ESTATE OFFICE - Heriot-Watt University

ESTATE STRATEGY COMMITTEE
ANNUAL REPORT
2003/2004

INTRODUCTION
This report presents information on only the principal activities of the Estate Office for the period 1st
August 2003 to July 31st 2004, it does not cover the area of Health and Safety and Risk Management
which is dealt with in a separate report.
It provides details of the performance of the Estate Office and information on the staffing, turnover,
the main areas of operation and the main projects undertaken during 2003/04. It also provides an
indication of the future strategy and priorities for the Estate Office.
CONTEXT
The Estate Office’s operational area encompasses an extremely wide range of activities principally
including
• Capital Developments (Planning, Buildings, Landscape, Roads, Car Parks, Engineering
Services, Infrastructure etc).
• Maintenance (Buildings, Landscape, Roads, Car Parks, Engineering Services, Infrastructure etc,
both planned and reactive).
• Small Works (Alterations, Extensions, Refurbishment etc).
• Energy (Procurement and Management)
• Administration and Estate Management (Disaster Recovery Planning, Space Management,
Space Audits, Leases, Rates etc)
• Central Support Services (Security, Traffic Management, Waste Disposal, Mail Services,
Transport, etc).
• Research Park Management (Marketing, Development, Leases, Maintenance etc).
• Health and Safety and Risk Management (Preparing Policies, Advising, Auditing, Insurances
etc).
PERFORMANCE AND OUTCOMES
1. Finance
.
a) Turnover
The Estate Office was responsible for a turnover of circa £14.9M during 2003/04. This
represents an increase of 18% over the previous year’s figure of £11.6M.
This marked increase is principally due to the expanded programme of capital
works involved under the SRIF and D.D.A. grants together with the Sports
Academy and MACS Extension projects.
A detailed breakdown of the £14.9M turnover figure is provided in Appendix 1.
b) Recurrent Budget
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In 2003/04 the Estate Office operated within its allocated budget figure of £5,998K.
At the year end the total expenditure amounted to £5,678, some £320K less then the
budget figure.
The majority of this £320K arose from favourable variances in the area of utilities
2. Performance Indicators
The Report is for 2003-04. Supporting figures are for 2002-03 for the sake of series
consistency (See Appendix 5, P13).
a) At a strategic level the Estate Management Statistics data reveals that: -
(i) For the year 2002/03 Heriot-Watt’s ratio of total property costs to income was
11%. This compares with the U.K. average of 11%.
(ii) For the year 2002/03 Heriot-Watt’s ratio of total property costs to expenditure
was also 11%. Again this compares with the U.K average of 11%.
(iii) For the year 2002/03 Heriot-Watt’s income per square metre net internal area
was £724-04.
This compares with the U.K average of £825-35, the SHEFC Funded
Institutions average of £772-91 and a Peer Group (comprising UMIST,
Universities of Bath, Surrey and Brunel) average of £793-72.
This data confirms that the University’s current proportion of spend on property is on
a par with the rest of the sector. However, it also indicates that, as the University’s
income per square metre is less than average, then in absolute terms the spend on
property is also less than average.
This merely lends weight to the suggestion that the main “driver” for property spend
is the University’s income and therefore the most effective means of securing
additional resources for property is by means of serving to increase income.
b) Operational level performance indicators for the Estate Office are provided in both Appendix
4 and 5.
The Estate Management Statistics data demonstrates that: -
(i) There was a noted increase in the costs of utilities between 2001/02 and
2002/03.
(ii) There was a favourable reduction in the consumption of utilities between
2001/02 and 2002/03 when measured against the peer group.
(iii) Our maintenance costs are well below average and this might be viewed in
isolation as a “positive”. However, given the estimated £21M of backlog
maintenance and compliance issues on the estate, it is suggested that we should
actually be looking to increase the spend on maintenance.
(iv) The Estate Office’s management costs are generally well below average.
(v)
(vi)
The grounds maintenance costs are well below average.
The cleaning costs in 2002/03 are well below average. It should be noted that
changes in the definitions have served to reduce the cleaning costs figures, while
increasing the Facilities Management figures.
c) There has been a noted increase in the level of expenditure on maintenance during
2003/04. Extracting the appropriate figures from the Turnover data in Appendix 1
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gives the following breakdown of maintenance expenditure.
£K
Long-term maintenance/capital projects: 3,050
Small Works 410
Maintenance Contracts 108
External Contractors 567
Materials 213
Rechargeable Works 1919
Office Overheads 27
Staff 1900
Total £8,194K
This total of £8,144K is a marked improvement over the equivalent figure for 2002/03
of £5,716K. However, although it represents a marked improvement and is a very
substantial investment by the University, it must be viewed in the context of an estate with a
total replacement value of circa £200M and with identified backlog maintenance and
compliance issues estimated at £21M, at a time when maintenance cost inflation is running at
5% per annum.
d) Details of progress against the Estate Offices objectives are provided in Appendix 3.
