Lessons learned added to this page in July 2008 appear in bold.

Key lessons learned include:

Scope the project: Be clear about what you want your LEP to deliver. Make sure you have considered:

• other services the LEP could deliver (e.g. are there any shared or community services you would like to co-locate on school sites?; are there any services you want the LEP to deliver to the Council corporately?)
• the wider regeneration opportunities offered by your BSF project
• any interim ICT services for schools in later phases
• your requirements for FM services to non-PFI schools

Ensure that relevant stakeholders are signed up.

Develop the programme documents with a clear focus on required outcomes: Ensure that in developing your strategies and procurement documentation, a focus is maintained on the key outcomes that are to be achieved through BSF. Consider how your the required outcomes for the project will affect what you are asking for from the market and how they can be turned into reality.

Resources: Don't underestimate the resources required for a project of this size:

• Make sure that external adviser appointments are comprehensively scoped and that everyone is aware of their own tasks and how these fit in with those of other advisers and the local authority's team
• Have clear lines of communication between the local authority, PfS and advisers and between advisers
• Make the most of the support provided by the PfS Multi-Disciplinary Team allocated to your project
• Plan meetings well in advance so that they are in everyone's diary
• Ensure that key decision makers are aware of the timetable and are available to take decisions in the timescales envisaged by the programme, but bear in mind that some dates may well move

Bidders' Days: Ensure that the flow of information benefits and informs the local authority as well as potential bidders. Sell your project, and reassure bidders that you are well prepared and well informed. The design strategy and other aspirations must be clear enough for the private sector to be able to interpret your requirements and vision. As BSF grows, we are seeing bidders becoming far more selective in terms of the schemes they are willing to bid for.

Make good use of standardised documents: Tried and tested bid and legal documents have been developed using PfS' experiences and lessons learned from the early BSF schemes - use them. Focus your resources on value-adding, project-specific matters and not on reinventing the wheel. Make good use of templates available from PfS such as the Output Specifications and the suite of VA and Governing Body documentation, but make sure you have amend them to ensure they meet your particular project requirements.

Produce non-standard documentation: Specifications and contractual documentation will need to be produced to cover any interim ICT Services, FM services to the D&B estate and to cover any community or other services to be co-located on school sites as well as any other wider regeneration proposals.

Short-term involvement: Many members of the project team will be involved in the project for only a short time, but their input will be vital to the programme, for example, valuers, HR and insurance advisers. Identify ways to keep them up to date with the programme so that their input is relevant, but don't swamp them with unnecessary detail. A representative on the project board, for example, could be in charge of liaising with 'short-term' team members.

Engage with stakeholders: Ensure that all stakeholders, including school staff and pupils, governing bodies and any Diocesan, Trust, Foundation and Academy bodies are fully briefed and understand both the aspirations of the project and what input from them will be needed to achieve this. Stakeholders need to support the local authority to ensure an effective procurement and have a crucial role in building up specific solutions for their schools.

Competitive Dialogue

There are concerns in the market with regard to bidder costs under competitive dialogue. The local authority can take steps to minimise unnecessary bidder expenditure including having settled project specific information on surveys, title and TUPE prior to OJEU.

See also the Lessons Learned: Procurement stage for further information around competitive dialogue.

Sample schools: Make sure that you have full information in relation to the sample schools in respect of warrantable surveys, title and relevant TUPE information, including information from the schools. Give as much information as possible as to planning requirements so that bidders can ensure as far as possible that their bids comply with any planning brief for the sites. Put in train the processes the local authority will need to manage to allow the sample schemes to progress, e.g. consultation with local members and residents, temporary stopping-up orders for works, etc.