CONSORTIUM LOCAL AUTHORITIES WALES · of Local Authorities in Wales (CLAW), in collaborating and...

CONSORTIUM LOCAL AUTHORITIES WALES


Contents

Contents

Consortium Membership 2

Structure of Organisation 3

CLAW Board Member Representatives 4

Message from the Chair 5

Report by the Chair of the Board of Nominated Officers 6

CLAW Mechanical and Electrical Group 8

CLAW Building Maintenance Group 9

CLAW Energy Group 11

CLAW Asset Management & Estates Group Annual Report 16

CLAW Performance Management Group 17

Constructing Excellence in Wales 18

Half Yearly Financial Position 2015-16 19

CLAW Constitution 21

CLAW Awards 25

CLAW Project of the Year Award Winner 26

CLAW Project of the Year Commendation 32

CLAW Project of the Year Commendation 38


Consortium Membership

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council

Bridgend County Borough Council

Caerphilly County Borough Council

Cardiff County Council

Carmarthenshire County Council

Ceredigion County Council

City and County of Swansea

Constructing Excellence Wales

Conwy County Borough Council

Denbighshire County Council

Flintshire County Council

Gwynedd Council

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

Monmouthshire County Council

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council

Newport City Council

Pembrokeshire County Council

Powys County Council

Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council

Torfaen County Borough Council

Vale of Glamorgan Council

Wrexham County Borough Council

Ynys Môn County Council


Elected Members Executive Committee

Chair: Councillor Wyn J W Evans (Carmarthenshire)

Vice Chair: Councillor Kevin Jones (Flintshire)

Board of Nominated Officers Chair: Maria Jones (Pembrokeshire)

Vice Chair: Rob O’Dwyer (Monmouthshire)

Steering Group

Chair: Maria Jones (Pembrokeshire)

V/C: Rob O’Dwyer (Monmouthshire)

Mark Davies (Carmarthenshire)

Lyndon Griffiths (Ceredigion)

Jane Wade (Vale of Glamorgan)

Sion Evans (Denbighshire)

David Bradley (Powys)

Performance Management Group

Chair: Maria Jones (Pembrokeshire)

Asset Management and Estates

Group

Chair: Jonathan Fearn

(Carmarthenshire)

Building Maintenance

Group

Chair: Phil Kenney (Monmouthshire)

Design Group

Chair: Jim Swabey (Powys)

Energy Group

Chair: Will

Pierce

(Flintshire)

Mechanical & Electrical Group

Chair: Paul

Colston (Blaenau Gwent)

Structure of Organisation


CLAW Board Member Representatives

Council Member

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council Councillor David White

Bridgend County Borough Council Councillor Mike Gregory

Caerphilly County Borough Council Councillor David Hardacre

Cardiff County Council Councillor Phil Bale

Carmarthenshire County Council Councillor Wyn JW Evans (CLAW Chair)

Ceredigion County Council Councillor Ellen ap Gwynn

Councillor Dafydd Edwards

City & County of Swansea Details awaited

Conwy County Borough Council Councillor Dave Cowans

Denbighshire County Council Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill

Flintshire County Council Councillor Kevin Jones

Gwynedd County Council Councillor Ioan Thomas

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council Councillor Brendan Toomey

Councillor Chris Barry

Monmouthshire County Council Councillor Phil Murphy

Neath, Port Talbot County Borough Council Councillor Edward V.Latham

Newport City Council Councillor Gail Giles

Pembrokeshire County Council Councillor Rob Lewis

Councillor Jamie Adams

Powys County Council Councillor Garry Banks

Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council Councillor Geraint Hopkins

Torfaen County Borough Council Councillor John Cunningham

Vale of Glamorgan Council Councillor Mrs Margaret R Wilkinson

Wrexham County Borough Council Details awaited

Ynys Mon County Council Councillor Kenneth P Hughes


Message from the Chair

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the new format CLAW Annual

Report 2016.

For yet another year we are facing very challenging times in Local

Government and the cuts being made to public sector finances are

continuing to put immense pressure on all local authorities and public

services in Wales. Despite these financial pressures and the ongoing

debate regarding local authority mergers, the consortium members

continue to produce some outstanding results.

This report yet again shows how much excellent work has been carried

out over the past year and demonstrates how working together across

boundaries can significantly help deliver projects that not only look great

but are also fit for purpose and offer optimum value for money for the

Welsh tax payer.

The successful design, procurement and delivery of these projects is due in no small measure to the

benefits and efficiencies achievable from local authorities being part of CLAW. In the true spirit of

collaboration members are continuing to support each other share knowledge, experiences, best practice

and resources as they have done so successfully for many years.

In addition to the high quality building projects being delivered across the country, it is very encouraging to

see the huge amount of work continuing within the CLAW Working Groups and partnership working with

other organisations such as Constructing Excellence Wales.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my officer and member colleagues for the help and

support received during the last year and look forward to working with them further over the next year in

taking CLAW forward and helping improve the delivery of Property Services in Wales.

An finally a special thank you to colleagues in Rhondda Cynon Taf for hosting this year’s Annual General

Meeting and showing us around Aberdare Community School.

Councillor Wyn Evans - Elected Member Chair of CLAW


Report by the Chair of the Board of Nominated Officers

It is widely acknowledged that the difficult times experienced by public sector

finances over the past few years will continue for the foreseeable future. As a

result of continual budget restrictions, local authorities will be examining even

more carefully how their reduced budgets will be spent. The benefits and savings

in time and cost that local authorities gain from membership of the Consortium

of Local Authorities in Wales (CLAW), in collaborating and working together, will

therefore become ever more important. CLAW is a unique association, which,

since its formation over 50 years ago, has worked to promote best practice in

local authority property management, to the benefit of its constituent member

authorities.

The principles of working together, learning from each other, disseminating best

practice, collective training and responding as one voice will be re-emphasised in

coming years, as Welsh local government is reshaped into a new form.

Collaboration is not restricted to the local government ‘family’ in Wales, but is extended by CLAW to other like-

minded organisations – and an ongoing relationship with those such as Welsh Government, Constructing Excellence

in Wales (CEW), the Welsh Local Government Association, Value Wales, Carbon Trust Wales and the Local

Government Data Unit Wales continues to be fruitful and valuable in helping identify good practice and exemplar

projects, and in driving forward innovation to improve the delivery of property services within the Welsh public

sector.

This year, CLAW has continued to work with the Local Government Data Unit Wales to produce asset-management

performance indicators across all authorities in Wales. My thanks to Ana Harries for her informative, and

interactive, presentation of the returns for 2014/15 at the Spring Meeting this year.

In the past year, I have developed links with SPACES (the Society for Public Architecture, Construction, Engineering

and Surveying – formerly SCALA and SCEME). I was delighted to be the President of SPACES’ guest at its Awards

Dinner in Cardiff in November, and pleased that former President, Greg Keeling, was CLAW’s guest at our 2015

Awards Dinner.

CLAW’s new-look website is becoming a real asset to all authorities. My thanks to my preceding chair, Rob O’Dwyer,

and his team for all their hard work in setting it up. One of its main aims – to allow easier sharing of knowledge and

collaboration opportunities between member authorities and the Working Groups – is starting to produce results.

BIM (Building Information Modelling) is becoming more widespread in its use. CLAW’s collaboration with CEW on

the CLAW All Wales BIM Toolkit has produced a document that is enabling member authorities to achieve

consistency in their requirements, and is therefore assisting Wales’ consultants and supply chain. CLAW has

commissioned an update of the Toolkit, and will be running further training sessions once it is complete.

BIM was also the theme of CLAW’s Spring Meeting, held in Llandrindod Wells in May. Presentations gave an insight

into what will become Welsh Government policy. Darren Gravel from Bouygues and Jason Jones from

Carmarthenshire County Council both spoke about their experiences of BIM. My thanks to them both for taking the

time to enhance CLAW’s officers’ and members’ understanding of the subject.

The CLAW Project of the Year Awards attracted entries of a diverse and high-quality nature. It is clear that

authorities are rising to the challenge to deliver exciting, innovative, sustainable and inspiring projects within the

constraints of tighter financial circumstances. My thanks to the judging panel and to Mary Wrenn, Director of RSAW,

for hosting the judging day at RSAW’s Cardiff offices.