This also contains the mission statement and aims of the Estate Office.
e) Information on Projects and the status of Works in Progress is contained within
Appendix 6.
f) Information on staff levels is contained within Appendix 2.
FUTURE STRATEGY
1) Aims and Objectives
Over the coming year it is intended to work towards establishing clear aims, objectives
and targets for the Estate Office. The intention is to try to develop a rolling 5 year
plan with annual reviews and milestones.
2) Capital Projects, Small Works and Maintenance
These works are all currently prioritised on the basis of: -
(i) Health and Safety.
(ii) Business Continuity/Enhancement.
(iii) Other.
They receive funding approval either direct by P.M.E. or by way of the Small Works
and Maintenance Committee. To date provisional approval has been given to
progressing the following: -
£K
(i) Fire Alarm Upgrades/Renewal 200
(ii) Reinforcement of Petroleum Engineering Substation 121
(iii) Mail Room Re-Location 60
(iv) SEPA Building Defects/Retention 25
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(v) Refurbishment of Scott Russell Building 430
(vi) Fixed Electrical and Portable Equipment Tests 20
(vii) Fire Risk Assessments Essential Works 50
(viii)
Energy Conservation Monitoring, BMS Expansion and Small
Works 50
(ix) Campus Signage 8
(x) Various Small Works Projects 77
During the course of the year the Estate Office will provide both PME and Small
Works and Maintenance Committee with advice to assist them to determine priorities,
decide and approve further projects, either from within the existing budget allocations
or from new funding opportunities i.e. SHEFC TIF Grants.
3) Quality
In the coming year it is intended that various internal procedures and standing orders
used by the Estate Office will be revised as necessary. The intention is that these
should be developed to fully align with any proposals for enhancing service quality.
Currently work on quality and quality assurance is being taken forward by the
Support Services Board and the Estate Office is keen to adapt and build on this once
the output is available.
4) Utilities
Considerable progress has already been made in reducing the consumption of utilities .
Further proposals and developed business plans will continue to be brought forward to the
Small Works and Maintenance Committee, for projects which require investment to make
further savings.
5) Staffing
As a result of the arrival of the new finance system the Estate Office will be taking
onboard works which were previously dealt with by the Finance Office. As a result a member
of staff from the Finance Office will be transferred to the Estate Office. In addition it is
intended to fill the vacant posts for the Security Officer and Grounds Staff.
As a result of changes in the Warden’s role and pressure on security, a further 6 Security
Patrol Officers will be recruited. They will principally provide a night time security service
and cover for the Residential accommodation.
6) Recurrent Budget
The Estate Office’s budget for 2004/05 has been set at a similar level to the previous year,s
and totals £5,770K. This therefore determines that there is little scope for new initiatives
unless same can be developed from within existing resources. The Estate Office will
therefore be striving both to deliver on initiatives such as providing service level agreements,
while at least maintaining service standards and at least operating within budget.
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APPENDIX 1
ESTATE OFFICE ANNUAL REPORT
SUMMARY OF ESTATE OFFICE TURNOVER
2003/04 2002/03 2001/02
£K £K £K
1 CAPITAL PROJECTS
EBS Kitchen, Classroom, Sports Academy, Infrastructure,
SRIF, DDA, TIF etc. 8,144 4,925 3,955
2 LONG TERM MAINTENANCE PROJECTS 105 24 40 (1)
3 SMALL WORKS 410 290 124 (1)
4 MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS
(Statutory Requirements for Lifts, Legionella etc.) 108 85 79
5 MATERIALS
(Materials for direct labour force on Cleaning, Grounds,
Trades, etc.) 213 285 290
6 EXTERNAL CONTRACTORS/CONSULTANTS
(Glaziers, Builders, Tarmacadam, Planners, Solicitors,
Engineers, Architects, etc.) 567 279 290
7 RECHARGEABLE WORKS -1,919 -700 -573
8 UTILITIES
a) Electricity
b) Gas
c) Water
d) Sewerage
e) Oil
822
769
214
497
6
813
565
210
349
7
934
542
127
210
7
9 RATES/RENT 444 412 397
10 MAIL 144 171 184
11 WASTE DISPOSAL 76 116 133
12 OFFICE OVERHEADS 43 42 72
13 OTHER
(Equipment & Equipment Maintenance, Vehicle Costs,
Depreciation, Eye Tests etc.) 781 233 129 (5)
14 STAFF COSTS 2,788 3,063 3,101
15 INSURANCE 652 462 347
Total outturn 14,864 11,631 10,961
Notes:
(1) Whenever appropriate LTM and Small Works are "capitalised" and therefore are included
within the "Capital Projects" total.
