College Emergency Capital Maintenance Funding FY 2024-25
Introduction
- SFC’s College final funding allocations outline the capital maintenance funding allocated to colleges for FY 2024-25. In addition to the allocated capital maintenance funding, SFC ringfenced £2.5m of the capital maintenance budget to support the highest priority capital/estate needs. This is a reduction from the £4.7m set aside for FY 2023-24 for the same purpose.
- The purpose of this announcement is to outline the principles and process for colleges to access the ringfenced capital maintenance fund of £2.5m. A methodology for future capital maintenance allocations may be revised next year as the College Infrastructure Strategy work progresses.
Criteria for accessing funds
- The £2.5m unallocated capital maintenance fund is available for a maximum of two or three emergency capital works/repairs that meet any of the following criteria:
- an urgent estates health and safety/compliance issue or requirement
- extraordinary or exceptional circumstances such as a sudden failure which is not part of the planned maintenance regime and is outwith the control of a college
- unexpected or unplanned works needed due to a significant estates issue having a severe impact on the student experience or curriculum delivery.
- As capital maintenance funding is allocated on an FY basis, funding needs to be used, or legally committed, by 31 March 2025
Accessing and allocation of funds
- Colleges should contact SFC by emailing estates@sfc.ac.uk initially by the 6th of December. The email should be titled “SFC emergency capital funding 2024-25” and briefly outline the nature of the issue, planned works and funding requirement.
- Requests to access the funding will be considered on a case-by-case basis, using the criteria listed above, until the £2.5m has been fully allocated. Colleges should be very clear on how their proposal meets the stated criteria to allow SFC staff to evaluate and prioritise projects.
- For those requests considered to meet the required criteria, SFC will arrange an initial meeting to agree on the next steps, which will include the completion of a standardised application form.
- The retained £2.5m funding is unlikely to be sufficient. Therefore, colleges unable to address emergency or urgent repair needs within existing capital maintenance funding are encouraged to notify SFC as soon as possible. This will allow SFC to be sighted on the extent of the urgent need across the college sector.
Further information
- For further information please contact SFC Capital Projects & Programmes at estates@sfc.ac.uk.
SFC Strategic Plan 2022-27
Building a connected, agile, sustainable tertiary education and research system for Scotland.