Property Advice - Dispersed Working

The Fund is looking for a service provider to provide advice to enable us to develop a flexible property portfolio in England, which reflects our vision and principles and enables us to:

• Be physically present in the communities we support • Be in spaces that reflect and encourage our vision • Confidently invite customers and stakeholders in, to discuss ideas, collaborate with others and seek support • Fulfil our environmental aspirations • Be an asset to the communities in which we are based • Utilise the facilities and supplier of the local community for their benefit (e.g. utilising social enterprises)

In practice this is likely to mean:

• A property portfolio in England that covers 6 areas of the country • A new place that can be considered a 'hub' for working in the each of the new areas (likely to be in Manchester, Exeter and Leeds) • Utilising existing space in Birmingham, London and Newcastle for the other three areas • Differing set-ups in different areas of the country (some fixed offices in hubs, some shared spaces, some rented desks, utilisation of other organisations spaces etc.) • Different costs for different areas of the country • New working arrangements for dispersed staff • New processes for property management and support (including hospitality and venue hire)

We do not currently have all of the in-house expertise to make this major change, and we therefore require the following:

• Advice on sourcing three new locations for offices in Exeter, Manchester and Leeds • Advice on securing flexible space in 6 regions (Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, North West, North East, South East, South West) which may mean co-locating with other organisations on a flexible basis so that staff who work further afield from the main office are able to access desk space when required (see below) • Arranging moves and any refits for these offices • Reconfiguring space in our Newcastle office, in line with changing resource numbers and requirements • Considering appropriate use of any vacant or unused space in Birmingham • Mentoring and developing three Facilities Managers and to the senior lead to manage these changes in the future • Supporting the identification of appropriate contractors, developing plans and overseeing works • Providing the Fund with advice on appropriate materials and specifications • Providing advice on costs and running the project within budget • Acting as direct interface with contractors • Working as part of the overall project team • Reporting on progress