(2) The University has entered into new contracts for the provision of both gas and electricity
from June 2004 at an increased unit cost of circa 20-37%.
(3) In part the increase between 2002/03 and 2003/04 is due to the commissioning and charging
of in excess of 4 kilometres of new gas pipework.
(4) The large increase is mainly due to leaks and to changes in legislation. In the year 2001/02
the University was not charged for water and sewerage services to Residences. However this
"loophole" was closed and in 2002/03 the University had to pay for these services. Major
changes to the tariffs impacted on the 2003/04 figures.
(5) A number of significant items of equipment were replaced during 2002/03 (e.g. JCB) and the
marked increase in 2003/04 is due to the way depreciation is now being dealt with.
(2)
(3)
(4)
(4)
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APPENDIX 2
ESTATE OFFICE STAFFING
2003/04 2002/03 2001/02
Director 1 1 1
Assistant Directors 2 2 2
Fabric Officer 1 1 1
Security Officer - 1 1 The Security post is currently being
advertised.
Research Park Manager 1 1 1
Energy/Environmental Officer 1 1
Trades Staff 31 31 31
Cleaning Staff - 58 61 All cleaning staff were transferred to Catering
& Residences in 2003-04.
Landscape Staff 16 17.5 17.5 Staff numbers were reduced while the sports
fields were being refurbished as part of the
Sports Academy project. Staff are currently
being recruited to make up the complement
now that the sports fields are complete.
Mail Staff 7 7 7
Drivers 3 3 3
Health & Safety 3 3 3
S.P.O.s 34 34 34
Admin/Clerical/Secretarial 4.5 4.5 4.5
TOTAL 103.5 165 167
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APPENDIX 3
ESTATE & BUILDING SERVICES OFFICE MISSION STATEMENT
To provide, maintain and develop and safe and high quality environment, in a professional efficient
and cost effective manner to enable the University to fulfil its mission.
Overall Aims and Objectives (These are all as stated in previous Annual Reports)
a) The Aims
i) To provide the University with appropriate professional advice to allow both the
maximum benefits to be obtained from the Estate resources and to achieve the
University’s Strategic Objectives.
ii)
iii)
iv)
To prudently and professionally develop and maintain the Estate at standards and
within timescales and costs to meet the requirements of the University.
To introduce, maintain and review systems of work within the Estate Office in line
with “best practice” to improve performance, value for money, customer satisfaction,
staff morale and knowledge base.
To maximise the potential benefits from the Research Park through its continued
development, the recruitment of new tenants and the maintenance of good working
relationships with existing tenants.
v) To facilitate a change in the environment of health and safety throughout the
University from one of reluctant compliance with minimum requirement to one of
striving to achieve the benefits of best practice by the participation of all staff and
students.
b) The Objectives (and notes on progress)
i) To refine and further develop the procedures necessary to provide for a rolling
programme to review the staffing, structure and resources required to ensure the
provision of an efficient and cost-effective operation with appropriate User/Customer
feedback checks.
On an annual basis all Heads of Section now prepare and submit their staffing and
budgetary requirements. This forms the basis of the submission which is made for the
entire Estates Office. In addition through the medium of the regular meetings of
Heads of Sections, they can highlight changes in both demand and circumstance
which have an impact on both their staff and budget requirements. If these cannot be
satisfactorily addressed from within the existing Estate Office resources, a case is
then prepared and presented to the senior management of the University (P.M.E) for
consideration.
The Estate and Building Services Office has already sought customer feedback on one
occasion through the distribution of questionnaires. However, it is intended
(resources permitting) to refine this exercise to incorporate parts of the "HEFCE
Guidance on Procurement Benchmarking" and then repeat the exercise.