I would also like to take this opportunity to thank members of the Board of Nominated Officers (BONO) and Steering

Group for their support during the past year. I would also like to offer a special thank you to Mark Davies, who

retired from Carmarthenshire County Council in the past year, and therefore left the Steering Group. He will be

greatly missed by all of us at CLAW.

The Working Groups have again been busy this year, and I would personally like to thank the Chairs of each Group

for their hard work. The Working Group Chairs have provided their own reports on the following pages.

Finally, I would like to thank the Elected Member Chair, Councillor Kevin Jones, and Vice-Chair, Councillor Edward

Latham, for their help and support in my second, and final, year as Chair of BONO. May I wish them, and the

incoming Chair of BONO, all the best in continuing CLAW’s good work.

Maria Jones, Chair of the Board of Nominated Officers


CLAW Mechanical and Electrical Group

The M&E group has again been very well attended during this year with a number of very good open and honest discussions on various subjects and what is affecting Local Authorities in these challenging financial times. B.I.M and the NPS procurement have again been the subjects of discussion and we are having a B.I.M presentation by Joanne Larner. NPS procurement tender for M&E contracts have just been awarded and it will be interesting to see what the future holds and the costs associated with the tender returns. In April we had a very interesting CPD from Viessmann on Combined Heat and Power units (CHP) which was well received by all attendees it focused on the benefits, sizing, application and design of CHP. In June at a well-attended meeting SAV systems gave a CPD presentation on CHP load tracking, it was a very interesting presentation with a good question and answer session that followed. In September Mikrofill attended and gave a CPD presentation on Pressurization units this was again very well received with a large turnout of member Authorities and a robust question and answer session followed the presentation. This year following approval the CLAW M&E group have updated 20 Maintenance Module Specifications and these can be found on the CLAW website, the M&E group are also currently reviewing and re-writing the Mechanical and Lift Specifications and the updated versions will also be available on the CLAW website soon. Thorn Lighting continue to pay in their rebate monies to CLAW based on the specification and use of their products by members of the M&E Group. I would personally like to thank all the member Authority representatives who have attended the CLAW M&E group meetings this year and long may the excellent attendance continue, a special Thankyou to Alwyn Evans who is our group secretary who basically organises just about everything to do with the group, Thankyou Alwyn. I and I hope all the members find the CLAW group forum very interesting and informative in many ways and as a forum for closer co-operation it is second to none. As a group we feel that M&E is given less and less importance from the powers to be within Local Government which is frustrating at times, it should also be said without M&E there would only be derelict buildings. Stone and brick may be the body of buildings but M&E is the Soul. There are still hard times ahead but as they say fight to the end. I hope you have all had a good year and I look forward to having excellent meetings with my colleagues in the M&E group meetings next year. Paul Colston.

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council

Chair M&E Group


CLAW Building Maintenance Group

The CLAW Building Maintenance Group has continued to be operational and meeting on a regular basis

with a good attendance record at most meetings.

The group has continued under the Chairmanship of Phil Kenney, Head of Maintenance, Monmouthshire

County Council with Paul Evans, Property Management Group Leader, Torfaen County Borough Council

and Simon Roberts, Facilities Management Manager at Wrexham County Borough Council continuing their

roles as Vice Chair and Secretary respectively. The meetings have been set up to follow a standardised

agenda to encourage sharing of ideas and learning from experiences of the group members and usually

incorporate a technical presentation of interest to the group members. Recent presentations have

included;

Scott James, Procurement Officer, Monmouthshire County Council spoke to the group about the Welsh

Purchasing Consortium – present and future plans; The National Procurement Service – structure,

formation and future plans; and a question and answer session on all aspects of procurement affecting

members.

Hertel Solutions UK and Ken Ashley gave a presentation about new developments with legionella and the

lessons learnt.

Chris Davies of Crown Paints provided a very informative presentation on fire retardant paints and their

use within communal buildings.

Stewart Britton, Business Development Manager of IKP Roofing Systems provided and interesting and

informative presentation on the use of liquid applied waterproofing systems for flat roofs.

Paul Evans and Phil Kenney provided feedback on their experiences procuring and managing a

maintenance collaboration Framework.

The following are the planned presentations identified for future meetings:

- Building Information Modelling (B.I.M.)

- Biomass – Feedback on performance of current installations and whole life costing.

- Update and training on Sell2Wales

- Legionella – Responsible person update and changes to the ACOP.

- Radon Compliance - Update Presentation.

- Changes to the Building Regulations (BREEAM)


It has been a common theme at all of the meetings that it is accepted that we are all operating in very

difficult and challenging times with vastly reduced budgets and staffing levels. Many members of the

group are now responsible for other services such as facilities management, cleaning or catering. It also

appears that the trend for authorities building maintenance groups and M&E groups to combine

continues. It is still the group’s opinion that the Maintenance and M&E groups should have a closer

relationship; all agreed that there would be merit in considering either merging the groups to increase the

connections and work more collaboratively or perhaps sharing meeting dates with separate morning and

afternoon sessions. The difficult economic situation has the potential of affecting group numbers with a

number of senior members contemplating early retirement. Efforts will have to be made by all of the

group members to established new nominees from a number of Authorities and further work in this area

will be progressed in the future. The group looks forward to the next 12 months with renewed optimism

and it is hoped the good attendance will continue and stimulating networking can be maintained.

Phil Kenney – Monmouthshire County Council


CLAW Energy Group

Annual Report

Report of CLAW Energy Group chair Steve Keating, Pembrokeshire County Council.

The contribution of the following members who volunteered to co-ordinate specific duties during 2015/16 has been

greatly appreciated:

Chair up to handover at December 2015 meeting: Will Pierce, Flintshire CC

Arranging of presentations: Paul Rossiter, Caerphilly CBC

Low Carbon Energy Assessor Training: David Powell, Vale of Glamorgan CBC

Meeting Venues: Bethan Lloyd Davies, Ceredigion CC

The Energy Group meetings during 2015/16 took place quarterly at Ceredigion County Council offices, in Aberaeron.

These meetings were generally well attended and continue to include a much wider range of national bodies than in

previous years. In addition to the local authorities those who now regularly attend are North Wales Police, Welsh

Government, Re: Fit Cymru, Resource Efficient Wales (REW), Carbon Trust, Local Partnerships, National Procurement

Service (NPS), National Resources Wales (NRW), Hywel Dda UHB, University of Wales Trinity St Davids, and Salix

Finance Ltd (a not-for-profit company funded by Central Government to administer interest-free loans for energy

efficiency projects in the public sector). The wide cross public sector representation means that the CLAW Energy

Group meetings have become a “one stop shop” for collective knowledge and best practice sharing.

The 2015/16 Energy Group meetings were followed by presentations on energy and water efficiency. The

presentations received by the group during 2015/16 were:

December 2015

- Ventrolla - Energy efficient period windows

March 2016

- National Measurement and Regulation Office – Heat Network Regulations - OCUAIR - Thermal Imaging & Aerial Imagery.

June 2016

- Re: Fit Cymru - Energy Performance Contract guaranteed savings framework - ZIP Heaters – Energy efficient point of use hot water heaters.

September 2016

- Ynni Glan - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Combined Heating and Power (CHP).


The most important subjects discussed at the 2015/16 meetings were:

WG Resource Efficient Wales/Carbon Trust Wales

The Welsh Government decision in 2014 to change the structure and governance arrangements re-energised the

Carbon Trust Wales (CTW) by delivering energy, wastes and water efficiency via the new Resource Efficient Wales

(REW) platform. REW / CTW have attended every meeting and given presentations and updates on the latest news

and developments. The CTW also developed and delivered numerous webinars on relevant topics. The first Carbon

Trust Welsh Public Sector conference at Aberystwyth University in May 2016 was a great success and covered the

following topics:

- Implementing Low Carbon Technology: feasibility, specification and procurement of energy efficiency and low carbon technologies, working with the private sector to secure best value and future proofed solutions;

- Energy, Water and Waste: waste to energy, waste heat, managing and mitigating risks to public service delivery;

- Local & Community Energy: harnessing the power of local governments and public bodies to manage climate risk through decentralised energy;

- Engaging Communities: reaching citizens, students, patients, and public service users to drive efficiencies and carbon reduction.

