Condition Improvement Fund Service Expertise. rambuildingconsultancy.co.uk will prepare bidding documents for you, and if successful.
We can offer a wide range of services, from project consulting to contract management and fee administration.
What is CIF?
CIF stands for Condition Improvement Fund and is the sixth round of annual offers to academies, multi-academy trusts, and colleges for capital project funding.
It was created to help ensure schools, colleges, and trust buildings are safe, secure, and in good condition.
It is also used to support a number of expansion projects where schools are over-subscribed and rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
The Condition Improvement Fund is important because it ensures that the school building is kept in a safe and functioning condition. It addresses the significant requirements for upgrading that are critical to school smoothness and safety.
This includes keeping it warm (heating, windows, roof), dry (roof, window), and safe (fire safety, asbestos removal, guarding the perimeter, M&E).
Most of the costs of this project would be too high for the school or multi-academy to cover alone.
Can I apply for CIF Funding?
Trusts with more than 5 schools can qualify if they have fewer than 3000 students, but if they have under 5 schools and more than 3000 students they will not be eligible.
Student numbers are based on figures from that year’s Spring census.
Schools that have not converted but have academy orders signed before September 1 of the year of application can apply, provided they convert before the following April 1.
What is Urgent Capital Support?
Urgent Capital Support (UCS) is for any school that is eligible for the CIF and has been identified as having an urgent building condition problem (e.g. fire safety where inspections have identified that the school must close if work is not carried out immediately).
These types of conditions are those that can endanger students and staff or threaten to close schools in the near future.
The UCS offers can be submitted at any time of the year.
CIF application not working?
Bids can be resubmitted, but cannot be added in any way.
Appeals will only be considered if there is a clear demonstration that the ESFA made a material error in the appraisal of the application which resulted in the application not meeting the criteria for success. An example of this could be that the feedback states that 3 quotes were not entered from the contractor for procurement purposes but they are in fact.
It is best to only appeal unsuccessful applications if the score is very close to the threshold as this is the only one that will most likely succeed.
We prepare survey reports and a free quote writing service for the CIF bidding application to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
- project analysis and evaluation
- demonstration of the needs and scope of work proposed to address those needs
- complete details of the survey conducted or planned
- what is the design solution and why is it working?
- Professional detailed and robust cost management plans or contractor cost estimates
- outline of planning requirements and proof of permit
- project benefits/constraints
- site issues affecting the project, site entrances, disturbance to local dwellings
knowledge of the location of the utility or location and extent of asbestos and any cost savings as a result of the project.
Condition Improvement Funding (CIF) is a scheme operated for sixth-grade colleges and colleges that allows them to apply for funding annually to help keep their buildings in good condition to provide the best working environment for students and teachers.
The majority of projects supported through CIF are expected to involve replacing components such as windows, doors, roofs, steam boilers, and toilets.
A joint replacement with a small number of associated repairs generally provides better value for money than a block replacement or full-scale repair project.
Condition Improvement Fund Service Expertise.