8

ii)
To introduce and develop job costing/stock control
The resources required to provide a complete job costing/stock control system have
not been made available. However, in conjunction with the Supplies Office of the
University a stock control system has been developed using their existing software
system and is now in use. It's intended to build on this to develop a job costing
facility, if possible linking into the new finance system.
iii)
To develop and introduce performance indicators
Performance indicators have already been introduced (see separate section of the
report). However, work is continuing to both establish other useful metrics plus to
refine the existing.
iv)
To improve communications both internal and external
Communications within the Estate and Building Services Office have been improved
through the regular meetings of Heads of Sections. Regular meetings are held with
customer representatives and the Director attends the meetings of the Principal's
Advisory Group and Support Services Board.
v) To develop and introduce Service Level Agreements
A Service Level Agreement is now in place to cover the provision of a stock control
service by the Supplies Office for the Estates and Building Services Office. A further
Service Level Agreement has been put in place to cover the grounds maintenance for
the Sports Academy.
vi)
To develop and establish a Help Desk
The resources required to progress this have not been made available.
vii)
To improve Space Utilisation/Monitoring
Space surveys of Centrally Timetabled Spaces have been carried out in previous
years and it is still intended that these will be expanded to cover additional areas if
resources permit.
viii)
To monitor costs for each property/department
The resources required to install individual meters throughout have not been made
available. However, a substantial number of additional meters have been installed as
funding has permitted. In addition further work is being taken forward as a result of
the “Full Economic Costing” initiative.
ix)
To carry out Condition Surveys and review the Long Term Maintenance Plan
The full surveys were last carried out in 1999 and a Long Term Maintenance Plan is
prepared annually based on the survey reports, updates and taking cognisance of
other priorities. This information is fed into the LTM/Small Works Committee to
assist in establishing funding priorities.
x) To have early input to Strategic Planning
9

The Director's membership of P.A.G. has assisted this as has the work on both the
Estate Strategy Review University Masterplan and Research Park Masterplan.
xi)
To complete Estate Strategy Review
This is complete.
xii)
To complete 25 years forward planning “blueprint”
The University’s Masterplan for the Edinburgh Campus at Riccarton is complete.
The Masterplan has been adopted as supplementary planning guidance under the
Rural West Edinburgh District Plan. However, in addition an application for formal
outline planning consent has been lodged for the Masterplan.
xiii)
To complete and satisfy objectives of the current Strategic Plan
This is ongoing.
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APPENDIX 4
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
In accord with the prescribed format the performance indicators for the year 2003/2004 are as
follows:-
1. Conforming with legislation by :-
• Provision of policy documents to confirm with legislation where appropriate
Suitable bespoke documentation is either in place or standard “Approved Codes of
Practice” are applied
• Monitoring compliance with legislation
The University has not received any “Improvement Notice” during 2003/04 from either the
HSE or any other Regulatory body.
2. Completion of major build projects on time and within budget
All were completed on time and within budget except where otherwise detailed
elsewhere within the report.
3. Completion of LTM and minor works projects on time and within budget.
All projects were completed on time and within budget.
4. Monitoring performance against University Strategy and Estate Strategy
It is currently difficult to measure performance against the general aims as set out in the
current University and Estate Strategies. However, as and when these aims have been
converted and clarified as S.M.A.R.T. objectives (i.e. specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic and timed) then these have all been met.
5. Condition of Buildings
The condition and compliance report of 1999 identified a requirement for £19M of
investment to bring the entire estate up to standard. Applying tender price inflation to this
figure to bring it up to date provides a figure of over circa £23M. Over the same 5-year
period the condition of the estate will have continued to decline through “wear and tear”
while there’s also been a number of new compliance issues brought into place (Disability
Discrimination Act, Fire Risk Assessments etc). Together these two factors serve to further
inflate the £23M figure. However, against this over the same 5-year period, monies have
been invested in long-term maintenance and capital works. Accordingly, it is estimated that
the current investment requirement to bring the entire estate up to standard will be not less
than £21M.
6. Functional suitability of Buildings/Estate
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As part of the Estate Strategy Revision a functional suitability assessment was undertaken
which revealed that 10% of the total floorspace was rated good, some 65% was rated
satisfactory a with a further 25% rated fair.
7. Space Utilisation
Space audits in 2000/01 revealed a space utilisation rate for centrally controlled space of
34%. However, there have been no further audits carried out since.
8. Comparison with other appropriate institutions on:
• energy costs per square metre gross internal area
• energy costs per 100 kW/h consumption
• energy consumption kW/h per square metre gross internal area
• water/sewage costs per square metre gross internal area
• water/sewerage costs per m³
• water consumption m³ per square metre gross internal area
• maintenance costs per square metre gross internal area
• estate management costs per square metre net internal area
• property management costs per square metre net internal area
• facilities management costs per square metre net internal area
• project management costs per square metre net internal area
• ground maintenance costs/grounds area
• cleaning costs per square metre net internal area
* Refer to Appendix 5 - Estate Management Statistics
9. Performance of Research Park against budget/targets
The Research Park met its targets within budget
10. Benchmarking
• Which area identified and with which organisation
• Progress made in areas identified
* Refer to Appendix 5 - Estate Management Statistics
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APPENDIX 5
ESTATE MANAGEMENT STATISTICS
The EMS project was established by the joint UK Funding Councils and has used a team of
consultants to determine key performance indictors for estates and to develop and refine definitions
for these indicators such as to permit inter Higher Education Institution (HEI) comparisons to be made
on as fair a basis as possible.
