PSDS Phase 3b – act now before it's too late
With £410m of funding announced to help 144 public sector bodies decarbonise their estates, the clock is ticking and the next steps are crucial, as Kelly Crews explains.
Recipients of the latest round of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) grants - Phase 3b - now have funds to deliver meaningful decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects on their estates.
But this also creates another challenge. The funding has time constraints. Most successful bidders have one year to complete the work. Other bidders who applied as planning year or multi-year projects, they have two years.
That is not a lot of time when you factor in procurement, programme planning and actual delivery of the works.
So what next to avoid having to hand the money back – and the fall-out that would entail.
Step 1: engage
You should engage now with key partners as soon as possible. This is highly important as the clock to ‘completion’ is ticking. You now have exactly 12 months to procure, deliver and complete your project(s), unless you have multi-year funding.
Your designs should be at an advanced stage. So fast procurement is the top priority. They are many procurement options providing quick access to contractors who can carry out the work. You can choose single source procurement or opt for a mini competition. But the latter will extend timescales, and that could be time you don’t have!
If you start procurement now, it may well be June or later before you get to site, providing a small window before the completion deadline in March 2024. Our page here lists some good procurement options where you can get the ball rolling fast.
Step 2: mobilisation
Mobilising quickly will ensure your delivery programme meets the timescales outlined by Salix. That’s what we helped Oxford City Council achieve with a programme to reduce carbon emissions across four of their leisure centres in just nine months by replacing gas boilers with heat pumps, while the centres remained operational. See more here.
Adopting low carbon heating systems, including heat pumps and electric heating in public buildings, is not easy. Installing energy efficiency measures such as wall and roof insulation, double glazing and LED lighting, and renewables such as solar panels, involves disruption to the existing asset’s operation.
So you need a contractor with a proven record for working within a live environment.
12 months to get the project complete - how we can help you
What next?
Calling on the right mix of in-house and external expertise is vital.
A good contractor will help develop the design, ratify the programme, mitigate any challenges and provide cost certainty, ready to hit the ground running.
Our tailored Decarbonise Today service helps this process. It’s aimed at delivering on tight timescales using our inhouse knowledge and proven supply chain.
A key priority is to reduce the ‘delivery timeframe’ (April 2023 – March 2024) that is lost to through inefficient procurement and design development delays.
As a decarbonisation expert with many years in both public and private sector, I’m happy to help you move forward. Get in touch and I can see how Willmott Dixon can support the next crucial steps, including access to our single provider procurement options.