These frequently asked questions provide information for surveyors in the Property Data Survey Programme.

 
 Are you looking for the successful bidders for the PDS and AMS to work together on the software, or will the software be developed in isolation of the surveyors?

In terms of the software, an off-the-shelf package is expected. Although the Department has listened to the feedback received from the market and has extended the development stage to ensure that the software that is procured is in line with the specific requirements, and that the surveyors are fully aware of those issues.

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 How will the Department ensure consistency and high quality when procuring a survey programme of 23,000 schools?

A robust Quality Assurance Process will be in place to help ensure that all surveys are carried out to a consistently high standard across the entire programme. The Quality Assurance Process will be supported by a performance management framework, where the performance of each surveyor is measured on an ongoing basis. A Continuous Improvement Group will be established, which will meet on a regular basis to share best practice and lessons learnt.

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 Is the validation of existing data part of the bid?

Yes.

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 Will prior information, for example existing drawing records, DWG files, and so on, be made available to the surveying teams before they go to the sites?

Yes, as part of the exercise of engagement that has been undertaken with local authorities, the Department has tried to source as much information as it possibly can, and is working to clarify the arrangements going forward. Although there may be certain circumstances where it is not possible to get this information and in those cases this would have to be a part of the surveys. The Department will try to ensure, and this is why the development testing period has been extended, that all the records are in place before the start of the surveys.

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 Where there are no drawings available, do you wish surveyors to prepare CAD drawings?

No, the Department is not looking for CAD drawings. There will be situations where that data won’t be available from local authorities, so there will be instances where surveyors will be expected to create some very basic block plans.

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 Will there be any further information supplied in the ITT with regards to the size of the premises, so that surveyors can assess the resources and time required for each of the surveys?

The cost model is currently being worked on, and is at an advanced stage. It will give indicative size bands for each category of school. This information will be clear and explicit in the specification.

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 Will there be any minimum standards in terms of the qualifications and experience of the people that will actually be going out to the schools to undertake the surveys?

The PQQ documentation sets out the evaluation criteria, and includes a specific question on the quality of personnel and that will be robustly evaluated during the evaluation process.

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 Will temporary classrooms be treated separately?

No, information will be captured on all buildings on all school sites.

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