Support services - Estates: building works policy (U01f)

1.1 This joint procedure/SOP has been updated on its two-yearly review as follows:

• the procedure/SOP has been amended throughout to clarify two separate Heads of Estate Services for each force
• minor terminology/grammatical changes have been made throughout the document
• all reference to the Police and Crime Commissioner have been amended to reflect that in Essex this has now changed to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner
• the protected characteristics within the EIA section have been updated

2.1 This procedure/SOP will explain the type of building works which are dealt with by the Joint Head of Estate Services and those that are dealt with by other heads of department. All works are ultimately under the control of the Joint Head of Estate Services.

2.2 All maintenance/alterations to existing buildings and the provision of new buildings will adhere to safety legislation. Particular attention to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Equality Act 2010, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, the Building Regulations and the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 will be given.

2.3 All work must be implemented in accordance with force financial regulation and in particular the code of practice for tenders and contracts.

Compliance with this procedure/SOP and any governing policy is mandatory.

3.1 Delegated works

3.1.1 The Head of Business Services may spend up to £1,000 on a single job relating to the following:

• day-to-day maintenance
• minor alterations
• self-help schemes for occupied police houses
• change of police house occupancy dilapidations
• health and safety
• fire precautions
• maintenance of gardens at unoccupied police houses

3.1.2 Any works involving alterations or changes of uses to a building must be checked first with the Joint Head of Estate Services to ensure that planning control and building regulations are adhered to and that building utility services will not be impacted.

3.1.3 LPA/divisional commanders/heads of departments must advise the Joint Head of Estate Services on completion of any alterations in order that the estate database can be updated.

3.1.4 Any proposals affecting headquarters buildings, irrespective of cost, and any work based on LPAs/divisions/specialist sites costing more than £1,000 must be approved by the Joint Head of Estate Services at headquarters even if funding is available within local budgets.

3.2 Minor works

3.2.1 The Joint Head of Estate Services will be responsible for a programme of minor works via the annual minor works programme, together with reactive schemes that develop during each year. Such works will include cyclical redecoration and replacement, small refurbishment schemes to specific portions of buildings and small projects requiring mainly non-structural internal alterations. Such works will usually be managed in-house with the Estate Services Department responsible for managing the project, budgetary control, client management, snagging works and all associated method statements, risk assessments and health and safety plans.

3.3 Major works

3.3.1 Major works such as a county-wide building updates, substantial refurbishment or extensions to an existing site or construction of a new building or specialist plant and machinery work such as to lifts, boilers, electrical plant or air conditioning will be managed by the Joint Head of Estate Services, who may delegate management to in-house or external partners as appropriate. Such projects will usually be large pre-planned works, previously approved by Capital Management Board and/or the PCC and will often involve external project management consultants managing projects under the supervision of the Joint Head of Estate Services. The scope and scale of such projects will dictate an individual project plan for each project.

3.4 Insurance claims

3.4.1 All police owned, hired and rented property and buildings are covered under the Essex Police and Kent Police insurance policy subject to the correct procedures being followed at all times. For further information on this contact the Joint Head of Estate Services and the chief finance officers.

3.4.2 The first £1,000 of any claim has to be met by the LPAs/divisions/department budget. The balance of the first £5,000 will be met from insurance reserves maintained by chief finance officers.

3.4.3 All damage to buildings and suspected cases of subsidence must be reported to the Joint Head of Estate Services at headquarters as soon as it is discovered.

3.4.4 If claims are likely to exceed £1,000 (due to theft/damage of contents) then a representative from the insurance section will visit the site of the incident. During this visit further details of the claim will be obtained and instructions given on how to proceed.

3.4.5 Claims likely to exceed £5,000 must be reported by telephone immediately to the Estate Services Department. Damage to a property believed to be caused by the actions/negligence of a third party should be reported in the same way.

3.4.6 In a case of real emergency, building works or temporary repairs may proceed immediately, particularly if taking such action would reduce the risk to life or of further loss, but the joint head of estate services must be informed immediately. In addition to the intranet the duty inspector at the Force Control Room in Kent holds an emergency contact list for the Estate Services Department staff and contractors. In Essex the on-call engineer must be informed immediately.

3.5 Further information

3.5.1 If further information is required the Joint Head of Estate Services at headquarters should be contacted.

4.1. An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) has been carried out and shows the proposals in this SOP would have no potential or actual differential impact on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, transgender, disability, age, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

5.1. This SOP has been scored as being a medium risk to Essex Police and Kent Police.