What is the EHC process?

The EHC timeline is set out below.

Contracting authorities should expect to be contacted by the IPA eight to ten weeks before the EHC review session to explain the process and request information. This provides at least five weeks for contracting authorities to gather the information and complete the questionnaire, and three weeks for the IPA to review and prepare.

The EHC review session enables an open discussion between the IPA and contracting authority on preparations for expiry and builds on the information submitted, any prior EHCs or other engagements. As such, it enables a more detailed exploration of the key issues and risk for expiry. The review session is generally scheduled fora maximum of four hours and should be attended by relevant personnel from the contracting authority which could include: the senior executive responsible for the contract/service, the contract manager and representatives from the facilities/ estate, commercial and finance teams. It is also typical for a representative of the sponsoring department to attend the review.

Following the review session, the report is drafted, quality assured and moderated. All EHCs are moderated at Director level to ensure consistency. Once the report is completed, it is sent to the contracting authority for checking for any factual errors or omissions.