Property Matters newsletter | October 2024

In this edition of the Government Property Group newsletter – we provide you with an update on the Wellington Consolidation Project, share how Bowen House is going, discuss the latest updates for the Government Property Portal, launch the new Property Consultancy Services Contract and more

Wellington Consolidation Project update

GPG is looking at how the public service makes better use of office spaces.

To find efficiencies and generate savings through a portfolio approach to our footprint, we have established a project team to investigate and implement the consolidation of office accommodation in the Wellington CBD. Called the ‘Wellington Consolidation Project (WCP)’, the project is expected to drive savings and release surplus office space by consolidating our footprint into key sites within the CBD. 

The team are actively working with agencies who are nearing the end of their lease term and will be in touch with agencies to update you on the next phase of the programme shortly.
 
Initially, we will be focusing on agencies who have pending lease negotiations. We will also be engaging with agencies to undertake a ‘due diligence’ exercise, so we have a clear understanding of what agencies require. We are prioritising the use of existing and surplus office space by exploring relocation and colocation opportunities, including the Bowen House redevelopment and other existing CBD government-leased locations.
 
We look forward to providing you with more information shortly. In the interim, if you would like more information, or you have questions about your current lease situation, please don’t hesitate to contact your SPPS or email us.

Sharing surplus office furniture

In our last newsletter we discussed several options available when determining what to do with your excess furniture. One example an agency shared with us recently was receiving furniture from another agency. 

Earlier this year Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were looking for Dragonfly monitor arms and saw in GPG’s regular Brokering Map email that Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) had surplus furniture. CAA reached out to DIA to see if they had any surplus stock that could suit their needs.

DIA had surplus furniture across a number of their sites and were able to provide 200 monitor arms. It’s great to see agencies working together in this way, resulting in a positive outcome for all. 

Read more about how DIA were able to help CAA with surplus furniture

Bowen House

The refurbishment of Bowen House in Wellington continues as we progress with the building’s fitout.

Several of the floors in the building are nearing completion and work on the ground floor reception and first floor conference facility is now accelerating.

We’re finalising the agency mix and will work with those agencies to develop how the building will be managed and operated. We recently invited some agencies to join us for a walk though Bowen before a workshop to discuss the more detailed operational models. 

A key milestone in the project is the furniture Request for Proposal (RFP), which is currently out in the market. We expect the appointment of providers by the end of the month. We’re also working to source the café provider, which will be a great addition when the building is open.

NABERSNZ

In January 2021 we introduced a requirement for all mandated agencies to complete National Australian Built Environment Rating System New Zealand (NABERSNZ) assessments on leased and owned buildings. NABERSNZ is the energy rating system used to measure and compare the environmental energy and carbon performance of Government office buildings.

The standards are compulsory for all mandated agencies who occupy single-tenant, co-tenanted, or co-located government office accommodation. NABERSNZ ratings are currently undertaken in owned and leased buildings when the aggregated occupancy is ≥ 2,000m2 (base building rating), and ≥ 5,000m2 (tenancy rating).

NABERSNZ assessments and ratings

We have reviewed the NABERSNZ standards to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose.  

Following our review, several changes will take effect from 1 November 2024:

In leased buildings, a NABERSNZ rating is only required if:

1. an agency is intending to lease a site for 4 years or longer, and
2. agencies are occupying more than 50% of the building’s net lettable area (NLA). This includes a single agency or multiple agencies in one building.

To clarify: If you enter into a lease, with Rights of Renewal that extend beyond 4 years, and government occupy more than 50% of the NLA, then a NABERSNZ assessment is required.  
Agencies can opt-in to obtain a Tenancy rating where the lease is less than 4 years or where
government occupancy is < 50%. Where agencies opt-in, the results will be included in the CNGP dashboard.

If an agency, or multiple agencies, occupy ≥ 50% of a building they need to do the following assessments:

•    If NLA ≥ 2,000 m², a base build rating is required
•    If NLA ≥ 5,000 m², a tenancy rating is required

These changes reduce the number of agencies and buildings in scope. We have identified that 22 agencies are in scope with 63 buildings requiring an assessment. Of these buildings:

•    48 (76.2%) of buildings have been rated
•    12 (19.1%) have an assessment planned or underway

We’ve reached out to the agencies who are yet to complete their assessments. To report your NABERSNZ ratings please use the form below. Email your completed form to the GPP team and copy in your Property Portfolio Specialist.

NABERSNZ assessment form [DOCX,85KB]

Launch of the new Property consultancy services contract

We’ve launched the new Government Property Group common capability Property Consultancy Services contract (PCS).

The PCS contract has been designed to facilitate and support the property ecosystem and lifecycle. It makes it easy for agencies to increase public value and savings through a clear and transparent pricing model. 

Some of the key contract features include:

• value for money – provider rates are confirmed for the next 2 years giving consistent pricing and price certainty. These are the maximum rates the provider can charge.
• a wide variety of providers across seven different subcategories.
• two new sub-categories: property related iwi relationships and sustainability services.

The initial term of the new contract is for 3 years with two rights of renewal of 3 years each. 

New property consultancy services contract now live

Property consultancy services

If you need support with joining the new contract, or have any questions, email the PCS team.

Government Property Portal

We continue making improvements to the Government Property Portal (GPP), our integrated workplace management system, to make sure agencies can manage their property portfolios more effectively.

Not only can you "advertise" to other Portal Users that you have vacant space, but you can also now "request" space through the same dashboard. This will allow you to contact agencies if you need a floor, storage or just a couple of desks.

Additionally, work has begun on the implementation of the Capital Projects module which will allow agencies to manage the delivery of capital projects, including anything from building construction projects through to fitouts. We'll keep you updated with a final go live date for this module. For more details on this new module, email gpp@gpg.govt.nz.

Finally, we continue to work with our internal IT team to connect GPP to email. This will ensure you don't miss any alerts in facilities, asset management or relating to your leases.

If you have questions or need more information on the GPP, email us.

GPG Knowledge Hour

September’s Knowledge hour was presented by Scott Davis (MBIE), Darren Press (LINZ) and Tim Goodson (NZTA) focussed on market trends, operating costs from an agency perspective and resources to monitor operating costs. 

Key highlights included: 

• The GPG Assurance Team presented the Total Operating Cost and Whole of Life Cost (WOLC) forecasting template. This can help agencies to better understand their own operating costs to identify areas to drive better cost efficiencies.
• The Government Property Portal (GPP) helps agencies manage their operating costs with capability to create, monitor and report on building operating costs. The cashflow forecasting tools available help agencies determine future operating costs.
• The New Zealand Government Procurement team have several property related procurement resources and contracts that agencies can access.

To watch this, and previous Knowledge Hours, head to the Hīkina video library.

Save the date: upcoming Knowledge Hour - end of year event

The next Knowledge Hour will be our end of year event, held at our Pastoral House offices. 

Senior Sergeant Richard Scott, Senior Prevention Advisor Crowded Places will provide an update on the Crowded Places Strategy which provides us with the tools to prevent or protect crowded places from an attack or to minimise the impact of an attack.

This is an in-person event at Pastoral House, tea and coffee will be available. A webinar link will also be provided, however the emphasis will be on the in room attendance.

Date: Thursday 28 November
Time: 3pm – 4.30pm 
Location: 25 The Terrace, Wellington Central

Register to attend in person

Register to attend online

If you'd like to know more about our Knowledge Hour’s, please contact us.