FAQ's
General
The hub model has been structured to give the potential to deliver a wide range of facilities to improve the provision of community services. Projects could include primary and secondary schools, community health centres, dental surgeries, debt and citizens’ advice facilities, leisure centres and a range of other community services, as well as police, ambulance and fire service facilities.
No. Individual participants will be able to use hub to deliver their own facilities as well as facilities that they want to share with other Participants or third parties. Nevertheless, a central theme of the hub initiative is that opportunities to share facilities with other Participants should be maximised wherever possible as this is likely to introduce cost efficiencies for all parties involved.
The Participant Organisation is the client for the project and it will remain the Participants’ right and responsibility to identify the requirements for community infrastructure investment (albeit with the opportunity for hub South West to assist with asset management and planning processes). The Participants involved in a specific project being developed and delivered by hub South West will retain the client role that they currently have on individual one-off procurements. A Participant can therefore have two separate identities within hub – one as the procuring body (i.e. client) on a specific project and one as a minority shareholder in the company (i.e. hub South West) delivering that project.
Only when requested by a Participant(s): typically when the Participant has insufficient internal capacity. It is envisaged that hub South West can assist with the considerable challenge and collaborative effort that will be required to link asset/estates planning with service planning across geographic and Participant boundaries.
No. Provided the Participant is satisfied that they is getting value for money and the project is able to be delivered through hub.
hub South West can assist with service rationalisation and efficiency improvements. This could come from joint working and sharing premises with resultant reduction in service delivery costs by working more closely with partner agencies, closer to the service delivery point and by working out of modern, more efficient buildings.
hub South West will complement, rather than add to or replace existing joint working arrangements. It provides a project management vehicle through which proposals for joint facilities (identified through existing community planning arrangements) can be developed and delivered.hub South West seeks to add value to Community Planning Partnerships by supporting a range of community benefits such as, supporting targeted employment and training initiatives, supporting SMEs through access to our supply chain, by enhancing the Participants’ community engagement activities with local people and by complementing local approaches to sustainability.
Benefits
hub has the potential to increase the speed and reduce the cost of community infrastructure procurements. Subject to meeting certain requirements, (including demonstrating value for money) hub South West will have the right to develop detailed solutions and deliver individual projects on the basis of a standard set of contract documents. This streamlined procurement process will lead to efficiencies and improvements that do not arise on one-off procurements. hub South West will be required to demonstrate value for money throughout the development of new projects and in the delivery of the project pipeline and to demonstrate continuous improvement over a series of projects. Efficiencies will also arise through the use of joint/integrated facilities with complementary services being provided by different Participants from one location.
hub South West is a development company owned by the Participants with a much more strategic role to play in assisting the delivery of improved services. In the absence of a delivery mechanism like hub, it has proven difficult to create joint planning and delivery of services. As a result, services tend to be planned opportunistically and procured through fragmented routes by individual procuring authorities. The scale of investment in joint facilities is therefore likely to be much lower using traditional procurement processes than it will be with hub.
hub South West is tasked by the Scottish Government with supporting local, small and medium-sized businesses and social enterprises, whilst securing sustainable employment opportunities.Each project will create opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and also employment and training opportunities. hub South West has established a Skills Academy that provides bespoke training and apprenticeships whilst our unique Supply Chain Institute helps companies develop the necessary skills to pre-qualify and successfully gain work on hub South West projects. As projects move from design to the delivery phase, opportunities will be notified through this website or local press or trade organistations.
Yes. Third sector organisations will be encouraged to collaborate in the development of joint facilities and, where appropriate, to have dedicated space within joint facilities specifically tailored to their needs.{slider How does hub South West propose to avoid duplication of established joint agency working and premises developments?} Wherever joint agency working is established hub South West will endeavour to support and integrate with the joint teams. An example of this will be working with the Community Planning Partnerships by supporting their activities.
hub South West has to meet targets for local employment, training and educational experience. This is organised through local schools, colleges, CITB, Skills Development Scotland etc. Our performance in this area is monitored and measured as one of our KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Procurement
For the first 10 years of the partnership in the South West Territory, we will have an exclusive right to develop proposals for (and, subject to meeting certain criteria, deliver through its supply chain) certain projects: projects specifically named in the South West Territory Partnering Agreement; NHS projects: all primary/community health facilities with a capital value exceeding £3.5 million; and any other projects specifically allocated to hub South West ; Local Authority, Police and Fire Authority projects: other projects specifically allocated to hub South West ; Joint NHS/Authority projects: all projects with a capital value exceeding £3.5 million involving primary/community health facilities where the NHS is lead procurer; any other projects specifically allocated to hub South West Scotland.
Yes. Provided the new project is of a type that falls within the scope of the partnering agreement (as described in the OJEU notice and procurement documentation) it will be permissible for the Participants to procure the new project without going through a further procurement process.
Communications
Is there a communications strategy for the programme to raise local awareness and public engagement?
Yes. This website is part of the communications plan and includes information issued by the Territory Partnering Board and links to the Scottish Futures Trust and Participants. It will also include news and links to specific community consultations and community developments.{slider Is there an information sharing protocol in place to facilitate progress between partners?} As new projects are developed the Participants will be able to share information though the hub South West information portal. A sharing protocol has being developed that will also allow Participants to share service information and estates data.
Funding Routes
hub South West Projects will be developed on a two stage basis. Stage 1 develops the design to a level similar to Outline Business Case (OBC) and is undertaken at risk by hub South West. Should the project be rejected for any other reason than it does not provide value for money or is not within the affordability cap, the relevant Participant will be liable to pay these Stage 1 development costs. Stage 2 sees the development of the design to a level similar to Full Business Case (FBC) and the costs of this are paid (subject to a cap) using an agreed payment process. Costs incurred during project development are prepared using a schedule of rates submitted by the successful tenderer, hence achieving a competitive price.
In most cases it is anticipated that the land will be provided by the Participant(s) and licensed to hub South West (or the Project Service Provider on a particular project) for the purposes of performing its obligations and this is the basis on which the standard contracts have been drafted. In these cases, the land will be owned throughout the life of the project by the Participant(s) and remain with the Participant(s) at the end of the project. In cases where it is deemed appropriate (e.g. where there is a meaningful residual value risk to transfer) the land may be owned by hub South West (or the Project Service Provider) and the facilities leased to the occupying Participant(s), in which cases the facilities will owned by hub South West (or the Project Service Provider) when that lease comes to an end
Resource Capacity
hub South West is responsible for providing certain partnering services and delivering projects identified in a delivery plan (developed for each territory) and employing the staff required to do so. During the procurement of the Private Sector Development Partner (Equitix) submitted its proposals for the staffing of hub South West, recognising that there may need to be a degree of flexibility depending on the number and timing of projects. The hub South West staff will interface with staff from Participant organisations whose remit may be full or part-time resource dependant on project activity.
Risk
hub South West will provide fixed contract sums for individual projects (subject to provisions for client breaches/compensation events etc.) and payments are made against defined milestones.