The data used in the project is sourced from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA), the
University's Finance Office, Human Resources, Catering and Residences Office in addition to the
Estate Office.
Currently data has been collated and reports provided covering five years (98/99, 99/00, 00/01, 01/02,
02/03). These reports provide a wealth of data on the estate. However, due to fundamental changes
to the definitions during the first years it is not appropriate to use the early years in timeseries data to
try to determine trends. However, for the purpose of this report and in order to address the key points
in item 8 of Appendix 4, data has been extracted from the most recent report (02/03) to provide
comparative information on Heriot-Watt University's entire estate (non-residential and residential) on
each issue against the average for:
(a)
(b)
(c)
All UK HEIs
All SHEFC Funded HEIs
A Peer Group of Universities comprising UMIST, the Universities of Bath, Surrey and
Brunel.
The following table shows Heriot-Watt's position (expressed as a percentage of the mean) for each
measure compared against all UK Higher Education Institutions, all SHEFC Funded Institutions and
against the Peer Group (UMIST, Universities of Bath, Brunel and Surrey).
13

The table provides details of Heriot-Watt’s position in 2002/03 expressed as a percentage of the mean.
The figures in brackets are those for the previous year 2001/02. Both are shown compared against all
UK Higher Education Institution’s, all SHEFC Funded Institutions and against a Peer Group
comprised UMIST, Universities of Bath, Surrey and Brunel.
Measure UK HEIs SHEFC Peer Group
Energy costs per square metre
gross internal area
(117%)
115%
(117%) 110% (116%) 110%
Energy costs per 100kw/h
consumption
(86%) 80% (90%) 88% (100%) 112%
Energy consumption kw/h per
square metre gross internal area
Water/Sewerage costs per square
metre gross internal area
(133%)
138%
(139%)
234%
(127%) 123% (114%) 93%
(121%) 167% (109%) 162%
Water/Sewerage costs per m³
consumption
(65%) 88% (47%) 65% (84%) 134%
Water consumption m³ per
square metre gross internal area
(188%)
240%
(189%) 207% (127%) 126%
Maintenance costs per square
metre gross internal area
Estate Management costs per
square metre net internal area
Property Management costs per
square metre net internal area
Facilities Management costs per
square metre net internal area
Project Management costs per
square metre net internal area
Grounds Maintenance
costs/grounds area
Cleaning costs per square metre
net internal area
(67%) 75% (89%) 96% (53%) 52%
(32%) 60% (28%) 53% (42%) 64%
(24%) 31% (23%) 37% (42%) 73%
(21%) 23% (54%) 44% (68%) 125%
(18%) 15% (15%) 17% (36%) 44%
(52%) 71% (72%) 92% (41%) 56%
(114%)
53%
(140%) 62% (124%) 58%
As from 1 August 2003
responsibility for
cleaning transferred to
Catering and
Residences.
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APPENDIX 6
Projects and Works in Progress
1) MacLaurin Building
The extension to the Mountbatten Building, which is to enable staff in the School of
Mathematics and Computer Science to be collocated, started on site in February 2004. The
building is of modular construction and is connected to the Mountbatten Building by a 4
storey link block. The accommodation comprises mainly staff offices but in addition there are
3 teaching rooms, social space and toilets/showers.
The original contract completion date was 31 st July 2004 with occupation by staff and
students in October 2004. The initial stages of the contract went well, notably the ground
works and the delivery of the modules to site. Problems arose however, when the Contractor,
Yorkon Ltd, was asked to produce details of construction of the brickwork cladding. Plans
were submitted for verification to Ove Arup, Structural Consultants who raised serious
concerns about aspects of the design, especially the movement of the brickwork and the
possibility of cracking.
It emerged that while the Contractor had previously provided brick cladding on 3 storey
buildings, this was the first 4 storey building the firm had undertaken. The resolution to the
design problems took several months to achieve and final agreement on the design was only
reached in August 2004.
The consequence of this is that the original contract completion date could not be met. The
revised completion date is 18 th October 2004 but this depends on the brickwork being
completed in line with the revised programme and this in turn is now weather dependant. The
new occupation date for staff and students is December 2004.
The project budget is £3.3m with approximately £2.0m being funded from the SRIF 1 and 2
programmes and £500K from the MacMillan Trust.
