SEELB - Property Services

Property Services Unit
Organisationally located within the Administration Strategic Unit of the Board, the Property Services Unit comprises three service units: Architects, Maintenance and Capital Development. The function of the Property Services Unit is to provide a range of professional and technical support services to the managers of schools and other Board properties, to ensure the efficient management and maintenance of the premises and the development of the Board's estate to meet planned future needs.

Introduction
Accommodation
Architects Services
Contacts
Maintenance Services
Capital Development
Temporary Accommodation
Minor Works
Major Works
Contract Procedures
Economic Appraisals
Development Proposals
Tenders
Photographs

Accommodation
The Property Services Unit provides a range of professional and technical support services to the managers of schools and other Board properties, to ensure the efficient management and maintenance of their premises and the development of the Board's estate to meet planned future needs.

Architects Services
The work of this section includes architectural and related design issues, programme/project management, contract administration and technical support, from the inception of a project, through progressively more detailed design stages, tender procedures and site works, to completion. The section also includes the Board's Energy Conservation Officer, whose role is to ensure the efficient and effective use of energy by the Board and to control energy costs within the property estate.

Contacts
Mr Tom Walsh
Assistant Senior Education Officer
028 9056 6329

Stephen Connolly
Principal Architect
028 9056 6300

Maintenance Services
The Maintenance Section has responsibility for the maintenance of properties owned by the Board and also of maintained properties not in the Board's ownership. The section is sub-divided into two areas: Buildings Maintenance and Services Maintenance. All building maintenance works are carried out by private contractors, who are selected according to the Board's Contracts Procedures. Any substantial Minor Works schemes are carried out by the Board's Architects Section or by outside consultants. Services maintenance includes electrical and mechanical installation, lift installation, alarm systems and so forth.

The Maintenance Section maintains a database of condition surveys of all school properties, which is updated on a cyclical basis.

Capital Development
The work of the Capital Development Section includes the assessment of the need for future capital provision, undertaking Economic Appraisals, publication of Development Proposals, and the acquisition and disposal of property in accordance with the Procedures in the Contracts Handbook.

Temporary Accommodation
Each year the Board plans a programme for the provision of temporary accommodation, by applying the Criteria for Allocation of Minor Works/Temporary Accommodation to requests received from schools. Some Minor Works schemes have been provided to replace small numbers of mobile classrooms with new permanent accommodation.

Minor Works
The term "Minor Works" includes any scheme for new works or alterations costing less than £ 300,000. Such projects are normally funded directly by SEELB. Each February, a Minor Works programme is compiled, from the schemes to be carried out during the following financial year. The need for such work is prioritised using information from condition surveys of the properties and by applying the Criteria for Allocation of Minor Works/Temporary Accommodation.

Major Works
Any scheme for new works costing £ 300,000 or more, such as a new school or an extension to an existing school, is defined as a Major Work or Capital Project. These projects are funded directly by DE and compete with other projects across the province through the Categorisation of School Capital Priorities by the Department of Education.

Contract Procedures
The Board's Contract Procedures are under review and will be set out in the Contracts Handbook. A range of standing and select lists of contractors and consultants are held within the Property Services Unit. Invitations to apply for a place on the Board's standing and select lists are advertised from time to time in the Belfast Telegraph.

Economic Appraisals
The Board must carry out an Economic Appraisal in relation to each potential project. This involves an analysis of the relative costs and benefits of a range of options, in order to identify the optimum course of action to meet stated objectives. These appraisals are completed in consultation with school principals and representatives from the Department of Education.

Development Proposals
The Board must publicly advertise any development proposal involving the establishment, closure or any significant change to a grant-aided school, after consulting with schools which might be affected by the proposal. Such proposals are advertised in the Belfast Telegraph, usually on a Tuesday. There is a statutory objection period of two months following publication, before the Department of Education may approve or reject the proposal.

Tenders
The Board regularly invites tenders for work from interested contractors or consultants, in relation to specific projects, in accordance with Contracts Procedures. The invitations to tender are advertised in the Belfast Telegraph.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Recent school building project: Riverdale PS

Recent Education Reform project: Newtownbreda HS	Recent library scheme: Tullycarnet
Sympathetic extension of a listed building: Greyabbey Primary School	Second story extension at Harmony Hill Primary School
New nursery Unit at Kilcooley Primary School
Extension at Portaferry Integrated Primary School