In 2016 Carbon Trust Wales (CTW) has been given a 12 month extension for the delivery of the Resource Efficient

Wales (REW) Public Sector Client Manager service and aim to:

- Develop a new delivery plan for the next 12 months - Improve the service and make it more strategic - Continue to support energy efficiency and change management programmes, as well as with accessing

finance through Salix and Invest 2 Save - Focus be very much on the ‘end game’, aiming for large scale projects and dovetailing support with GGW

and Refit

WG / Local Partnerships / Green Growth Wales

Local Partnerships (LP) has been commissioned by the Welsh Government to support its Green Growth Wales (GGW)

Programme. LP are actively engaged to work across the public sector in Wales to grow, accelerate and de-risk delivery

of the public sector’s pipeline of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The key objective of the programme

is to support sustainable development in Wales: by increasing green investment, reducing carbon emissions,

expanding the green economy and sustaining the growth of green jobs throughout Wales.

The programme includes work in the following areas:

- Provision of dedicated project management and commercial support to public sector bodies in each of the Welsh Regions;

- Subsidised support for the implementation of Re: fit Cymru – a programme to deliver large scale buildings energy efficiency retrofits;

- Toolkits, advice and support for street lighting energy efficiency conversions; - Support for heat networks development and delivery; - Help and advice with delivery of renewable energy generation infrastructure, including solar, hydropower,

wind etc; - Next generation technologies such as hydrogen production and use and energy storage.


Salix

Salix provide WG backed interest free energy efficiency loans. This year they have worked with Green Growth Wales

to combine the funding application process for all energy efficiency, renewable energy and resource efficiency projects

within the public sector in Wales that were previously offered through separate Salix and WG Invest 2 Save finance

models. There is now one simple application process which combines application form, business case and compliance

tool. Many Welsh LAs now take advantage of the loans process amounting to millions of pounds of investment in

energy efficiency measures.

National Procurement Service (NPS)

Most LAs take advantage of the energy procurement frameworks put in place by the NPS to ensure collaborative

working and best value for money. NPS is working with the NPS energy sub group to develop the requirements for

April 2017 onwards for Gas, HH and NHH electricity. Some of the long term goals are to ensure energy procurement

meets the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act objectives and supports renewable opportunities in Wales such as

Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay.

Heat Network Regulations

The group have received a presentation and ongoing support from the National Measurement and Regulations Office

(NMRO) regards the Heat Network Regulations. The presentation provided background information regarding

enforcement, policy ambitions for heat metering and heat billing for District and Communal Heating Networks were it

is technically and economically feasible. The regulations apply to, for example, a communal boiler at a sheltered

housing complex where that boiler supplies heat to multiple self-contained units (each unit must have a kitchen,

bathroom and bedroom to be included).

Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC)

The CRC scheme was an agenda item at every 2015/16 meeting, as many local authorities in Wales are participants in

the scheme, and have been further impacted financially with the inclusion of street lighting in their carbon emission

returns. Updates, news and the implications were discussed between members at the CLAW meetings, especially the

fact that the scheme is set to end in 2018/19 following a review by Government. The unfortunate implication of this

is an increase in Climate Change Levy tax to recoup revenue lost by the ending of the CRC. CCL will increase

substantially in 2019.

Display Energy Certificates (DECs)

Display Energy Certificates are also a regular agenda item as some of the group members are qualified assessors and

need to undertake Continuous Professional Development training annually to maintain their qualifications, usually in

the form of a day’s presentation by a CIBSE consultant. The CLAW Energy Group arranged this training and offered it

to all the group members, not just to those who were qualified assessors. The CLAW Energy Group would therefore

like to thank BONO for their continued financial support that has enabled this training to take place. Last year’s training

was held on the 24th November 2015, with the subject being Energy Strategy. Many thanks to David Powell at Vale of

Glamorgan Council who arranged the training.


Balancing and Settlement code, P272/P322 - half hourly metering for electricity profiles 05-08.

UK Government has mandated that from April 2016 all Current Transformed (CT) electricity meters in profile class

05-08 will be charged on a half hourly basis. The aim of “P272” is to make those sites that use electricity at peak

“red” times (Early Morning and late afternoon, particularly in winter) pay more for use of the electricity network

during these times. Similarly sites will pay less when using electricity at non-peak or “green” times (evenings, nights

and weekends). The Government hope that sites will begin to reduce electricity consumption at “red” times and

thus reduce strain on the electricity grid. There is therefore an opportunity for sites that operate during “red” times

to reduce energy bills by using less power at those times (or by installing some equipment that could generate on-

site power at these “red” times, and thus reduce consumption and the associated higher costs). Similarly using

power at “green” times will be cheaper. So if there are any electricity consuming processes that could operate during

“green” times instead of “red” times, savings can be made.

Performance Indicators

Wales Data Unit (WDU) wished to expand detail on data collected for the existing Display Energy Certificate (DEC)

Asset Management PIs. The group have worked with WDU ensure that the PI data provided is manageable and has

‘low work impact’ on members of the energy group.

The current PI for “Percentage change in the average Display Energy Certificate (DEC) score within local authority

public buildings over 1,000 square meters” will remain.

Underpinning this WDU now ask for:

Number of A rated DECs (Over 1000 m2 sites only)

Number of B rated DECs (Over 1000 m2 sites only)

Number of C rated DECs (Over 1000 m2 sites only)

Number of D rated DECs (Over 1000 m2 sites only)

Number of E rated DECs (Over 1000 m2 sites only)

Number of F rated DECs (Over 1000 m2 sites only)

Number of G rated DECs (Over 1000 m2 sites only)

WDU will then ask for one more simple calculation which is:

“Number of buildings over 1,000 square meters with DECs in bands A to D as a percentage of buildings over 1,000

square meters with DECs in bands A to G”. The thought being that this is a useful new indicator of the percentage of

DECs that are rated D100 or better (i.e. better than the national average score of D100) at each Authority.

Renewable Energy projects

A topic of interest in recent meetings particularly, is the development of both large and small scale renewable

schemes. This has been brought into sharp focus with the Government announcement in autumn 2015 that incentives

such as FIT and ROC’s be significantly reduced. The critical point being when the changes were introduced. Some

fortunate Authorities had successfully developed Solar, Wind and Hydro schemes, but a number of Welsh Authorities

are having to make judgements and decisions on proceeding with developments with a prolonged payback. Other


options are being explored to improve payback such as privately wiring electricity to council buildings and/or using

battery storage to store energy for later use.

Council Updates

The group hold a round table discussion regarding current projects being undertaken in each LA using the ‘member

updates’ template forwarded pre-meeting. The knowledge sharing discussions are valuable and a request was made

by some members of the group to ensure that more time is allocated to this technical discussion and it is made a

priority at future meetings. Members are asked to ensure they update the ‘member updates’ template pre meeting

to keep the information current.

Steve Keating

Chairperson, Energy Group.


CLAW Asset Management & Estates Group Annual Report

The Asset Management & Estates Group continues to hold meetings in conjunction with the Welsh Branch of the UK-wide Association of Chief Estates Surveyors. This link to national best practice in property management helps to widen the scope of the Group to national issues and developing policy elsewhere in the UK.

The Group also has strong links with Welsh Government and the National Assets Working Group. Group meetings include representatives from all local authorities, as well as colleagues from Police, Fire, Health, District Valuation Service and Welsh Government.

Topics co-ordinated by the Group during the year included:

Recruitment concerns, given difficulties attracting staff to general-practice vacant posts in the public sector

Asset Management Planning

Community Asset Transfer - Members contributed to best-practice guidance prepared by the National Assets Working Group

Cross Public Sector Performance Indicators – Members contributed to best-practice guidance prepared by the National Assets Working Group

The Group continues to convene specific sub-groups including industrial estate management, asset valuations and market management

With CLAW funding being made available, we have re-established our previous strong link with CIPFA for asset management and estates CPD and 3 afternoon sessions have now been delivered through the year, with general professional updates focussing on 3 specific topics:

Asset Valuations

Community Asset Transfers

New Welsh and UK Legislation

Jonathan Fearn, Convenor

CLAW Asset Management & Estates Group


CLAW Performance Management Group

The Data Unit attended a CLAW BONO meeting in May 2016 to feedback to members about the 2014-15

benchmarking exercise. CLAW members reflected that the introduction of the condition of schools data during the

previous year had been very useful and had allowed them to better understand the condition of schools across

Wales and the associated costs of maintaining them. In addition to dissemination via the Benchmarking Hub and a

system based benchmarking report, the Data Unit also produced an infographic for each authority which presented

some of their key data (compared to Wales.

