Independent review gives the thumbs up to campus plan

An in-depth, independent review of the Waveney Campus project by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has confirmed that the Waveney Campus project offers value for money for the taxpayer. The OGC Gateway Review team also confirmed that the project was affordable for all three partners.

In addition, the project was deemed to have a sound business case. The scrutiny team commended the business case as an example of significant good practice and confirmed that the project is ready to proceed to the next stage – the procurement of the building.

Brian Robinson, Cefas’ Commercial Director and leader of the project said: “This is a very important milestone for the Campus. This project has to achieve a set of objectives that are all about enabling the partners to deliver better services at better value in an environmentally sustainable manner.

“For Cefas the project is critical to securing our future and enabling us to expand job opportunities in Lowestoft. For all of the partners it is about increasing efficiency by reducing running costs and liabilities, compared to those that we have now.

“The project will be a catalyst for regeneration in an under-utilised, brown field site in Lowestoft’s docklands. It provides something that all of the community can feel pride in, and will offer attractive, public access space on the waterfront.”

Leader of Waveney District Council, Councillor Mark Bee said: “I am very pleased with the outcome of the second Gateway Review. It provides further confidence in taking this project forward. Affordability has been raised as an issue by others and I believe this report clearly puts that matter to rest.

“The Campus Project is critical for Waveney District Council's future in providing services that are efficient and effective and fit for the 21st century. The project is also of huge significance in transforming an area of land which is under-utilised at Riverside in Lowestoft."

Councillor Jane Storey, Suffolk County Council’s portfolio holder for Resources, Finance and Performance, said: “This new building ticks many boxes for us – it will help us to make efficiency savings in our running costs, improve services for the public by enabling closer working with partners, and contributes to the regeneration of Lowestoft and the county as a whole. I’m pleased that we’ve reached another milestone in the project with this independent confirmation that we’re on track.”

Philip Watkins, Chief Executive of 1st East urban regeneration company, said: “Public sector investment of this kind will be a catalyst to major change in Kirkley Waterfront where there has been vacant brown field land for many years. It will send a signal to developers and investors that regeneration is underway.

“Waveney Campus guarantees high-skilled research jobs in Lowestoft and responds to the government’s requirement for locating local, county and central government operations together to deliver public services more efficiently.”

Notes to editors

1. The Waveney Campus project is the creation of a large office and laboratory complex to house Waveney District Council, Cefas (Centre for the Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences), and part of Suffolk County Council. All three organisations are presently occupying old and inefficient buildings around Lowestoft, and are seeking to achieve significant savings by participating in a co-location. For more about the individual partners and the work they do, see:
   Cefas:   www.cefas.co.uk
   WDC:   www.waveney.gov.uk
   SCC:  www.suffolkcc.gov.uk
2. 1st East is the urban regeneration company for Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth – one of just 22 companies of its kind in England and Wales. The company is also a member of the Waveney Campus Project Board.
   
   1st East is tasked with creating economic uplift through regenerating brown field land in the two towns. The company has identified six key action areas in each of the two towns (12 in total). Waveney Campus is located within the Kirkley Waterfront Action Area and is identified as a vital element in creating investor confidence in the regeneration of this part of Lowestoft.
   
   For more about 1st East see www.1steast.co.uk.
3. The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is another member of the Waveney Campus Project Board. For more about their remit see www.eeda.org.uk.
4. The Waveney Campus project’s strategic objectives are attached at Annex 1.
5.  The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) works with public sector organisations to help them improve their programme and project management, become more efficient and save money on the goods and services they buy. The OGC is an independent office of the Treasury.
6. The acquisition programmes and procurement projects in the central civil government are subject to OGC Gateway™ reviews. The OGC Gateway process examines a programme or project at critical stages in its lifecycle to provide assurance that it can progress successfully to the next stage. The review process is applied to delivery programmes and procurement projects, including those that procure services, property and construction, IT-enabled business change and procurements using framework contracts.
   
   The process is based on well-proven techniques that lead to more effective delivery of benefits, together with more predictable costs and outcomes. This allows those reviewed to deliver better value and to direct more resources to front line services.
7. The primary purpose of the OGC Gateway Review 2 is to confirm the outline business case once a project is fully defined. The review also ensures that the procurement strategy is robust and appropriate.
8. For more about the OGC and its Gateway Review process, see www.ogc.gov.uk/what_is_ogc_gateway_review.asp

Press contacts:

Cefas:

Anne McClarnon – Tel: 01502 524370 / Email: anne.mcclarnon@cefas.co.uk

WDC:

David Gallagher – Tel: 01502 523007 / Email: david.gallagher@waveney.gov.uk

SCC:

Moira Bryan – Tel: 01473 264398 / Email: moira.bryan@comms.suffolkcc.gov.uk

1st East:

Carol Holland – Tel 01493 334452 / Email: carol.holland@1steast.co.uk

Annex 1

Waveney Campus Project Objectives

1. Improve customer service
2. Comply with partners’ strategic objectives, including business change programmes
3. Provide a facility that staff, customers and local community can feel pride in and that will enhance interaction with stakeholders and attract high-quality staff
4. Catalyse the regeneration of the area and new business creation
5. Provide an efficient building that is fit for purpose over its whole life
6. Achieve sustainability performance targets
7. Act as a catalyst for cultural change
8. Involve stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle
9. Co-locate staff from various locations to one site
10. Provide flexible facilities for staff, teams and visitors working in various ways and patterns in accordance with Working without Walls guidelines
11. Enable increased productivity
12. Provide flexibility for future change
13. Act as a catalyst for enhanced collaboration with peers
14. Provide value for money for the Exchequer and all the partners
15. Lower running costs than existing estates