Doncaster Council

What is the process for getting Capital Decision Records/Reports Authorised?

• All Capital Decision Reports / Records must come through the Capital Programmes Team (CPT) prior to approval.
• CPT will check proposals and will send Officer Decision Records/Reports through to Group and Strategic Directors for approval.
• This will enable budgets, implications and risks to be checked prior to approval.
  

Please see the powerpoint attachment below for futher information.

• Flowchart for Capital Programmes

What is the process for having reports authorised?

• Capital Key Decisions up to £1m can be put on the forward plan and can be taken by the Strategic Director of Development
• Key Decisions over £1m should be put on the Forward Plan and approved by Cabinet
• The B11 procedure can be used for emergency or urgent decisions only and approved by the Strategic Director of Development and the Deputy Mayor in consultation with the Corporate Finance Manager
• The CPT must be consulted on reports/ records well in advance of Capital Decision being taken
  

How do I 'bid' for funding?

There is no bidding rounds instead projects must be put forward as part of the budget setting process which occurs each year. All requests for funding must be made by your Group Director using the templates sent out to them by the CPT. Any emergency issues requiring funding can be made outside this process but again must be put forward by your Group / Service Director.

Why, how, and when are my projects monitored?

Projects are monitored so that the information collected can be summarised and presented to Cabinet in a comprehensive report, which provides an overview on the performance across all the Capital Programmes. The report has with specific sections on individual programmes detailing progress to-date, achievement of key milestones, risks and issues. Monitoring also provides an overview on the overall financial position of the Capital Programme, which includes expenditure profiles and related resource requirements / needs.

The monitoring process is on-going and carried out through regular face-to-face meetings with Project Officers, completion of periodic monitoring forms and other communications. There are specific deadlines throughout the year which have to be adhered to ensure reports are completed and presented to Cabinet on-time. The frequency of the reports is determined by the Cabinet time table, not the by CPT.

What are the Capital Programmes Management principles?

1. All projects, regardless of their size/ value, must have at least one project officer and responsible owner for delivery. 

2. All capital projects must be completed on time and within budget.

3. All capital projects must be risk managed at the project level. 

4. All capital project cost structures must identify the required project development budget and must comply with the 10% contingency allowance requirement within their overall budget allocation. For large and complex projects the contingency allowance must be directly related to the project’s risk register. 

5. All new capital project cost structures are subject to whole life costing analysis. This analysis is crucial in deciding which option to select for meeting a capital investment need. 

6. For those capital projects that receive external funding, project officers must produce the relevant claims forms as required by the claim conditions.

7. All capital projects are subject to at least quarterly monitoring by the CPT. For complex and high value projects this time interval may be reduced to a month and the capital programmes team may attend the project team meetings to facilitate close monitoring requirements. 

8. Any major changes to a planned project delivery timetable or project cost structure (with reasons for these changes) must be reported to the CPT immediately. The capital programmes team may ask the relevant budget holder or project officer to produce a formal report in order to facilitate these changes.

9. All project overspends must be reported to the Strategic Director of Development or Cabinet via the CPT in order to seek the approval for the necessary adjustment to the capital programme on the basis of the available resources position. The CPT facilitates this reporting process by providing advice to project officers and budget holders to assist them with the writing of Officer or Executive Decision Records. 

10. All offer letters from the relevant funding bodies must be communicated to the CPT as a matter of priority. This is required to ensure that the resources position at project and programme level is confirmed as early as possible and the relevant parties can technically assess any grant conditions attached to the offer letters. 

11. For those capital projects that plan to bring a significant change to the way services are delivered, the Services Financial Management (Revenue) must be one of the key consultees at the project development and delivery stages. Therefore, project managers of those projects must ensure relevant financial officers’ involvement into the project development at the earliest possibility.

12. In order for those capital projects that are complex and high value to proceed to the project implementation stage, a further report to the Cabinet & Council is required. These reports should be supported by a substantial business case, option appraisal and/or business plan to ensure value for money in the proposed capital investment.

What is the Capital Programme?

The Capital Programme encompasses all capital projects throughout the 5 main areas, they are:

• Housing

• Transport

• Children & Young People (includes Education)

• Corporate Capital Projects

• Transformational Projects Improvement Programme (TPIP)