Hertfordshire County Council "The Way We Work" Programme

Seeking efficiencies at local government level has been high on the agenda since the Gershon and Lyons reports were published in 2004. Hertfordshire County Council’s (HCC) estate was considered disparate, under-utilised, inflexible and unsustainable for the delivery of core services. The council undertook a significant transformation programme entitled “The Way We Work”, and commissioned Mace to deliver measurable benefits and improved productivity, reflecting an understanding that transformation is not just a property solution. An extensive, three-year property rationalisation programme followed that saw 66 disparate, county-wide properties consolidated into three strategically located campuses.

Mace was appointed in a multi-disciplinary role to develop the outline business case, define the design and procurement strategies, and deliver the full programme of works. The transformation included a comprehensive change management and relocation programme for 4,500 staff, the acquisition and major refurbishment of two-office campuses and the part refurbishment of County Hall. Benefits included a 30 percent reduction in the office footprint, a 65 percent reduction in document storage, and an increase in the staff to workstation ratio from 1:1 to an average of 3:2. Other local authorities now look to HCC as an example of best practice for evidence that estate strategy reviews should consider the way people work, not just the buildings they work in.