2) Sports Academy
The Sports Academy was completed in 28 th March 2004 and was formally opened by Andy
Roxburgh, Technical Director, UEFA on 3 rd May 2004. The contract was completed by HBG
following the demise of the original Contractor, Melville Dundas Ltd. The accommodation
provides dedicated changing and office facilities for Heart of Midlothian Football Club,
laboratories for Sports Science teaching, treatment rooms and an indoor pitch .
To the south of the Academy building lie the competition grass pitch and an all weather pitch
both of which are floodlit. A further 5 pitches were refurbished.
Following a competitive tendering exercise the contract for pitch maintenance has been won
by the in-house Landscape Section. A qualified groundsman has been recruited to augment
the existing grounds staff to ensure the standard of pitches would be maintained.
The final account has still to be agreed but it is anticipated that the project will finish at £6.2
million compared to the original budget of £6.05 million.
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3) Scientific Research Infrastructure Funds (SRIF)
(a) Phase 1
• School of Management and Languages:
Management and European Studies Research Unit.
• School of Engineering and Physical Sciences:
Biomimetics.
• School of Engineering and Physical Sciences:
Photonics.
The programme of building works has been completed and all the final accounts settled. Each
of the three projects finished within the SRIF budgets set.
Phase 2
Institute of Petroleum Engineering: Refurbishment of Research Building 1.
Research Building 1 is to be extensively refurbished to accommodate high performance
computer equipment which is available to the whole of the University as well as Petroleum
Engineering. The refurbishment includes replacing roof and wall cladding and remodelling
the inside of the building. The focal point of the building will be a large computer room with
attendant server room. The remainder of the building will be office space and in the future it
is planned to create seminar rooms when funding is available.
To expedite the main contract an advance demolition contract was let and this work was
completed in April 2004. Tenders for the construction work were submitted in June 2004 and
a contract is due to be let shortly. A site start is programmed for 4 th October 2004 with
completion in 29 th April 2005.
The total project budget including professional fees and VAT is £900K.
b) School of the Built Environment:
William Arrol and Edwin Chadwick Buildings.
Redundant laboratory space was refurbished to provide computer areas for post-graduate
students as well as improved facilities in two laboratories. In addition a new fire detection
system was installed in the William Arrol building. Work commenced in 19 th April 2004 and
was completed on 9 th July 2004.
The total project budget including professional fees and VAT is £323K.
c) School of Engineering and Physical Sciences:
Perkin Building.
The refurbishment programme which began under SRIF 1 is to continue with the upgrading
of several more research laboratories and the provision of computing facilities. Plans have
been drawn up and agreed with the Users. These have been costed and after some
modifications are now within the SRIF 2 budget of £680K.
Detailed design including the submission for building warrant is proceeding and tenders will
be sought in the October/November 2004.
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d) Nasmyth Building 1.
Plans have been drawn up for the refurbishment of several laboratory areas on the ground
floor of the Nasmyth Building which are to be occupied by the Manufacturing Research
Group. The total SRIF 2 budget for the work is £320K.
Detailed design including the submission for building warrant is proceeding and tenders will
be sought in October/November 2004.
e) Coulson Building.
Laboratory space now deemed no longer fit for purpose was to be reconfigured to provide
facilities for current research programmes, including bio-manufacturing processes. This
requires a feasibility study to be undertaken, and because of the complexity of the building
this will take some time to complete. In the meantime the opportunity arose to convert 3
laboratories on the first floor of the Nasmyth Building instead for bio-manufacturing research.
Plans and costs are currently being drawn up in conjunction with the User.
The total budget available for the Coulson project is £850K from which the cost of the work
in the Nasmyth Building will be met.
4) Scott Russell Building
When the building is vacated by MACS staff and students it is planned to implement a phased
programme of refurbishment work. Scott Russell was one of the earliest academic buildings
to be completed (1973) and requires upgrading to meet current legislation.
In Phase 1 the first and third floors will be refurbished to accommodate Careers and TRS.
This includes rewiring, new lighting, data provision, redecoration an upgrading of the toilets,
fire alarms and emergency lighting. In addition on the top floor some building alteration work
will be carried out to form a new classroom with an occupancy of 80.
Future phases will include similar work on ground and second floors as well as the
reconfiguration and refurbishment of the computer laboratories on the ground floor.
Design work is in progress but work cannot begin in the building until early 2005.
5) Edinburgh Business School
Kitchen/Dining Extension.
The contract was completed in August 2003 but outstanding snagging items remained. The
Architect went into receivership and so the Estate Office has been pursuing these. Some
snagging items still remain outstanding but one of the most serious has now been dealt with.
