Universities

Multi-million pound budgets, increasingly demanding students, league tables and competition for resources, complex technical environments. Higher education institutions face a myriad of property challenges. Many of these turn on optimal use of complex estates, from redevelopment of learning facilities to getting the best new-build accommodation. Mace has a highly experienced team that can help clients to meet these needs with strategies that deliver real long-term value.

Our experience in this sector is broad, from developing campus masterplans to delivering the vision for a wide range of facilities including research laboratories, halls of residence, learning resource centres, teaching space, auditoriums and sports halls and fields. From new campus facilities and an estates strategy at Brunel University to the Oxford University Book Depository, our teams understand every driver in the academic realm. Our success is based on our ability to integrate all stakeholders and deliver construction works on either new-build or occupied refurbishment projects.

Key services:

1. Due diligence: Each institution has its own unique set of circumstances to be considered when strategic development plans are laid down. Mace will look at these plans from a fresh, independent viewpoint to establish how an institution can achieve its educational aims.
2. Education curriculum review: Mace will engage in consultations with principals, senior management teams and departments to prepare and analyse their current visions and align them to the educational priorities.
3. Communications consultation: We employ a communications plan to ensure all relevant stakeholders are involved in the development process. This is tailored to each university and can include weekly bulletins, individual and group consultations, conferences and working groups. We act as the key facilitator, bridging the gap between opinions to find a common way forward.
4. Property strategies: We evaluate assets, the campus, buildings and land, and will develop a property strategy in line with relevant guidelines.
5. Property advice: We undertake option appraisals providing recommendations towards a preferred option. We manage the procurement of valuations of existing and proposed property assets, and manage acquisitions and disposals.
6. Funding applications: We develop financial proposals and estimated costs of work for incorporation into development proposal options and funding applications.
7. Adding value: We look at income generation from the exploitation of the existing estate.
8. Procurement advice: We can advise n efficient procurement methods that comply with current regulations and offer best value for money.
   
9. Cost consultancy: For any planned development we evaluate the proposed total costs based on target and whole life costs.