Urgent Capital Support

Acting on behalf of an existing Multi Academy Trust client, Warneford Consulting, were instructed to prepare, submit and deliver an Urgent Capital Support (UCS) funded project.

In the week before Christmas, 2022, the school had discovered a serious compliance issue with their mains gas supply, resulting in immediate disconnection of the gas and total reliance on their electricity supply.

The school’s existing electrical infrastructure had insufficient capacity to cope with the demand placed upon it in lieu of the absent gas supply.
The school was subject to regular circuit overload, resulting in their system tripping out.

The school’s ability to deliver its core curriculum was undermined with science laboratories affected by redundant Bunsen burners and cooking classes without gas cooking facilities.

The impact on school buildings being without heating and hot water, left the school vulnerable to a number of health and safety issues for both staff and pupils.

Warneford Consulting and the trust collaborated to gather evidence of the failed gas mains supply and of the impact its disrupted service had on the schools’ ability to carry out its day-to-day operations.

Drawing from their pre-qualified, accredited and sector experienced supply chain, Warneford were able to mobilise specialist consultants to prepare a scope of works and specification which then underwrote the tender documents for contractors to bid for.

The UCS submission was compiled in concert with the trust and the application submitted. The DfE evaluated the bid, and the project was awarded in a matter of weeks.

Works were phased and programmed around the school’s exam period which allowed for incremental re-instatement of the gas supply to individual school blocks.