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Ordnance Survey maps out the future of the government’s office estate

Central government: Citizen services

Ordnance Survey maps out the future of the government’s office estate
 The Ordnance Survey data we have used has proved to be an excellent communications tool. It has made it extremely easy for us to see the impact of our decisions and, critically, to demonstrate our estates strategy to other people within the organisation. The next phase of this project, for which Ordnance Survey data will also be key, will be to visualise specific properties in relation to where people live. It is difficult to see how we could do this quite so easily without the use of geographic information.
Estates Transition Programme Manager, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

At a glance

Department for Business Innovation and SkillsThe National Audit Office (NAO) has estimated that the government’s office estate occupies around 5 million square metres (which is approximately 13.2 square metres per person), and costs an estimated £1.8 billion each year to occupy.

Printable version: download PDFVisit the Department for Business Innovation and Skills website

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In its March 2012 report on ‘improving the efficiency of central government office property’, the spending watchdog recognises the progress that has been made in the last ten years, but underlines how closer integration and strategic planning would improve efficiencies further still and save even more money. It suggests that reducing the average office space per person to 10 square metres could release a further 2 million square metres of office space and save £830 million in annual costs.

Such an ambitious goal calls for an ambitious plan. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS) response has been to establish an Estates Transition Programme with the aim of delivering £100 million of efficiency savings by the end of 2014–15. Its three-pronged approach to achieving this includes consolidating the number of facilities management suppliers BIS uses, rationalising the estates team and, crucially, reducing the number of premises used by BIS from around 200 to between 50 and 70.

With most asset information in spreadsheet form, one of the main challenges for BIS has been to understand the geographical footprint of the estate. This is important for identifying the areas with a high concentration of offices that need to be rationalised.

It is also essential that any reduction in the number of premises does not affect the accessibility of buildings to staff and the public, especially when a frontline public service is being provided. The location of the retained offices is therefore critical to the success of the programme.

Work on the Estates Transition Programme is well underway, with BIS already having reduced its office stock to around 130 (at the time of writing). Geographic information supplied through the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA), a licensing agreement that allows all public sector organisations across England and Wales to use geographic data provided by Ordnance Survey, has played an important role in the programme’s success to date. It has enabled the Estates Transition team not only to visualise the existing office estate but also any proposed changes to it.

Assets that were once confined to spreadsheets can now be viewed in a whole new context. For instance, despite the rationalisation strategy, Ordnance Survey data enabled BIS to see that there was still a high concentration of buildings in the North West. In this way the BIS team has been able to view quickly and easily the impact of its work so far and to identify areas where there are further opportunities for improvement.

Phase two of the project will see BIS using Ordnance Survey data once again, to visualise specific properties in relation to where staff and members of the public using certain services live. This will help ensure that proposed changes are still leaving offices accessible to the people who use them the most.

Office locations with travel time information displayed clearly, using mapping provided under the PSMA

  • The ability to access geographic information through the PSMA has promoted the closer integration and sharing of information called for by the NAO in its ‘improving the efficiency of central government office property’ report.
  • Ordnance Survey data has proved to be an effective tool for communicating changes.
  • Clear visibility of the geographical footprint of the government office estate has enabled better and more informed planning.
  • By using GIS, BIS has been able to visualise proposed changes and their impact and to see at a glance problem areas that need further attention.

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