The services of the Data Unit were retained at the CLAW BONO meeting in May 2016 to facilitate the development,

collection, validation and dissemination of the Asset Management benchmarking dataset for 2015-16. This will see

the tenth annual publication of the Asset Management benchmarking dataset

The CLAW Asset Management Working Group met with the Data Unit in July 2016 to review the data, its definitions

and the feedback received from the CLAW BONO session. As a result, the following improvements were made to the

dataset ahead of 2015-16:

2 new indicators (CAM108 and CAM110) were introduced to look at expenditure on required

maintenance per square metre gross internal area (GIA) for schools and other local authority

buildings. This data is being aggregated to produce a total which is comparable with historic

data.

3 new indicators (CAM012, CAM014 and CAM016) were introduced to look at the percentage

change in the year-on-year maintenance backlog figure. This new data was requested by CLAW

members in May.

1 new indicator (CAM126) was introduced to look at the number of buildings over 1,000 square

metres with DECs in bands A to D as a percentage of buildings over 1,000 square metres with

DECs in bands A to G. We will be collecting and disseminating additional contextual information

to accompany this new data.

The data collection forms were sent to local authorities in August 2016 for return in September. The results are due

to be shared with authorities on Monday 31 October 2016 via the Benchmarking Hub

(www.benchmarkingwales.net). The system based benchmarking report and infographic will also be shared with

local authorities on this day; they will be available via the ‘reports’ and ‘documents’ sections of the Benchmarking

Hub.

The process of reviewing results and comparing trends, together with notable performance, continues as authorities

use this performance information to assist with improving standards of service delivery.


Constructing Excellence in Wales

Constructing Excellence in Wales remains the only cross-sector, cross-portfolio organisation serving the construction

industry in Wales. Our core message is to encourage the entire supply chain to work as a team, procure

collaboratively and consider the long-term impact of construction schemes – because this is the only way to meet

government targets on sustainable development, waste management, carbon reduction and community benefits.

Now moving in our 14th year, CEW has delivered hundreds of conferences, workshops, seminars and peer review

events. We share knowledge and learning through Best Practice Clubs, networking groups and Demonstration and

Exemplar programmes. We are more engaged with government and industry than at any other time. Each week our

newsletter reaches around 5,000 stakeholders and we run over 70 events each year. We have secured over a million

man-hours worth of support from across the Welsh built environment and estimate that our Exemplar projects have

generated over £1 billion of value for Wales.

We currently have 33 projects in our Exemplar programme representing £500 million of investment across sectors

ranging from highways to hospitals, schools and homes. We know from tracking their progress that Exemplar

projects can double the value of investment, so that for every £1 spent almost £2 is invested in the Welsh economy.

Because of the influence of CEW and the advocacy of best practice and collaborative procurement we can see the

evidence that our stakeholders are playing a major role in building a better Welsh environment. Adherence to

principles such as collaborative procurement and team working is helping Welsh construction to save money and

maximise value. Every £1 we spend in construction doubles in value, providing enormous benefits for local

communities and the country as a whole – so long as we continue to deliver projects in the right way.

The evidence is contained in our Exemplar programme and showcased each year in our CEW Awards. The projects

entered for the 2015 awards are worth over £400 million to Wales, but the value in terms of benefits to

communities and the environment go much further. From the shortlisted schemes alone, CEW estimates that almost

800 jobs or placements were created, 30 charities supported, five car parks created, 150 sessions delivered at local

schools and colleges and 130 International Baccalaureate qualifications facilitated.

This evidence is used daily in dialogue with Government, private developers, planners, policymakers and the supply

chain. The CEW team also works closely with industry colleagues at ICE, ACE, CITB and CECA as well as colleagues at

CLAW, to name only a few. Indeed, through our continuous programme of events and research, CEW’s outreach is

now comparable to that of many membership organisations. As well as direct relationships with Welsh Government

at the highest level, we also have a proactive relationship with the UK Government’s construction advisor and links

to wider industry bodies such as the Build UK – which is now supporting the CEW Green Compass initiative.

In 2016 CEW will continue to challenge procurement processes – championing the recommendations to further

improve public sector construction delivery in the review into No Turning Back – highlight how low carbon homes

can be built cheaply and effectively, and demonstrate that waste management has to be an integral element of

planning and site management. As construction in Wales continues to grow and thrive, so our best practice message

needs to be louder, consistent and more coherent than ever before – tied to the priorities of local authorities and

the communities they serve.


Half Yearly Financial Position 2015-16

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The purpose of this report is to inform Members of the half yearly financial position for 2015/2016.

2. FINANCIAL POSITION TO SEPTEMBER 30th 2015

2.1 The approved budget for 2015/16 was based on total expenditure forecasts of £64,460, reflecting the ongoing revenue budget and the work programme as identified by the Board of Nominated Officers.

2.2 This budget provides for a 50% contribution by CLAW to the CIBSE training at an estimated level of £2,000. In addition, there is provision for the revision of the maintenance and mechanical specifications as well as the subsidy to Constructing Excellence Wales for the BIM toolkit training.

2.3 A review of the position based on financial monitoring information to the end of September 2015 and

known commitments to the financial year end suggests that expenditure may be below target but this will need to be firmed up over the coming months. Indications at this stage are that spend will be mainly funded by membership income of £33,860 with the balance met by a budgeted contribution from Thorn Lighting income.

2.4 To the end of September 2015, the actual position is a minor spend of £3,111 as detailed in Appendix A.

No drawdown has been required to date and this spend will be met in full by the annual subscriptions

income.

3. REBATE FUND

3.1 As at 1st April 2015 the Rebate Fund stood at £84,420. The approved budget assumes a potential surplus of £14,610 to be transferred to the Rebate Fund at the year end, leaving a balance of £99,030. The actual transfer will depend on the final outturn position and this will be reported to the Spring AGM.

4. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

4.1 Appendix B shows the current level of income raised by member subscriptions. Annual membership

subscriptions are capped at a rate of £1,500 resulting in total annual membership income for 2015/16

of £33,860 and this excludes the North Wales Police who are no longer in membership.

5. LONGER TERM FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

5.1 The 2015/16 estimates were approved with the aim of ensuring that a sustainable budgetary position can be established for future years and in order to support specific projects in the future to the benefit of public sector property services across Wales.


5.2 The generation of a surplus in 2015/16 will contribute towards these aims by increasing the Rebate Fund available for future years.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 That members:

i) note the half yearly financial position

Gillian Brown

Representing the Treasurer to the Consortium


CLAW Constitution

In accordance with Clause 7.8 of the CLAW Constitution, there is a need for the Steering Group and Board of Nominated Officers to review the Constitution biennially with a report being presented to the following Annual General Meeting. The last time that the Constitution was presented to Elected Members was at the Annual General Meeting held on the 7th November 2014 in Swansea – where it was recommended by the CLAW Chair that there should not be any changes to the Constitution. It was proposed to accept the recommendation. The current Constitution, as approved at the Annual General Meeting on the 7th of November 2014 is set out on the following pages. Maria Jones Chair of the Board of Nominated Officers

Effective from 7th November 2014

1.0 Objectives

1.1 The objectives of the Consortium of Local Authorities in Wales are:

(a) to promote and support joint working between member authorities and other organisations.

(b) to promote excellence in the management of property assets, delivery of projects and provision of property

services in Welsh local government.

(c) to support member authorities through the provision of training, dissemination of best practice, production of

standard documentation and commissioning of research.

(d) to represent the interests of member authorities through the establishment of links with the Welsh Assembly

Government and other organisations.

(e) to provide consortium arrangements for the procurement of building products and services.

