InForm: Updates from the Government Property Agency, October 2024
InForm keeps you informed of news, views and updates from across the Government Property Agency.
Welcome to InForm, October 2024
Dom Brankin, Property Services Director
Welcome to this edition of InForm.
At the Government Property Agency (GPA) it is our mission to provide great places to work for civil servants and through our property and commercial expertise we continue to transform the government’s estate.
In this issue, you’ll find key updates on our key priority areas and we hope this not only keeps you informed but also gives you an insight into the activities we have underway.
Since our last publication, we’ve had a change in Government with a commitment to economic growth and this remains a key priority for us, at the GPA. Our new Government is keen to uphold the important role regions play throughout the four nations, with many Ministers visiting our government hubs while offering us the opportunity to showcase our interoperability, quality of buildings, services and our people.
Through our Government Hubs Programme we have seen a huge growth in our property portfolio with 605 desks across 227 buildings, 94 of them occupied by multiple Civil Service departments. And we have reinvested back into the sector through realising significant financial benefits.
Our commitment to enabling civil servants to work productively in modern and interoperable work spaces is supported by our strategic partners.
We said farewell to Clive Anderson, Director of Capital Projects when he retired in August. Clive joined the GPA in 2022 and played a pivotal role in the delivery of the Government Hubs and Whitehall Campus Programmes, as well as, leading its design standards to deliver a smaller, better and greener Public Estate. We wish Clive all the very best as he settles into his new way of life.
We also welcomed Georgina Dunn, who joined us as Interim Director of Capital Projects. Georgina joins on secondment from Turner and Townsend, where she has worked on large scale infrastructure and construction programmes, and has extensive experience on strategic estates projects having managed complex client side workstreams in public and private sector.
In this issue:
- Update to recruitment screening policy
- Government hub named one of the world’s leading workplaces
- More than five tonnes of furniture diverted away from landfill
- The GPA achieves important accreditation
- Croydon hub fit out close to completion
- Manchester’s First Street Hub reaches ‘topping out’ milestone
- Contractor signed-up to design new government hub at Darlington
- New Government Hub for York Given Planning Green Light
- Increasing demand for GovPrint across the Civil Service estate
- Helping clients through the ‘Digital Switchover’
Update to recruitment screening policy
We’d like to share the updated UK Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) in particular with our commercial partners. The update has been made following an extensive review of the policy to ensure it’s clearer to understand.
As a GPA supplier, you are contractually required to have your staff (who work on GPA contracts) BPSS screened as a minimum. The changes in this update, as outlined below, should have a limited impact on your current operating procedures as the BPSS requirements have not materially changed. If BPSS screening applies to your contract with us you must ensure your recruitment practices follow this updated policy by 31 August 2024.
What is BPSS?
BPSS is a pre-employment check, used by government, industry and third parties (suppliers), to protect the security of the government estate and its assets. It provides a basis for national security vetting (NSV). BPSS comprises of four main checks:
- Identity;
- Right to work (RTW) in the UK;
- Three year employment history;
- Criminal record (unspent convictions).
If the BPSS cannot be completed, or the checks identify an adverse concern, organisations must either:
- Risk-manage and onboard the individual, for example this may occur when the individual has limited UK residency.
- Not employ the individual, for example if they do not pass RTW checks
How to correctly apply, make decisions, and document the BPSS process is explained in the linked policy document.
What are the key changes:
- The BPSS policy and guidance is clearer to understand. The language aligns with the Functional Standards and Government Digital Service Style Guide to provide a consistent experience for readers.
- Outdated references and guidance have been removed.
- A criminal record check (unspent) must be conducted by organisations at BPSS. The National Security Vetting (NSV) criminal check can no longer be used in BPSS.
If you need further advice on this updated policy and how it applies to you as a supplier to the GPA please email: contactsecurity@gpa.gov.uk