The condition of the floor covering in the kitchen was deemed unacceptable but the
Contractor refused to replace it maintaining it could be rectified. After obtaining independent
advice, it was decided to withhold money from the Contractor and renew the floor covering.
This involved stripping out all the kitchen equipment. The Business School identified a two
week period when the kitchen could shut down to allow this to happen. The work was
completed in August 2004.
17

Roof.
The final remedial work to the atrium glazing, which has been outstanding for two years,
could not be carried out until the kitchen contract was completed. Also it became clear that
for safety reasons the atrium, and particularly the kitchen, could not be in operation while
men were working on the glazing. It was decided therefore to co-ordinate this work with
renewing the floor covering in the kitchen when the latter would have to be closed.
The remedial work which involved renewing all the seals in the glazing was completed on
25 th August 2004. The Contractor encountered great difficulties because of the exceptionally
inclement weather and was forced to erect a tent structure above the atrium to continue
working because of the deadline imposed by the Users to have the work completed.
Mowlem have now requested that the balance of retention monies (withheld by the University
until the work was completed) should now be released. The sum involved is £44,817 (incl.
VAT).
6) Residences 6 Lord Home Hall
The project was completed in 1999. However, there have been persistent problems with the
windows. The Contractor (Millers) has made several attempts to repair the windows but with
no success. A legal action is now being raised against the Contractor to sue for the
replacement of all the windows.
7) Long Term Maintenance / Small Works
During the year the LTM / Small Works Committee allocated funds for a number of
projects, the main ones being:-
Small Works (Total Expenditure £409,999)
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x)
(xi)
(xii)
(xiii)
(xiv)
Upgrading main entrance to David Brewster Building.
Chaplaincy – redecoration / emergency lighting / new fire alarm system.
Finance Office – installation of CCTV.
Computer Centre Seminar Room – installation of sensible cooling.
Braking system for Wood Workshop.
Speed bumps.
Mountbatten Building – installation of sensible cooling.
William Perkin Building – sealing of windows.
Library Server Room – back-up power.
Erection of fire wall – William Arrol Building.
Muslim Prayer Room – Hugh Nisbet Building.
Recycling Centre set up.
Review of signage strategy.
Upgrade of fire alarm system, SBC.
LTM (Total Expenditure £108,432)
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
Asbestos removal - various locations.
Water services repairs.
Gas man repairs.
Gas soundness testing of buildings.
Replacement of cooling tower - David Brewster Building.
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(vi)
Condition survey of Hermiston House roof.
8) DDA Grant
The University received a grant of £406,000 for work associated with bringing its
estate up to the standards required to meet the new DDA Act. This has been spent on
a number of projects of which the major ones are listed below:-
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
Petroleum Engineering, Conoco Building – installation of disabled lift.
Estate Office – installation of disabled lift.
Sports Village – installation of lift / disabled toilets.
Library – installation of disabled lift.
Lecture Theatres – ramps.
Archives – disabled ramps.
School of Management – new floor covering.
SBC, High Mill – disabled toilet / screens.
SBC – corridor doors.
9) Energy / Environmental Works
This year saw the Energy/Environmental Officer post being made into a permanent
position. Projects which have been pursued this year include:-
(i) Replacement of boilers, U3.
(ii) Extension of BMS system to all major plant rooms.
(iii) Upgrading of all gas governor stations.
(iv) Installation of sensible cooling.
(v) Further development of recycling systems.
(vi) Major rebalance / upgrade of U3 Academic 1, heating system.
10) Replacement of Medium Pressure Gas Network
Following the HSE Improvement Notice served on the University to replace all its medium
pressure ductile metal gas pipework the University compressed its replacement programme
into a single year. A contract was awarded to ERDC in April 2004 at an estimated total cost
of £620,000 to replace 2.8 kilometres of gas pipe running through the heart of the Campus.
This major infrastructure upgrade has been undertaken during the summer and will be
completed by 27 September 2004, well before the December 2004 deadline issued by the
HSE.
The contract will come in on budget despite its complexity and has been undertaken with the
minimum impact on the campus buildings despite the volume of work.
11) Utilities and Waste
This year has seen the renewal of both our gas and electricity contracts. With the rise in oil
prices worldwide there has been a noticeable rise in all utilities that depend on oil or that are
related to the production of oil.
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The electricity contract was tendered in March 2004 with a resultant rise in supply costs to the
University of c37%. This converts to an increase in cost for electricity from £821,900 to
£1,126,000 of which 4.25% is rechargeable to Research Park companies.
The gas contract was tendered in June 2004 with a resultant rise in supply costs to the
University of c20%. This converts to an increase in cost for gas from £769,048 to £922,850
of which 30% is rechargeable to Research Park companies.
