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The GB Further Education sector constitutes a challenging estate
management arena. Around 460 GB colleges are faced with managing
all manner of buildings spread over multiple sites, intensive
yet diverse uses in addition to varied and changing estate management
challenges - not least, competing with other funding priorities.
eMandate has been put in place to help college estate managers
understand, compare, improve, and measure performance
in key areas of estate and facilities management.
Prior to the establishment of the service, there was no access
to a consolidated and robust set of estates data. The Estate
Management Data Exchange (eMandate) service exists, and is being
promoted across all colleges, to provide the sector and all
colleges with access to this unique and valuable resource.
To date, eMandate has enabled the GB Funding Councils to build
up a more accurate picture of the sector's estate - helping
to prioritise resource allocation, raise the profile and image
of estates and support the LSC's capital investment for modernising
campuses. Above all, eMandate enables Funding Councils to make
better applications for Central Government funding. Nonetheless,
the principle aim of this resource is to provide colleges
with access to performance metrics and data to facilitate improved
management, improve building quality & efficiency through awareness
and support an objective approach to college estate management.
The current phase of eMandate (2006-2008) is to include all
GB colleges. Sector wide participation will further enhance
the value, credibility of this resource by capturing the diversity
within the sector. In order to ensure all colleges join
the next phase, their participation in eMandate is being made
a mandatory condition for receiving capital grant from the LSC.
The Scottish and Welsh funding bodies will announce their own
arrangements, but it is expected that all colleges will participate.
The service is managed by IPD Occupiers, which forms part of
Investment Property Databank (IPD) Limited, recognised as world
leader in property performance measurement and which delivers,
among other similar initiatives in both private and public sectors,
the Higher Education Estates Management Statistics service (EMS).
EMS was established in 1999 and with 99% institutional participation
represents a highly valued tool to support strategic estate
management in this sector.
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