Introduction

Securing government funding to improve the condition of your estate can be pivotal. But it is hard to do, dependent on making a well-evidenced, high-priority case.

To give you the very best chance of success we have marshalled all our expertise, plus some unique top tips, to compile this guide.

We hope it will answer many of your questions.

What is CIF?

The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) can provide game-changing funds to improve school, academy, Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), sixth-form and FE college buildings in poor condition.

Capital funding up to £4 million is available to make sure buildings are safe and in good working order. CIF is intended to address significant condition need, with the highest priority going to tackling:

• structural safety

• fire protection systems

• gas and electrical safety

• emergency asbestos removal.

It also supports a small number of schools rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted and needing to expand their facilities to increase admissions or prevent overcrowding.

Schools, academies, MATs and colleges bid against each other for CIF funding.

Who is eligible for CIF?

Standalone schools, academies, MATs and colleges are eligible for CIF if they do not exceed five schools or 3,000 pupils.

Bigger organisations qualify instead for the School Condition Allowance (SCA), guaranteed funding based on pupil numbers. There is no competitive bidding for SCA.

Three types of projects are eligible for CIF:

• Condition projects

• Condition with expansion projects, when a new block is up to 10% bigger than a building it replaces. The aim of the project must primarily be to address significant condition need.

• Expansion projects, for high-performing schools, MATs and colleges needing more space. The new block must be more than 10% bigger than the existing facility.

When do we apply?

CIF is an annual bidding round. In the 2022-23 round, £498 million was allocated for 1,405 projects at 1,129 institutions.

It usually opens in the autumn with a December deadline for submission. 

But with only around a third of CIF applications accepted each year, it is vital to start preparing your application well in advance so you can gather the wealth of data and evidence required to give your bid the best chance of success.

What projects are most likely to succeed?

You will need to make sure that your project aligns to the published CIF priorities and that you provide compelling evidence of need.

CIF priorities

Highest priority will go to projects where academies or MATs are currently at risk of closure for Health & Safety reasons. These include dangerous structures, such as the need to replace post-war Laingspan and Intergrid system builds that have reached the end of their safe working life, and RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) elements from the 1960s to the 1990s.

On the other hand, low priority goes to nice-to-have refurbishment of dining areas, staff rooms, libraries and learning resources areas, studios and social spaces. Toilet and kitchen revamp projects will only win CIF funding if a Health & Safety problem is backed up by third-party evidence such as a legionella risk assessment.

Making your CIF bid as strong as possible

To secure CIF money you will need to set out clearly and specifically why your project is a priority for funding and why it cannot wait for future rounds of CIF.

What you will need:

• You must have independent, expert technical advice to support your proposal, e.g. surveys, engineer reports and site layout plans.

• Condition surveys need to cover elements such as structural frame and building fabric,  mechanical and electrical, asbestos, sewage, utilities and fire safety.

• All surveys must be within the last three years. They can be specific to your project area e.g. the heating system, or part of the roof.

• Clear, detailed and relevant photographs to help the CIF assessors. For example, if you are applying for a roofing project, provide photographs of multiple sections of the roof(s).

• You will need letters about compliance from relevant qualified professionals e.g. from a fire safety inspection or electrical engineers.

• Include Ofsted or other reports on the impact of poor facilities on teaching and learning.

• If you need external approvals, it helps to get them in advance, e.g. LA planning approval.

Obtaining the evidence you need

There are no two ways about it, compiling the evidence you need for a successful CIF bid can be daunting. So seek professional help and start early!

Further evidence required

You will also need to show detailed costings and rigorous planning.

Detailed costings

• Show your costings clearly and in as much detail as possible. The more certain your costs, the lower the financial risk, i.e. multiple tenders or formal quotes are better than estimates.

• Be realistic. Underestimates put you at risk of going over budget, and you are highly unlikely to be awarded extra funding after project approval.

• Make sure you can afford any financial contributions you put forward. If you cannot, your project may have to be value engineered or cancelled.

• Ensure the repayments on any CIF loans you intend to take out are affordable.

Rigorous planning

• You will need a clear and detailed delivery plan, showing how, when and by whom the project will be delivered.

• Minimise disruption through project phasing, i.e. plan project delivery around school holidays.

• Provide a task-based risk register to prove you have planned in detail for the range of risks inherent in building projects, from Health & Safety to scope changes and delays.

How much can we get?

In the 2023-24 funding round primary and special schools had a minimum project threshold of £20,000 and maximum of £4 million.

Secondaries, all-through schools and colleges had a minimum project threshold of £50,000 and maximum of £4 million.

Please note –

“Applicants should provide a realistic options appraisal which provides genuine options for consideration,” the Department for Education (DfE) says. “This should set out a clear scope and demonstrate value for money.”

Bid scoring

CIF assessors will rate your bid according to Project Need, Project Planning and Project Cost.

You accrue points for:

• Urgency of need: you will score low marks if urgency is not apparent, and higher marks if the level of urgency is immediate. If the proposed works are not required in the next two years, the application is likely to fail.

• Strength of evidence: to score maximum marks you must have strong evidence of significant need providing justification for all works.

• Nature and extent of impact: to score maximum marks there needs to be an impact overall on the school or closure of key facilities, not just localised impact.

Client contribution

You can obtain a higher score and improve your chances by making a financial contribution to the project.

Funding to go green

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) provides grants to fund energy-efficiency and heat-decarbonisation measures.

The DfE is urging schools, MATs and colleges to combine both the CIF and PSDS to go greener:

• PSDS applicants must contribute the costs of like-for-like replacement of their existing heating system as part of their decarbonisation project.

• Applicants can use potential CIF funding for this contribution.

• Applicants who plan to submit a PSDS application for low-carbon heating should therefore apply to CIF for the like-for-like replacement of their fossil-fuel heating system.

• This is only valid if the energy-efficiency works form part of a larger proposal where the primary purpose is to address poor condition.

School, MAT and college contributions to the PSDS must cover at least 12% of the project costs. If the CIF funding does not meet this threshold, you will need to find the rest elsewhere.

Why use S2e

As qualified quantity surveyors specialising in education, Surveyors for Education (S2e) are in the perfect position to help with a range of services from condition surveys to advice on how to prioritise spending on building improvements.

If you would like to discuss any of the information in this guide or have any questions, please contact us using the details below and we will be delighted to help. Contact us on 0116 5070130 or email enquire@s2e.org.uk.