1.2 In so doing and to these ends, the Consortium will engage in and promote the lobbying of Central Government

and others influential in the decision making processes as they affect public sector property services. To support

both its own personnel where applicable and those local authorities who join the Consortium ("Member

Authorities"), the Consortium aims to provide facilities for research and development, training and continuing

professional development and the dissemination of information amongst Member Authorities.

2.0 Membership

2.1 Full membership will only be available to all Welsh Unitary Authorities conditional upon payment of an annual

subscription to be determined from time to time by the Consortium ("the Subscription").

2.2 The Subscription will be calculated by the Consortium based upon an apportionment of the total annual costs of

the Steering Group (as defined in paragraph 7) and calculated in such manner as the Members' Executive Committee

(as defined in paragraph 3.1) shall think fit from time to time.


2.3 Associate membership of the Consortium will be available to the Welsh Assembly Government, Police

Authorities, Fire Authorities, Housing Associations, Health Trusts and Boards, Universities and other such other

public sector organisations approved by the Consortium's Chair and Vice-chair of the Board of Nominated Officers

(as defined in paragraph 4.1 below).

2.4 Use of the Consortium's services by organisations other than full Member Authorities and the approved

Associate Members described above will be determined by the Steering Group and charged for according to the

circumstances of each application.

2.5 Any Members wishing to terminate their membership of the Consortium may do so with effect from any 31st

March in any year strictly provided that they have served no less than twelve (12) months' prior written notice upon

the Consortium.

3.0 Elected Members' Executive Committee

3.1 The controlling body of the Consortium will be an executive committee ("the Members' Executive Committee")

which will comprise the following:

(a) A maximum of two (2) councillors nominated by each full Member Authority together having one (1) single vote

per full Member Authority.

(b) Associate Members will be allowed a maximum of two (2) nominated observers per organisation.

(c) Other observers may be invited from time to time at the discretion of the Chair of the Members' Executive

Committee. Neither Associate Members nor observers shall have voting rights.

3.2 The Members' Executive Committee will meet at least twice a year, one meeting of which will constitute the

Annual General Meeting of the Consortium and will normally be held during the last quarter of the calendar year.

3.3 The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Members' Executive Committee will be elected at an Annual General Meeting to

serve for a period of two (2) years.

4.0 Officer Committees

4.1 The operating committee of the officers of the Consortium will be the Board of Nominated Officers, comprising

one (1) officer nominated by each of the Member Authorities [who shall from amongst themselves elect] the

following:

(a) Officer Chair

(b) Officer Vice-Chair

(c) Treasurer to the Consortium (but who may also be an external adviser)

4.2 The Board of Nominated Officers shall meet no less frequently than quarterly and will implement by means of

the Steering Group the Objectives set out in paragraph 1.0 and will in this regard direct, monitor and supervise to the

extent reasonably necessary the Steering Group.

4.3 The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Nominated Officers will be elected by the Board to serve for a period of

two (2) years.


4.4 The Treasurer to the Consortium will be nominated by the Board of Nominated Officers for ratification by the

Members' Executive Committee.

4.5 The Chairship, composition (including where appropriate the involvement of elected members) and the nature

and scope of the activities of other officer working groups (if such are deemed necessary to assist the Steering

Group) will be determined by the Board of Nominated Officers.

5.0 Finance

5.1 Annual estimates of income (including from the Rebate Fund, as defined in Clause 5.3 below) and expenditure

will be prepared by the Treasurer to the Consortium in consultation with the Steering Group and Board of

Nominated Officers, and a budget based thereupon shall be approved by the Annual General Meeting of the

Executive Members' Committee (and "the Budget" and "Budgetary" shall be similarly construed).

5.2 The Steering Group in consultation with the Treasurer, shall be authorised to incur expenditure in the

performance of its duties in accordance with the administrative and operational heads set out in the Budget. The

Steering Group shall ensure that its member with responsibility for the relevant administrative and/or operational

head(s) shall observe and not (subject to paragraph 7.5) exceed the amount(s) allocated thereto in the Budget.

5.3 The Steering Group, in consultation with the Treasurer shall monitor income received from the Consortium's

Component Nominees and/or the operation of the planned forthcoming online Constructio.com developed systems

(the "Rebate Fund"). This Rebate Fund shall be expended for the development of the Consortium's activities at the

discretion of the Board of Nominated Officers. Expenditure not exceeding twenty thousand pounds (£20,000) shall

be approved by the Chair of the Board of Nominated Officers in consultation with the Treasurer and the Chair and

Vice-Chair of the Members' Executive Committee. Expenditure exceeding twenty thousand pounds (£20,000) or use

of the Rebate Fund to supplement Subscription income for the general operation of the Consortium shall be

approved by the Members' Executive Committee as shall any exceeding of the Budget or expenditure upon (or the

incurring of liability in respect of) any non-budgeted items by the Steering Group.

6.0 Winding-Up

In the event of the termination of the activities of the Consortium all residual costs or liabilities or surplus finances

(including the Rebate Fund) shall be borne by, or distributed to, those who are full Member Authorities of the

Consortium at the time of winding up, and be apportioned in proportion to the Subscription paid by each Member

Authority.

7.0 Steering Group

7.1 The Members' Executive Committee shall choose (or it may delegate the Board of Nominated Officers to so

choose), at such times and for such durations as it in its discretion shall deem fit, a group of seven (7) persons of

such experience and background as is appropriate who shall form the Consortium's steering group, ("the Steering

Group"). It shall be the duty of the Steering Group to assist the Board of Nominated Officers in its performance of

the duty allocated to it by paragraph 4.2 above, by performing those tasks described in paragraph 7.6 below, and to

this end the Board of Nominated Officers may allocate to each appointee to the Steering Group a specified particular

sphere of responsibility with the intention that such appointee shall assume the practical day-to-day responsibility

thereof subject to the fiscal limits set out in the Budget.


7.2 The Steering Group shall meet as necessary at a mutually agreed location in order to review the performance of

its responsibilities and report to the Board of Nominated Officers.

7.3 The Board of Nominated Officers shall have the right at any time to appoint additional or dismiss the existing

personnel of the Steering Group at its entire discretion without notice.

7.4 All matters affecting the role and staffing of the Steering Group are to be monitored and considered by the Board

of Nominated Officers.

7.5 Any matter requiring urgent action or any matter necessitating the incurring of any expenditure or liability (a) in

excess of the amount budgeted therefore in the Budget or (b) not budgeted for shall be referred in advance to the

Chair and Vice-Chair of the Members' Executive Committee for their approval.

7.6 The functions of the Steering Group (acting collectively or via its individual members according to the division of

responsibility), shall be:

7.6.1 to carry out the directions of the Board of Nominated Officers in accordance with such general policies as

are agreed by the Members' Executive Committee to best effect the Objectives;

7.6.2 to secure the most favourable purchasing arrangements in respect of any transactions approved by the

Board of Nominated Officers;

7.6.3 to provide secretarial and administrative services to the Board of Nominated Officers and other officer

working groups as determined by the Board;

7.6.4 to represent the Consortium on inter-consortium technical committees and at such other technical

meetings as are determined by the Board of Nominated Officers or approved by the Chair of the Board of Nominated

Officers;

7.6.5 to prepare, in consultation with the Board of Nominated Officers and Treasurer, a draft annual budget

indicating projected income and expenditure. The draft budget shall be that draft budget presented to the Annual

General Meeting of the Members' Executive Committee for approval in the manner set out in paragraph 5.1 above;

7.6.6 efficiently to manage the Consortium's budget according to the particular responsibilities of the individual

Steering Group appointees and the budgetary limits to which they may be subject;

7.6.7 to carry out such duties as the Board of Nominated Officers may from time to time prescribe.

7.7 The Board of Nominated Officers shall, with the agreement of the Members' Executive Committee, provide

support services as are necessary to develop the technical support services of the Consortium. Research and

development appointments shall be made by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board within the constraints of the

Budget.

7.8 The Constitution will be reviewed biennially by the Steering Group and Board of Nominated Officers with a

report being presented to the following Annual General Meeting.


CLAW Awards

This year’s CLAW Project of the Year attracted a wide range of submissions from members. As well as showcasing

high-quality C21st Schools projects, entries included a range of other project types. The judges were impressed by

the variety of projects, procurement methods and design methodology.

