunity to network with like-minded international experts, where we shared backgrounds, ideas and insights. We identified synergies across ambitions and objectives, and discussed a spectrum of property topics.
The two-day event was a huge success with everyone involved commenting on what a great experience it was to engage on challenges and successes mirrored across our two countries.
Working alongside JLL colleagues to coordinate the visit further reinforced our strategic partnership and we will continue to collaborate on future opportunities like this.
Our annual performance 2022-23
We continue to place our clients at the heart of our solutions, and to drive efficiencies and innovation that benefit your people - our customers.
We have grown our property assets to £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1.9bn), which equates to circa 950,000 square metres across the UK - the largest manager of offices in Government. This means that over 45% of the overall government office portfolio is now in our ownership. This is allowing us to generate significant savings in property costs as well as to reduce carbon emissions.
We have invested circa £56 million in lifecycle replacement across our estate, focusing on value, security and health and safety.
We delivered our fifth Grade A Government Hub in Peterborough and the first phase of developing our Darlington campus, further delivering on our commitment to a smaller, better, greener estate. We have also supported the relocation of over 12,000 civil servants under the Levelling Up agenda.
We continue to take great strides in helping the Civil Service improve productivity through creating market leading, great places to work that achieve high customer satisfaction ratings and have been recognised through a rare Leesman+ certificate for our Birmingham Hub.
Over the past year, we have invested more in improving the condition of our estate and will continue to invest in Net Zero interventions to deliver against the Government’s target of 50% reduction in carbon emissions in its offices by 2032.
We invite you to read our latest Annual Report and Accounts which provide an overview of the 2022-23 reporting period.
The GPA completes office refurb in South Colonnade, London
We’re excited to announce that we’ve successfully completed the fast-tracked refurbishment of the fifth floor of our Government Hub in London’s Canary Wharf at 10 South Colonnade, with our industry partners; AECOM, The Senator Group and Overbury.
These works form part of an ambitious plan to create enhanced working environments tailored to our clients’ unique needs and operational styles.
Our project management team worked hard to deliver this challenging refurbishment on a fast-track programme of just six months, taking a 5,000 square metre fit-out which was over a decade old, removing it completely and installing a fantastic new space based on the Government Workplace Design Guide’s innovative principles. This space was previously occupied by a private sector tenant, but has now been occupied by a Civil Service department, allowing the whole building to be a government space.
The new design focuses on a balance of formal and informal spaces with refreshment hubs, meeting rooms, do not disturb rooms and mixed usage pods. 10 South Colonnade is now a smart connected building, offering staff a more collaborative way of working within the hub.
Abigail Field, Project Manager for the refurbishment said:
The different teams all worked brilliantly together and we delivered this project on time. The new work spaces better support Civil Service colleagues to be more productive and collaborative, while enhancing wellbeing at work.
GovPrint: simpler, cheaper, greener and secure
We are introducing GovPrint as a different way for departments to provide print, copy and scan services to their people. GovPrint is based on a simple consumption model which means you don’t need to get involved in a complex procurement process.
GovPrint is already available in four government hubs and continues to be rolled out across our portfolio.
Allan Gardner, Head of Technology, said:
With GovPrint, departments simply pay for what they use, avoiding the complex procurement and management process for traditional print contracts. We take care of the supplier relationship meaning GovPrint can work out cheaper due to economies of scale.
What GovPrint does
- deploys print devices that can print, copy and scan
- offers cloud follow-me print and scan to email
- automates service delivery
- manages supplier delivery
- performs patching
- upgrades software
- troubleshoots issues.
Simple to use
People can print in any location where GovPrint is deployed, securely releasing print jobs with their building passes. It’s easy to use and devices are fully accessible with large touchscreens and ergonomic paper trays.
The flexibility of GovPrint supports being able to work or meet anywhere, enabling smarter working across departmental boundaries.
Cheaper to print
GovPrint is cost effective and simplifies managing print services.
More sustainable
With the economies of scale, GovPrint is more sustainable, saving on paper and energy costs.
More secure
GovPrint meets UK GDPR, and is compliant with secure cloud principles and National Cyber Security Centre guidance. It is also being integrated with GovPass for an even more secure authentication process.
Contact our dedicated GovPrint team today to find out more about how you can benefit from its solutions [email protected]