Departments benefit from complying with the new rules in several ways. They will get access to the Small Works Framework and its range of Preferred Suppliers, access to CDM Awareness training provided by the Estates Services Compliance team, and assurance that each project has been reviewed and approved by the necessary stakeholders before work starts.
To gain authorisation to do MCWP, departments must follow a two-step process. They must fill in and submit a form to opt into managing MCWP every year, formally confirming that they intend to carry out these works, that they can comply with all University rules and statutory obligations in doing so, and that the staff managing the project are competent to do so.
They must also then fill in a simple Project Information Form for every individual project before starting work. After being submitted to Estates Services, the form will be circulated to other stakeholders such as the Safety Office and Purchasing for approval.
Only departments that follow this process are allowed to manage their own minor capital projects.
The new Small Works Framework (SWF) makes it simpler for departments to arrange MCWP by providing several trusted contractors under contract terms specifically suitable for minor building works. Preferred Suppliers have been scrutinised by the Estates Compliance and Purchasing teams, with input from other parts of the University as needed.
This ensures they have the necessary size, capacity, skills and equipment, and that they comply fully with all relevant laws and regulations as well as with the University’s own rules and procedures. Departments can be confident that they will do high-quality work and provide good value for money.
The SWF complements the University’s existing frameworks for intermediate works and for large capital projects. Departments should be aware, however, that only the SWF is currently available for their projects.
If you want to discuss any aspect of the new procedures, please contact estates.compliance@admin.ox.ac.uk.
