PFI expiry: the key issues and how to manage these during the remainder of the PFI contract
Graham Shaw, VWV & Andrea Evans, Head of Estates and Facilities, Creative Education Trust

With a significant number of trusts and schools occupying premises procured under the private finance initiative (PFI) where the end of the PFI contract is in sight, it is important to ensure that the buildings are in the right condition and other rights are satisfied when the PFI contract expires. This session will explain how a PFI project is structured and how to manage the building condition and financial interests. The session will be informed by lived experience in establishing PFI projects and insights into how to manage PFI contracts to secure the best outcome for trusts and schools.

Learning from PFI handback- What we are doing differently!
Nikola Idle, Sewell Advisory & Callum Campbell, Senior Facilities Manager, Sewell Facilities Management  

In January 1999, John Prescott opened the UK’s first PFI school at Victoria Dock Primary School, delivered and operated by Sewell Group. After 25 years, it was successfully handed back to Hull City Council, making it one of the earliest projects to complete the formal PFI expiry process being implemented by the Department for Education.This session shares Sewell Group’s candid reflections on managing PFI hand back, highlighting lessons learned, challenges encountered, and what we would are doing differently on our remaining PFIs to support smoother, better-planned transitions to public ownership.