Leeds City Council

Supporting programme management excellence in the delivery of building schools for the future

EC Harris were appointed in October 2006 as Technical Adviser to work with Leeds’ in-house specialist Public/Private Partnerships Unit to deliver a programme with a total value exceeding £1.3 billion which includes Leeds £360 million of BSF projects currently in contract or in development. The programme comprises housing, health and BSF projects and utilises PFI and traditional funding.

The Technical Advisor commission is for a 4 year period and the remit is to provide capacity and a broad range of skill sets to supplement and complement the Leeds in-house resource and enable affordable schemes to be delivered within tight programmes.

Creating solutions

EC Harris has built a specialist team dedicated to delivering the BSF programme for Leeds. We have established a clear understanding of the Authorities requirements and methods of working and, together with them and their LEP Partner, have developed an integrated and dynamic method of working which has flexibility, maximises the effectiveness and efficiency of the two organisations and enables deliveryof programmes within affordable costs and to tight timescales.

The allocation of personnel with high level technical skills and an aptitude for developing close working relationships at operational and organisational levels has been a key feature of the success of the arrangement.

As result of the alliance Leeds has been recognised by the Government and other local authorities as a centre of excellence which can be relied upon to deliver major programmes of work. The capacity and diverse skill sets brought to the arrangement by EC Harris have been a major factor in Leeds gaining this reputation.

EC Harris are involved in all aspects of the service, providing input at OBC stage and assisting in the development of projects throughout all stages using the New Project Approval Procedures (NPAP).

We are leading in the development of affordable reference schemes through challenging programmes, technical solutions, commercial decisions, etc, and contributing expertise on education provision, risk assessment, Partnering protocols and value engineering.

EC Harris are also leading the drive for continuous improvement through lessons learned and development of robust market testing, benchmarking and performance management strategies.

Adding value

The added value that EC Harris provides derives from its ability to allocate personnel with a high level of skill, together with an aptitude for developing close working relationships with Partners, its diverse range of skill sets enabling quick resourcing of services, its experience of similar BSF programmes and its data base of technicaland cost information.

EC Harris recently supported Leeds in reaching financial close on 2 new leisure centres under budget and within aday of the 14 month programme from OBC to close. David Page, Deputy Chief Executive of Leeds City Council recognises the sustained hard work and unique approach to creating a better partnership, combing the development of new methods of working whilst successfully delivering within a tight timescale.

EC Harris’ team was a key part of Leeds City Council’s Public Private Partnership Unit receiving the Award for Customer Service Excellence at the recent 4P’s National Awards for Excellence 2008 Event.

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