FINAL GPSJ Summer edition 2024 ONLINE VERSION.2pdf - Flipbook - Page 29
NHS & HEALTHCARE
GPSJ
Accelerating NHS Maintenance:
How Gordian’s Building
Intelligence™ Solutions Are
Transforming UK Healthcare
Facilities
By Sophie Wharton, Senior Manager Business Development and Marketing
In recent years, the National
Health Service (NHS), a
revered institution in British
society since 1948, has faced
a significant maintenance
backlog. The sheer scale of the
NHS, including 1,148 hospitals
across the UK — 930 of which
are managed by NHS Trusts —
highlights the magnitude of the
infrastructure challenges faced.
The maintenance backlog is
not just a financial burden
but also poses a direct risk to
patient safety and the quality of
care. Within the last few years,
this situation has underscored
the urgent need for a strategic,
nationwide programme of
works to address these issues.
Upon thorough analysis, Gordian,
the leading provider of Building
Intelligence™ Solutions, was
identified as the ideal partner to
address the maintenance backlog.
Gordian’s experience and success
helping organisations budget, build
and maintain capital-intensive assets
and its National Schedule of Rates
(NSR) and Measured Term Contract
(MTC) software have become
instrumental in NHS’s efforts to
significantly reduce the backlog and
expedite retrofit projects
The adoption of MTCs allowed for
flexible, ongoing maintenance with
pre-agreed terms and a national
pricing structure. This approach
offers numerous benefits, including
cost efficiency, the ability to plan and
budget with pre-determined pricing
and most importantly, the speed
of work delivery. Unlike traditional
procurement, the bidding process is
completed at the contract’s outset,
enabling immediate commencement
of works. This method fosters longterm relationships with contractors,
leading to a deeper understanding
of the unique needs of healthcare
facilities.
Transparency is crucial in
maintaining public trust, particularly
in the context of NHS maintenance.
The clarity provided by the National
Schedule of Rates not only simplifies
the procurement process but also
enhances transparency, which is
essential for public accountability.
Gordian’s National Schedule of
Rates offers clear, itemised costs for
specific works, enabling an openbook approach where both the NHS
and its contractors can see and
understand how funds are allocated.
This ensures wise investments, a
clear link between expenditure and
outcomes and helps prevent cost
overruns and disputes.
The NHS maintenance backlog is
an ongoing and complex challenge
requiring a strategic, multi-faceted
approach. Gordian’s Measured Term
Contracts and National Schedule
of Rates are pivotal tools in bringing
NHS facilities into the 21st century.
By prioritising transparency,
efficiency and strategic investment,
the NHS can not only maintain but
transform its estates, ultimately
providing a better environment for
staff and patients alike.
Visit us: https://www.gordian.
com/solutions/industry/ukpublic-sector/
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