The criteria that the projects were judged on included Sustainability, Engagement and Consultation, Health & Safety,

Innovation, Results, Enablers for Change, Impact and Value.

The winner of this year’s CLAW Project of the Year award was:

Denbighshire County Council’s Rhyl High School (Rhyl High School and Ysgol Tir Morfa).

Designed by AHR and constructed by Willmott Dixon, this scheme impressed the judges by its inventive design

response to the site, and as an efficient and cost-effective solution.

The project comprises a 11,020m² secondary school housing 1,245 pupils, with an overall project value of £20.98M.

In addition to the overall winner, two commendations are presented for projects which stood out for particular

aspects of their design or delivery.

A Commendation Award is presented to:

City of Cardiff’s Council’s Pontprennau Primary School

Designed by Cardiff’s in-house design team and constructed by Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure Ltd.,

this £6.9M project incorporates an existing community centre to form a 3,000m² primary school to house 468 pupils.

The judges felt that it deserved to be commended for its innovative use of an existing building which is used by the

school during the day, and the community after-hours.

A second Commendation Award is presented to:

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Extension and Refurbishment of Tenby Leisure Centre.

Designed in-house by Pembrokeshire’s architects, structural and service engineers, and quantity surveyors, and

constructed by WJG Evans & Sons, this £1.42M project in the National Park completely renovated and extended the

dated building.

The judges felt that the commendation was justified for a transformational project for the community of Tenby, and

were impressed by the value-for-money achieved whilst maintaining the operation of the existing leisure centre

throughout.

Details of all the projects submitted this year will be available on the CLAW website.


CLAW Project of the Year Award Winner

Denbighshire County Council – Rhyl New School (Rhyl High School and Ysgol Tir Morfa)


Project Name Rhyl New School (Rhyl High School and Ysgol TIr

Morfa)

Project Location Grange Road, Rhy, Denbighsire

Architect AHR

Project Manager Mott MacDonald

Engineer(s) Ramboll

QS/Cost Consultants Mott MacDonald

Clerk of Works/Supervisor Denbighshire County Council

Structural Engineer Ramboll

Electrical Engineer Ramboll

Mechanical Engineer Ramboll

Client CDM Co-coordinator/ Principal Designer Denbighshire County Council

Contractor Willmott Dixon

Building Control Denbighshire County Council

What was the project contract period? Construction Period October 2014 to March 2016

When did the project start on site? October 2014

When was the project certified complete (permitted

period between 1 July 3013 and 30 June 2016)

March 2016

What is the overall project value? £20.98m

What is the project’s contract value? £20.98m

Gross internal floor area 11,020 sq.

Type of work (i.e. new build, refurbishment) New Build

Project type (i.e. school, leisure Centre, bridge) Secondary School

Number of pupils (if applicable) 1200 Rhyl High School plus 45 Ysgol Tir Morfa

Procurement route Design & Build

Form of contract NEC3 ECC

Were KPIs Collected? Yes

What was the BREEAM score? Excellent (73%)

Was BIM utilized? Yes

Which regional contractor framework (if any) was

the project delivered under?

N/A


Project overview

Rhyl New School is a new state-of-the-art education facility to provide the best possible start for children and young people in a modern setting. The project comprises a new build three-storey development to accommodate 1,200 pupils from Rhyl High School. The building also provides a base for 45 pupils from the nearby Ysgol Tir Morfa community special school. The project was constructed on the playing fields of the Rhyl High School site adjacent to Rhyl Leisure Centre. On completion of the new building, the former Rhyl High School was demolished and new playing fields provided.

Project team setup and procurement route description

The project was procured through a Design & Build Contract with Willmott Dixon as the Principal Contractor. The design team was employed by Willmott Dixon with the Project Manager and Cost Consultant employed by Denbighshire County Council. The scheme utilized a NEC ECC Option A (lump sum) contract. Willmott Dixon was appointed on a staged approach to develop the feasibility study and detailed design followed by signature of the design and build contract and the construction period. The procurement route allowed a partnering ethos to be developed from the outset with the design and cost developed in a collaborative manner.

What makes the project special

The project has provided a dream facility for the schools. It has been delivered through Denbighshire County Council’s education capital programme which demonstrates a real statement of belief in young people. It is great news for students, teachers and the local community. The partnering ethos evident throughout the project team has been fundamental to successful delivery of the scheme. This was instilled by a collaboration workshop undertaken with all stakeholders early in the design stage which set the spirit for all subsequent stages. Celebration events at key stages including turf cutting and topping out have embraced the sense of achievement. Delivery of the project to time and within budget is testament to the collaborative effort. The community benefits achieved by the project are fantastic. Key figures are provided in the relevant sections of this submission and include 71% local spend, 57% local employment and 26 school workshops. The project has achieved a lasting legacy.

Head Teacher Claire Armistead:

"I can't believe this is ours, it's amazing! You can't walk through here without seeing through every classroom,

through every area. I can't imagine how well this turned out, it's beyond my best dream!"


Sustainability

Sustainability is a crucial component of the Rhyl New School project. Examples are provided below for each of the three pillars of sustainability. Environmental Sustainability The new building incorporates features to achieve low operational costs over the lifecycle of the school, while at the same time reducing carbon emissions. The new school utilizes biomass to generate 80% of the school’s annual heating demand and 280sqm of photovoltaics to generate electricity; all reducing demand on fossil fuels. The design achieves a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating and a building emission rate 25% lower than the target emission rate. Social Sustainability Social initiatives have included training programmes, engagement with the community and community projects. The project has hosted 31 site visits by pupils, the local community and stakeholders and undertaken 26 school workshops linked to the National Curriculum. Economic Sustainability Inward investment has been a key focus of the project. This is demonstrated by 71% of the contract value of the project being undertaken by local businesses within Denbighshire and a 30 mile radius of the site. 10 new jobs have been created by the project with the support of the supply chain.

Engagement and consultation strategy

A coordinated stakeholder engagement strategy has added significant value to the project from concept design to completion. As part of the briefing process, all stakeholders including teachers and pupils from both schools, were taken on a series of study visits before collaborating with the design team to develop their own unique solution. The building’s complimentary palette of materials was developed through continual collaboration with pupils who wanted to express a modern and aspirational ethos. Every detail was considered, even down to the development of a new school uniform. An inclusive community engagement and consultation strategy was used to instill a sense of ownership and civic pride in the new facilities and promoting the new school to attract future pupils and community use. This has included local councilors, neighbors and wider residents using tools such as newsletters, public events and community liaison groups. The scheme is currently supporting a new community project with Ysgol Tir Morfa which will allow the school to reach out to its community in a far more inclusive manner. There has already been a huge increase in applications for the school demonstrating significant improvements in academic offerings for students of both Rhyl High School and Ysgol Tir Morfa.


Value

The project achieving BREEAM Excellent is testament to the value achieved in efficiency, sustainable construction methods and minimizing the use of resources. Examples include: Efficiency The co-location of Rhyl High School and Ysgol Tir Morfa fosters efficiencies through shared use of the teaching facilities, staff and support services. The design has been developed to maximize these opportunities whilst maintaining the ethos of the individual schools. Sustainable Construction Methods The building fabric was designed to be highly efficient. The outer skin comprises brickwork and rain screen cladding backed by insulation, vapor barrier and SFS system. This construction allowed weather tightness to be achieved in a short period with benefits to the construction programme whilst also achieving strict air tightness and insulation U values. External windows were installed prior to the brick outer skin being completed allowing internal trades to progress weeks earlier than with traditional construction methods. Minimizing the Use of Resources The projects focus on minimizing the use of resources during construction is demonstrated by the amount of waste diverted from landfill: Construction Waste 1,823cu.m generated – 97% diverted from landfill Demolition Waste 1,622cu.m generated – 98% diverted from landfill Excavation Waste 4,460cu.m generated – 100% diverted from landfill.

