CROWN COMMERCIAL SERVICE PROCUREMENT RM6343 Estate Management Service 2

Nonye Amatobi

Nonye is the Commercial Lead for the CCS Estate Category team. She focuses on shaping the delivery of a variety of current and future strategic estate management solutions to the UK Government departments and their agencies.  Nonye is passionate about innovative and efficient solutions and has worked with a number of suppliers, government departments and charities, in developing category strategies and commercial products and services, aligned with market priorities. She has spent the last 10 years leading a number of procurement and contract management commercial activities for the public and private sectors.

Nonye outlines the invitation to tender process for the Estate Management Service 2 which went live on 28 March 2025 and ends on 12 May. “The public sector property market faces significant challenges but also holds substantial potential for innovation and improved outcomes through strategic supplier partnerships which EMS2 will support.” 

Overview 

Estates Management Service2 RM6343 represents the intersection of procurement excellence and the property and estate management profession. Over the last decade, the property and estate industry has continued to weather changes in the market, leading to an evolution in habits and behaviours around the occupying and usage of properties. 

Public sector property and estate have not been immune to these changes: starting with the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, which led to changes in laws, regulations and policies. As a result, the Procurement Act 2023 went live on 28 February 2025, introducing more flexibility though a choice of open or closed framework types, and transparency through requirements for more visibility of opportunities and greater oversight. 

The global outbreak of Covid19 and the subsequent national lockdown measures gave the estate and property industry an opportunity to demonstrate spontaneity in adapting to changes to property requirements, operation, usage and management through the acceleration of asset rationalisation and portfolio optimisation. Since the partial and full easing of lockdown measures, the majority of departments have adopted a balanced approach to home and office working, which has, in effect, created a diverse demand for available public sector properties and encouraged greater flexibility, collaboration and innovation. 

Another key impact for the property and estate industry is the trajectory of expiring PFI projects. With 154 projects expiring and transferring back to the public sector in the next 5 years, the surveying obligations will significantly affect market capacity [Ed – see full article in this issue]. 

These events have given the public sector fresh and unique opportunities to work collaboratively with the private sector suppliers and their supply chains, to continue to deliver innovative, responsive, responsible and advantageous solutions. 

At the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), it is imperative that we stay aligned to the industry’s evolution, catering to customer requirements for their assets, providing access to industry best practice, and digital transformation and Smart Building innovation through our Estate Management Services (EMS) offerings to customers or buyers for each new iteration. 

CCS and the Estates category 

CCS is an executive agency of the Cabinet office, and as the biggest public procurement organisation, we help the public sector to maximise resources through our procurement expertise across multiple categories. Our Estate Management Services framework sets out to support customers through the occupying, operation and management of built assets. In July 2021, the CCS Estates Management Services (EMS - RM6168) framework agreement was launched as a replacement of the Estate Professional Services (EPS - RM3816) framework agreement. 

EMS RM6168 will expire in January 2026 and the Invitation to Tender for the next iteration (EM2 - RM6343) went live on 28 March, 2025. It will continue to enable organisations to buy advice, guidance and associated services to help them manage their estates and assets. New to the plethora of services are four lots to cater for PFI services. 

We are inviting bids from large, small and medium sized enterprises who have a breadth of experience and expertise in helping clients to optimise their property, release unwanted property assets, identify savings and opportunities to generate income from land and buildings, provide consultancy support around PFI contracts, general strategic advice, and act as performance partners in integrator environments. 

The new EMS2 RM6343 framework agreement will be available to public sector authorities across central government, local authorities, charities, executive agencies and non-departmental bodies. It is designed to deliver full end to end property operation and management services, including reducing the size of estates, exiting inefficient leases, reducing running costs, releasing capital, supporting the sustainability agenda, facilitating flexible and cross-departmental working, acting as a managing agent, and providing PFI strategic advice. 

It is expected that £650m will be spent through the framework over its 4-year lifespan and beyond, through call-off contracts. 

The existing framework agreement attracted over a third of SMEs and we are constantly looking to increase that number, with regional expertise maximised through an efficient lotting structure. 

Supporting the public sector estate strategy through EMS2 RM6343 

The public sector estate is the biggest and most diverse property portfolio in the UK, covering over 159m sq m floor space, across circa 141,600 built assets and 23,100 land assets (Government Property Function, 2024). Its overall effectiveness has a direct relationship with the effectiveness of public services and driving economic growth in the UK. The Government Property Strategy 2022-2030 is focused on delivering three strategic missions: 

• transform places and services 

• deliver a smaller, better and greener public estate 

• Improve professional excellence and insight. 

The IBIS Oct 2024 UK report (International Bodyshop Industry Symposium), estimated a £32.95bn market value for the UK property and estate market, with significant public sector services spend during the period. The industry is matured and primarily dominated by global service providers, offering national and regional coverage for services. 

