Quality of design and construction

11  Most public sector project managers surveyed were satisfied with the design and construction of their PFI buildings.  They were also mostly satisfied with the performance of the building. However, it was more difficult to obtain a view of user satisfaction. Formal user surveys had been undertaken by departments in only four of the projects surveyed, although in around half of the projects the departments had gathered informal feedback from users. Where formal user surveys had been undertaken the feedback from users was generally favourable.

12  Interviewees said they felt that procuring departments were putting more emphasis on design quality and aesthetics in more recent PFI projects than had been the case in earlier projects. They felt it was important for departments to make the importance of design quality clear to bidders to emphasise that the department was not simply looking for the lowest cost bid. The OGC has worked with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) to develop recommendations to ensure design best practice in all large government capital programmes.3

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3  Improving Standards of Design in the Procurement of Public Buildings (published 2002).