There is no competition currently in the Water/Sewerage industry. This year the University
has entered into a new 3 year supply/disposal contract with Scottish Water. As a large
volume user the University receives a discount on the tariff it is given. Even so, the cost of
water has risen by c2% whilst the sewerage has risen by 46% partly due to surface charges
which we previously did not get.
Recycling is now well established on the University. With the introduction of waste
containers and the segregation of waste there has been a noticeable reduction in the number of
waste uplifts from site. Cardboard and paper recycling has been a great success due to the
efforts of the General Labourers. An incentive scheme to reward their effort is currently with
senior management for approval.
The Energy/Environmental Officer is working with Residence Managers to increase the
amount of recycling that can be carried out by students in residences. It is hoped that this will
further increase the University's recycling capacity over the coming year.
Since last year the cost of waste removal has reduced from £116,000 to £76,000.
12) Clearwater House Extension (Formerly Known as the SEPA Building) Research Park
This project suffered some delays and was not completed until December 2001. The project
cost was within the budget of £1.95M. However, the Contractor failed to honour his
obligation to attend to defects and after protracted legal disputes these are now being
addressed by others with the costs being deducted from the monies due to the Contractor.
The building was sold in the autumn of 2002. However, under the terms of the sale the
University is obliged to finalise the Extension works.
13) Security
The number and type of incidents dealt with by the Security Patrol Officers (SPO’s) has
remained fairly constant with those reported in previous years. However, it’s understood that
there has been a marked increase over previous years in the number of security problems dealt
with by the Wardens within the Residences. This has resulted in the University altering the
role of Wardens and providing additional SPO’s to cover the Residences throughout the night
during term time.
14) Mail
There has been a slight reduction in the quantity of outgoing mail. However, this has been
more than offset by the continued growth of mail received.
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15) Planning
The Masterplan for the Edinburgh campus had previously been formally agreed with the
Local Authority and adopted as supplementary planning guidance. An outline planning
application has been lodged for the Masterplan. On receipt this should greatly assist the
University in achieving its strategic objectives as regards the estate.
The Estate Office has been assisting SISTech in the development of the Green Travel Plan
required by the Local Authority.
The Estate Office is also involved in and providing advice for, the current discussions with
Borders College in respect of exploring opportunities for the development of the Scottish
Borders campus.
16) Research Park
Heriot –Watt Research Park is one of seven member Science/Research Parks in the Edinburgh
area which have joined under the umbrella of the Edinburgh Science Triangle (EST). The
EST will be used as a marketing vehicle to increase the awareness worldwide of East Central
Scotland as a location for Science, Research & Development. The Launch will take place at
Pentland Science Park hosted by The Principal of Heriot-Watt, Professor John Archer. Jim
Wallace, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, will officially Launch the EST at 9.00 Hrs on the
30 th September 2004.
The Infrastructure works for the next expansion phase of the Research Park, which is the first
of a planned three phases, has now been completed. The funding for this has been provided
by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh & Lothian (SEE&L) which will be paid back by the
University through the sharing of income from Leasing of the serviced sites provided.
A Joint Venture Partner (JV), has still to be secured by SEE&L the preferred bidder did not
pursue their interests and although this proved disappointing it has allowed both the
University and SEE&L to re-assess what their joint plans are for the development of the
Research Park. When the JV is appointed it will provide a more proactive and responsive
vehicle for the sustained development of the Research Park.
This year has seen the completion of the premises for the Institute of Occupational Medicine
(IOM). The building was officially opened by Jim Wallace, Scotland’s Deputy First
Minister, in early summer. IOM work in close collaboration with The School of The Built
Environment and with this relocation the options for further partnerships in the future are
greatly enhanced.
The site between Renishaw and Mentor Biopolymers is to be developed by a Jersey based,
Scottish owned, Company. The Lease negotiations for this are at an advanced stage and the
turf is due to be cut on phase 1 of this project in October 2004.
The building previously occupied by Edinburgh Instruments, for in excess of 25 years, is
being refurbished to allow the continued occupation by Environment Research Technology, a
spin out from the Institute of Offshore Engineering. Edinburgh Instruments have now
completed their move to Livingston where they are now co-located with their sister company
Edinburgh Sensors
A-Life was acquired by a large American group, Mentor, and is now Mentor Biopolymers.
Edinburgh Petroleum Services was acquired by an American Company but continue under
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their very successful name on the Research Park. The remainder of the Research Park has
remained remarkably stable.
Enquiries for space on the Research Park are increasing again prompted by the activity seen
when the new extension infrastructure was completed and by the increased interest generated
by the news of the expected new development due to start in October 2004.
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