3.16 A fourth wave of nine new schemes was announced in November 2004.21 Partnerships for Health, in recognition of the lessons learned from the initial three waves, have instigated a number of changes to the set-up process, which they expect fourth wave schemes to follow. In terms of service issues, more Local Authority involvement is encouraged from the outset and it will be possible to procure soft facilities maintenance, which up to now has not been included in the LIFT contract. LIFTCos will be encouraged to expand the range of services provided and there will be increased emphasis in evaluating bidders on long term benefits to the public sector, building design and wider regeneration linkages.
3.17 There will also be changes to the procurement programme. Most notably, the 12 month timetable, which LIFT schemes have found hard to meet, has been extended to 15 months. Project teams will be required formally to deliver a manageable number of schemes in their first tranche. Although Partnerships for Health promulgated this advice to the initial 42 schemes it was not made mandatory. In addition the level of resources dedicated to LIFT will be increased. Local health economies will be expected to commit project management resources to set-up and the private sector will have to prove it has sufficient resources to close deals efficiently. Furthermore, central expertise and advice and improved technical and due diligence should help Primary Care Trusts with more timely land acquisition. Approvals processes will also be tightened to enable schemes to complete their negotiations more smoothly.
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21 Bury, Tameside and Glossop, Sustainable Communities in Kent, Rochdale, Bolton and Heywood and Middleton, South East Midlands, South East Essex, South Midlands, Kensington and Chelsea, Wiltshire, South West Hampshire.