Where the financial cost of establishing a new, relocated or refurbished overseas office is to be met from DFID's Admin Capital Budget, approval must be sought from the Capital Portfolio Board.
Where other types of funding are used then the standard DFID rules on financial approval and delegated authority apply – please contact your Divisional Accountant for advice.In both cases the proposal should be linked to the country or regional programme planning cycle. This includes full approval of budget, planning, timetable and project management arrangements.
1. Any department planning an admin capital investment for an overseas office must apply to the Capital Portfolio Board for funding.
You can seek advice from the Strategies, Estates, Programme and Project Management Support (SEPPS) - Overseas Estates Team and Security Department to help you assess the feasibility of potential options. Co-location with FCO must always be considered.
Task assigned to: Departmental Finance Officer (DFO), Head of Department, Head of Overseas Office
2. You should seek advice from your Regional/Divisional Accountant in order to build the Business Case required for all capital investment.Advice on the implications of the MoU on HMG overseas estate corporate services charging model (also known as PAG Agreement) must be sought from FCPD.Task assigned to: Departmental Finance Officer (DFO), Office Manager
3. The Head of Department/Overseas Office must submit a Project Mandate or a Project Brief to the Capital Portfolio Board for consideration. The Board will decide (1) does the proposal meet DFID's Strategic Direction and (2) is the project affordable.Depending on the size and nature of the admin capital investment, the Capital Portfolio Board in consultation with SEPPS will decide the project management documentation and process required. Task assigned to: Head of Department, Head of Overseas Office
4. The FCO Overseas Security Advisers must (under the SLA managed by Security Section) be commissioned at an early planning stage to undertake a security risk assessment of any potential new sites and buildings for DFID overseas offices. DFID's Security Committee must be informed of any plans to move/open a new office and be assured that security risks have received adequate consideration in terms of the location and design of the building.Task assigned to: Office Manager
5. The guidance in the Sustainable Development Green Guide for Managers on the Government Estate (link below) must be taken into account when considering designs for new or refurbished offices. For advice contact the Environmental Management in Human Resources, Security and Facilities Management.
DFID Offices must use an assessment method to rate the environmental performance of new builds and major refurbishments within the overseas office estate? For advice contact BSD's Overseas Estate Support Unit.Task assigned to: Office Manager
6. DFID offices will normally be accredited to the FCO diplomatic mission. FCO London and Post must be consulted. Where this accreditation is not possible a seperate administrative arrangement setting out the terms under which DFID offices and staff will operate must be agreed with the host Government. Task assigned to: Office Manager7. Any project that has an Admin Capital Investment value of over £10 million must be submitted to the Secretary of State for final approval.All politically sensitive, novel or contentious proposals, regardless of value, must be submitted for approval by the lead PUSS or Secretary of State. (This could include where DFID chooses not to co-locate with the FCO on the basis of the project proving not to be value for money).It is recommended that any project that requires an admin capital investment of over £1 million should undertake an OGC Gateway Review.Task assigned to: Estate Management Officer, Head of Overseas Office, Office Manager
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