TRT & Community Benefits

A key focus of the project has been the creation of opportunities for local people, supporting new apprenticeships, training and job opportunities, spending locally through the supply chain and linking the schools with the wider community. The project’s aim is to leave a lasting legacy in the region. Key community benefit figures for trainees and apprenticeships achieved on the project include: Local employed – 57% of the value of the works undertaken by local people within Denbighshire and a 30 mile radius of the site. Trade apprenticeships for young people and adults – 91 apprenticeship weeks. Work experience and training – 94 weeks of training / work experience Mentoring – 44 hours of mentoring for local students, trainees and SMEs. An example of the project embracing targeted training and recruitment is the relationship developed between Willmott Dixon and Evadx; a local steelwork fabricator from Kimmel Bay in North Wales. Evadx provided the steel frame for Rhyl New School and have subsequently supported Willmott Dixon on a succession of high profile local projects. Evadx were awarded the North West Supply Chain Partner of the Year by Willmott Dixon in 2016


Innovation

The building demonstrates numerous innovative features in its design including: A central atrium welcomes visitors into the heart of the building, serving not only as the entrance and foyer, but also as a performance hall, dining area, circulation and social space. Community facilities within this area can be zoned off to be accessed by the public out of school hours. The design exhibits ‘learning on display’. Learning zones can be seen from the main entrance, with each zone having its own distinct entrance from the central atrium and expressing its unique identity through branding and colour. Each subject area is organized around a central breakout space containing informal learning spaces along with lockers and storage. Natural light is drawn in to each of these central spaces through large roof lights. The school has been developed to integrate Ysgol Tir Morfa as closely as possible whilst giving a secure area for pupils when they need it. The landscape design creates a flexible, functional and sustainable external environment that inspires learning and promotes an active lifestyle. Removal of demolition waste from the site has been minimized through reuse, for example within sports pitch drainage.


CLAW Project of the Year Commendation

City of Cardiff Council – Pontprennau Primary School

Project Name Pontprennau Primary School

Project Location Heol Pontprennau, Pontprennau, Cardiff, CF23 8LL

Architect Mian Saleem (City of Cardiff Council)

Project Manager Mian Saleem (City of Cardiff Council)

Interior Designer Jessica Venn (City of Cardiff Council)

QS/Cost Consultants Daniel Evans (City of Cardiff Council)

Clerk of Works/Supervisor Martin Webb (City of Cardiff Council)

Structural Engineer Haydn Griffiths (City of Cardiff Council)

Electrical Engineer Jeff Townsend (City of Cardiff Council)

Mechanical Engineer Jonathan Gibbens (City of Cardiff Council)

Client CDM Co-ordinator/ Principal Designer Stella Saunders (City of Cardiff Council)

Contractor Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure Ltd.

Building Control City of Cardiff Council



The project team consisted of Cardiff Council’s in-house Projects, Design and Development (PDD) section which has expertise and resources to provide a one stop shop for design and project management services to all service areas of the Council including Education, Communities & Housing, Leisure and Neighbourhood Regeneration, Waste Management and Events. The project was procured on a Design and Build basis within a mini competition under the SEWSCAP Framework Agreement using an amended JCT Design and Build contract.

What was the project contract period? 68 Weeks

When did the project start on site? 5 December, 2014

When was the project certified complete (permitted period between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2016)

6 April, 2016

What is the overall project value? £6.9m

What is the project’s contract value? £6.9m

Gross internal floor area 3000 sq. m.

Type of work (i.e. new build, refurbishment) Mainly new build with some major adaptation and refurbishment works to existing Pontprennau Community Centre

Project type (i.e. school, leisure Centre, bridge) School and Community Centre

Numbers of pupils (if applicable) 420 plus 48 Place Full Time Equivalent Nursery

Procurement route Mini Competition under SEWSCAP Framework Agreement

Form of contract JCT 2011 Design and Build Contract

Were KPIs collected? Yes

What was the BREEAM score? BREEAM Design and Procurement stage achieved 77%. Post completion credit data is being gathered. A minimum of 70% will be achieved as part of the agreed requirements.

Was BIM utilized? No

Which regional contractor framework (if any) was the project delivered under?

SEWSCAP Framework Agreement

Project overview

The project was part of the 21st Century Schools Organisation Programme joint funded by the Welsh Government and contributes to the aspiration of Cardiff Council to provide quality learning opportunities for children in the city. The brief for the project was for the development of a new 2 form entry primary school for pupils in the Pontprennau community in north east Cardiff. A key objective of the project was to link and integrate the new school with the existing Pontprennau Community Centre which sits within the site, in order to maximise its use for the school during the day and for the community after-hours.



The project is testament to the value of good design and is an example that demonstrates how creative thinking can change site constraints into design opportunities. This project has a long history in coming to fruition, challenging site topography and an aspirational brief to deliver an integrated educational /community facility which could be used as an example for good practice for future developments. - The site is very confined and steeply sloping with a difference in level of approximately 10m between the FFL (dictated by the existing community centre) and the highest ground level. The split level building design utilizes an economical cut and fill method minimising removing spoil from site. The main mass of the buildings is connected via a glazed bridge which houses library/resource areas centrally and a children’s semi-covered play area beneath. To address the level changes, the classroom ceiling heights were increased which allow an opportunity for increased natural lighting, openness and sense of space to the interior. - The challenging contours of the site are integrated and designed to provide external learning and wildlife habitat areas including an outdoor amphitheatre, tiered seating and a climbing wall. - Although the main façade faces the neighbouring residential properties, the development respects their privacy without any compromise to the design by careful arrangement of the building creating classrooms facing onto a courtyard. - Essential integration of the new school with the existing community centre maximizing both educational and community use. - Bold initiative to incorporate innovative open plan pupils’ toilets allowing passive supervision to address potential bullying and anti-social behaviour. - Flexible breakout areas for each year group.

Sustainability

This project is developed from inception to completion with sustainability at its heart, particularly focusing on its environmental contribution. - Social Options appraisals explored demolition or integration of the existing community centre. After exploring a number of options and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, the eventual consensus was to link and integrate the existing community centre to the new school maximizing its use and creating the greatest community benefit. - Economic The presence of the existing large community centre hall has eliminated the need and cost to build a separate school hall. Consequently, there are increased facilities for after-hours community use within the school including classrooms, dance studio and wcs, utilising the facilities throughout the day and providing all year round for the benefit of the widest possible Pontprennau community. - Environmental The project is BREEAM Excellent. The site was highlighted as a suitable habitat for a number of protected species: dormice, reptiles, breeding birds and foraging bats. This consideration has been at the forefront of the overall design and development of the project. The areas (at the most elevated part of the site) identified as potential habitat are left virtually undisturbed and further native planting has been designed and implemented to create transitional areas between the existing habitat and areas where children play and explore.


Innovation

One of the key aspects behind the successful delivery of the project was the good will and productivity of the collaborative working of the aforementioned stakeholders from the inception of the project through to completion. Following the appointment of Morgan Sindall, this collaboration was continued to the site and throughout construction period. The innovation of the open plan wcs was a critical issue surrounded by controversy necessitating a series of meetings with the School and its governors, eventually convincing them that this was a worthwhile and beneficial initiative which would positively shape the behaviour of children before their progression to high school. During the construction stage, the school children were engaged by being given an exercise to design their new school logo and wall murals. The children’s response was wide ranging and interesting producing a number of different ideas which they enthusiastically wanted to see incorporated in their new school. Taking inspiration and ideas from the children’s art work, the new school logo and wall murals were then designed proving to be a hugely successful exercise resulting in a feeling of ownership for the children and being an integral part of the design process. The children’s logo has also been adopted in the school uniform.


Due to the complex nature of the brief, there were many engagement sessions between PDD, Education, School, Governors, Communities, Leisure & Parks service areas, NRW etc. throughout the entire project. In addition, and with the assistance of Morgan Sindall, consultation events were held with local politicians, Highways & Transportation and the Equality Advisory Group for the benefit of residents and other interested stakeholders. The scheme proposals were also assessed by South Wales Police and the design evolved to be awarded ‘Secured by Design’ accreditation. Due to the wide ranging stakeholder interest, in order to obtain independent validation, during the concept and design development a range of design options were considered at an early stage of the scheme and presented to the Design Commission for Wales (DCfW) Review Panel for two separate reviews. Through the review process a number of site specific issues were discussed to critique the options which were presented. The panel acknowledged the challenging brief and difficult site constraints and identified a preferred option which was taken forward. Following the second review during the developed design stage, a number of key considerations were discussed with the panel and were incorporated to further enhance the proposals.


