The facts
Client: BBC
Location: UK-wide
Services: Overseeing design of unique
data collation and charging system
Sector: Media
Start/Completion: 1993 - 2008
The Project
In 1993 the BBC’s UK operational property portfolio
consisted of an estate that was expensive to run, often time
expired and in poor condition. The challenge was to produce
(hitherto unavailable) data that would both illustrate the nature
of the problem and be created in a format that would actually
produce results of its own.
At the time there were few suitable ‘off the shelf’ charging
systems, in addition the nature of the occupancy of the BBC’s
portfolio was unique and thus not something that could be readily
adapted from such systems as were available. It is worth noting
that even today such ’packages’ as are available still tend to
focus on occupancy at ’whole building’ rather than department or
’user’ level and thus the learning from the BBC experience is still
relevant.
The aim of the way that data was collected, collated,
stored and used was to stay as true as possible to RICS Codes
of Measuring Practice while at the same time acknowledging that
individual users within any one building would present unique
challenges (e.g. the use of space by say programme maker
departments is very different to that of pure ’office’ users). An
example of this would be the way that ‘circulation’ and corridor
space dividing users would be treated.
This in turn saw Capita Symonds devise a set of
occupancy rules and protocols similar to those provided by
commercial leases. For such protocols to be able to be put in to
operation, and indeed to have credibility, it was vital that those
producing the same had the appropriate competences to inspire
confidence in all stakeholders (i.e. both the client and the
users).
In the three years immediately following the introduction
of the above the BBC was able to reduce its UK portfolio by
c.1million sqft (93,000sqm). This in turn made a subsequent
wholesale portfolio transformation programme practical and
possible.