In recent years, the industry has seen inflationary pressures, a weaker pound sterling as the costs of imports and purchases rise, and high interest rates. Despite modest GDP growth for the UK’s economy, the industry’s market compound annual growth rate is estimated at +2.4% for the next five years. 

According to IBIS World, there are circa 24,000 businesses in property management services in the UK. This creates a very competitive environment for suppliers acting as intermediaries for property acquisition, disposal, renting, leasing, advisory and management services. 

CCS’ category strategies are supported by market intelligence and aligned to Government Property Strategies for the short, medium and longer terms. As a result, the EMS2 RM6343 framework agreement is the first Estates Category framework to be procured under the new Procurement Act 2023, and has been designed to give customers/buyers the flexibility to prioritise carbon net zero and sustainability goals for each department, when tailoring procurement requirements. 

The framework will accommodate two routes to market via further competition, and award without competition, using a taxi rank system. 

We will continue to provide further guidance on our website and through the buyer guidance document and FAQs, post framework launch. 

EMS2 RM6343 structure 

Following the success of the multidisciplinary lotting structure of the RM6168 framework, we have continued the approach in our new lotting structure for EMS2 RM6343, in line with customer and supplier feedback. This will also continue to support the attractiveness of our framework to SMEs and create flexibility for our buyers. 

Details of the lotting structure: 

Lot 1: Total Estate Management - This covers all services listed under estate (property) management, agency and lease management, estate surveying and strategic advice, valuation and business rating services. 

Lot 2: Estate (Property) Management - Management of occupations on behalf of customers either as the landlord or tenant. Services include move management, financial management (rent, service charge, rates, insurance), Vertical Real Estate, 3rd party supplier management, energy management, building and occupational management, health and safety, and fire. 

Lot 3: Agency and Lease Management - Management of the acquisition and disposal of commercial and residential real estate, whether held or occupied. Services may include property searches, advising on property price or rent for marketing purposes (informal valuation), marketing, sales, negotiations, purchasing, letting and leasing activities including rent reviews, lease events and compulsory purchase orders. 

Lot 4: Surveying and Strategic Advice - Services to include the development and delivery of strategic asset management plans to achieve savings, additional income, alignment with policy, development and regeneration consultancy; provision of surveys and studies including dilapidation surveys and negotiations, party walls, rights of light and carbon assessments. 

Lot 5: Valuation and Compulsory Purchase Orders - Valuation of built, physical, mechanical and electrical assets ranging from desktop to Red Book methodologies to comply with IFRS, RICS or departmental internal accounting procedures and compliance. 

Lot 6: Business Rating Services - Provision of rating support (inc. payment) and rating appeal services as per check, challenge and appeal process for England, and the rateable value services for Wales and Scotland. 

Lot 7: Workplace Services Performance Partner (previously known as Integrated Workplace Management) - Provision of services related to the innovative management and data capture of the workplace. Services will include integrated workplace management systems, SMART working solutions, space utilisation, capacity planning and management. 

Lot 8A: PFI Technical and Strategic Advice Services - Provision of strategic, technical, commercial, project, programme, operational and estates management advice and support, during the operation, expiry and future service delivery of the PFI estate. All services outlined in this framework scope fully support the delivery of standardised processes as defined in Infrastructure Project Authority (IPA) PFI guidance. This excludes legal advice. 

Lot 8B: PFI Surveying Services - provision of asset condition surveys, studies and strategic advice to support with the operation, expiry and future service delivery of the PFI estate, providing technical due diligence where required. Services outlined in this framework fully support the delivery of standardised processes as defined in IPA PFI guidance and collaborative ways of working. 

Lot 8C: PFI Fire Safety and Audit - provision of fire surveys, studies and strategic advice to support with the operation, expiry and future service delivery of the PFI estate, providing technical due diligence where required. Services outlined in this Framework Specification fully support the delivery of standardised processes as defined in IPA PFI guidance and the collaborative ways of working. 

Lot 8D: PFI Specialist Commercial and Financial Advice - Provision of specialist commercial and financial advice in relation to privately financed projects that may be general advice or may relate to one or more specific transactions. Advice may consist of the development, appraisal or execution of suitable strategies, policies and options for privately financed projects , including the provision of research, technical or market analysis. It could concern the financing, refinancing or variation of privately financed projects. Alternatively, it could require option appraisal, feasibility studies, valuation, due diligence or deal execution in connection with privately financed public sector assets and services. 

Invitation to tender 

The public sector property market faces significant challenges but also holds substantial potential for innovation and improved outcomes through strategic supplier partnerships which EMS2 will support. 

Suitable bids are invited from 28 March 2025 to 12 May 2025. 

Ongoing updates will be provided on the Estate Management Services 2 Website.