Value

The following key targets were successfully achieved, - of the £7m contract value, 88% was spent on businesses based in Wales and 81% of this was spent on SMEs based in Wales. - 84% (12, 600 tonnes) of waste was diverted from landfill. - 5% on site recycled materials used. - 30 cubic meter water saved through initiative to reduce water consumption. - overall 20% reduction in transportation fuel costs achieved. In addition all thermal elements of the building are highly efficient incorporating triple glazed windows, underfloor heating and significant amount of renewables installed to make the building highly energy efficient. EPC rating – A.

TRT & Community Benefits

The following key targets were successfully achieved, - £40, 000 in-kind contributions including in-kind labour contribution made. - £500 in cash sponsorship contribution made - 30 weeks of apprenticeship completed. - 26 weeks of traineeship completed. - 3 Graduate placement/ work trial completed. - 5 people based in Wales who were previously unemployed for more than 20 weeks were employed by the contractor or subcontractors The design of the school was ‘wrapped’ around the focal point of the community centre and the same ethos was extended to engage maximum community involvement and participation in employment opportunities, ‘localising’ as far as practicably possible.


CLAW Project of the Year Commendation

Pembrokeshire County Council – Tenby Leisure Centre Extension and Refurbishment

Project Name Tenby Leisure Centre Extension and Refurbishment Project Location Marsh Road, Tenby, Pembrokeshire SA70 8DU Architect PCC (Barry McCann) Project Manager PCC (Maria Jones) Engineer(s) PCC (Peter Francis) QS/Cost Consultant PCC (Peter Parnell) Clerk of Works/Supervisor PCC (Chris Pratt) Structural Engineer PCC (Neville Jones) Electrical Engineer PCC (Ceri Poole) Mechanical Engineer PCC (Meirion Robinson) Client CDM Co-ordinator/ Principal Designer WJG Evans & Sons Contractor PCC (Andrew Underwood) Building Control Bullock Consulting (Sian James)


What was the project contract period? 94 weeks

When did the project start on site? 1 September 2014 When was the project certified complete (permitted period between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2016)

20 June 2016

What is the overall project value? £1.462M What is the project’s contract value? £1.308M Gross internal floor area 252m² new build; 650m² refurbishment Type of work (i.e. new build, refurbishment) Construction of an extension to and the renovation of

an existing Leisure Centre, complete with associated external works.

Project type (i.e. school, leisure centre, bridge) Leisure Centre Numbers of pupils (if applicable) N/A Procurement route Traditional single-stage tender Form of contract JCT INTERMEDIATE BUILDING CONTRACT (IC) Were KPIs collected? Yes

What was the BREEAM score? N/A Was BIM utilised? No (but it was the in-house design team’s first Revit

project) Which regional contractor framework (if any) was the project delivered under?

N/A

Project overview

Situated within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Tenby Leisure Centre is located on the Iron Man Wales circuit and provides sports and leisure facilities for south Pembrokeshire. The existing facilities started life in the 1960s and were added to in 2 further phases during the ’70s and ’80s. The building was fragmented and outdated, and in need of additional floor area and a complete renovation to bring it up to modern standards to provide twenty-first century facilities. The project had to be carried out on a shoestring budget, as the bulk of Pembrokeshire’s capital spend was being directed to its large C21st Schools Programme. Aside from the swimming pool, the project has created a new state-of-the-art fitness suite along with completely renovated spaces that now form a community room, café and library. Pembrokeshire’s leisure centres were also amongst the poorest-performing buildings in the county in terms of energy consumption – including, sadly, the previous recent new-build leisure centres, which had been procured as design and build projects. The in-house design team were determined that its passive and active environmental strategies would make this building the best-performing leisure centre in the county; this objective has been achieved. The fitness suite is predominantly naturally ventilated, with air introduced through mechanically assisted ducts when the temperature reaches a set point. Should this not be sufficient to maintain the 18ºC client requirement, the windows automatically shut and the mechanical ventilation is cooled. The thermal modelling showed this happening on very few days of the year, and indeed this has only happened in August to date – which is an achievement considering that the fitness suite had to be located on the south elevation of the building due to site constraints.



The refurbishment and extension of the Leisure Centre in Tenby was fully designed and managed by the in-house construction team at Pembrokeshire County Council. Using the JCT Intermediate Building Contract, the project was competitively tendered and awarded to the lowest-price tenderer.

Sustainability

Social: - It reinforces a sense of community and promotion of health & fitness in Tenby through a ‘fitness’ outpost

of the local library. - The project stimulated employment in the area through the appointment of a local main contractor and

their Community Benefits and TRT strategy.

Environmental: - The project has reduced the environmental impact of the scheme by extending and refurbishing the

existing building with sustainable materials, while utilizing natural lighting and ventilation, coupled with solar shading, to minimize the use of mechanical and artificially cooled ventilation.

Economic: - The project benefits the local economy by supporting a small local catering business and playgroup. - Since reopening, the leisure centre’s membership has almost tripled, thereby bringing in income to the

local authority.


As the project lies within a National Park, the client and design team involved the planners and public/users early on in the project. This was particularly important given the desire to locate a library outpost outside of the geographical town centre. The building also housed an existing catering business and playgroup, so there were implications on 2 small local business that meant that they – along with the leisure centre management – were involved the programming and phasing of the works at an early stage. Users – individuals, schools and clubs – were kept informed throughout the scheme so that they were aware of the phasing and any closures of part of the centre – albeit minimal – that were needed. The contractor also worked closely with the leisure centre management to further reduce the anticipated ‘downtime’ beyond what was originally planned at tender stage.


The project has turned the leisure centre into a key community facility in Tenby, by including a Fit4Life Library

and community spaces as well as provision for a playgroup and a café.

It has delivered a state-of-the-art fitness suite, as an extension to the existing building, which is naturally-

ventilated on all but a few days in the year, dramatically lowering the centre’s carbon footprint.

The leisure centre remained open throughout the works, which led to a phased approach and close

collaboration between the contractor, design team and leisure centre management, whilst maintaining

Leisure Services’ income steam.


Innovation Passive and active ventilation strategies – described elsewhere – which have dramatically reduced the energy

usage of the centre, whilst increasing the floor area.

Creating a real ‘healthy community’ facility with an emphasis on health benefits beyond the obvious leisure centre ones – e.g. Fit4Flife library and a healthy-eating café – cyclists can purchase credits so that they can stop whilst training, without needing to carry cash!

The form and material used to build mean that the future demolition of the swimming pool can be carried out and a replacement added whilst keeping the remainder of the facility operational. Outside walls can become inside walls in any future replacement pool extension, due to the choice of structure and external envelope materials.

Value While a BREEAM assessment was not required, the new-build element of the project was designed using

sustainable design strategies. These included the use of sustainable materials, detailing for good airtightness, passive ventilation design, external solar shading to reduce overheating, using materials with a high thermal mass and materials with a low life-cycle cost.

The refurbishment element included replacement of energy-hungry sports hall lighting and new efficient boilers.

On site, the contractor utilized the local supply chain for labour and materials, and actively monitored and reduced the site impact through reduced amounts of unrecyclable waste and water usage.

‘Travel to site miles’ were targeted by the contractor as a way of reducing the carbon footprint of the site activities. The majority of the direct labour force were driven to site in minibuses from their Pembrokeshire-based head office.

TRT & Community Benefits New entrant trainees, apprentices and other trainees equated to 217 person paid weeks.

The contractor is a local SME, and they employ a larger direct labour force than most of the bigger contractors working in Pembrokeshire. The majority of the subcontractors – including the largest subcontracts of mechanical and electrical – were local to Pembrokeshire.

Examples of TRT and Community Benefits include: - 4 shared apprentices were taken on from Cyfle, thereby giving the young people a variety of experiences

of site working. - The site manager engaged with Neath College, allowing 14 students to gain work experience on site. - 127 training courses were run for existing staff, and 8 training courses for new staff. - £7,500 was given to the local community in cash and in-kind labour.

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