Capital Project Evaluation Framework (CPEF)

To create a transparent reporting (assessment) tool which adds robustness, consistency and clarity to its future capital investment decisions, the university has embarked upon a new Capital Project Evaluation Framework. This will support existing and future governance procedures and is designed to improve the process of developing a client brief and maximising the ability to generate desired new build and refurbishment project outcomes. 

One objective of the Evaluation Framework is to align with the key drivers of the University’s Strategic Plan, Sustainability Strategy and Academic Plan (and others as identified by the Estates Planning Committee). It is intended to form a clear basis for engagement across relevant and important University stakeholders to enable an objective assessment of project spending opportunities against agreed evaluation criteria, while maintaining an important qualitative narrative which will enable project nuances and justification to be captured.

The Framework will include evaluation of projects at appropriate milestones with a common set of baseline data at each stage. Studies designed to progress defined projects will be required to report against stated evaluation criteria.

The university will be developing and testing the Framework before final refinements are captured and a decision taken to adopt the Framework.