Published
By Ashley Cox
English institutions seeking support with building upkeep and repair are reminded of the application timescale for the UK Government's Condition Improvement Fund, with CPC DPS/frameworks and consultancy able to help you on your journey.
The fundamental purpose of the Condition Improvement Fund (or CIF) is to help keep school and college buildings in good working order, providing successful applicants with the finance to do so. However, the scope of the CIF additionally covers a small number of expansion projects, thus you may seek to explore your options in regards to this as well.
Step-by-step details on how to apply for Condition Improvement Fund financial support can be found in the Department for Education's online guide, which is housed on the Gov.uk website. There, institutions can check their eligibility for funding, as well as determining project suitability and the evidence required to make an application.
🕰️ The deadline to apply for 2026/27 Condition Improvement Fund support is midday on Tuesday 16th December 2025...
Institutions are advised to begin their submission with at least seven days to spare, in order to allow time for help in the event of any technical difficulties. Please note, Condition Improvement Fund backing is only available in England, with funding for Welsh and Scottish institutions derived from local authorities/their own respective governments and Northern Ireland likewise following their own system of funding allocation.
Any English institutions with urgent issues that might necessitate immediate closure may apply for urgent capital support (UCS), with details on that particular route here - academies, sixth form colleges and voluntary aided schools can all apply.
Crescent Purchasing Consortium has a number of purchasing frameworks/Dynamic Purchasing Systems that England-based members can use to achieve successful and compliant results from their CIF-funded projects. These include our Estates and Facilities Professional Services DPS (as recommended to UK schools and academies by the Department for Education), plus frameworks focused on Mechanical and Electrical Maintenance Services, Fire Safety Equipment and Security Systems.
The DPS can offer a route to market for condition surveys, though institutions needing these as part of their application will obviously have to move quickly, with the 16th December submission deadline referred to in this article now looming large...
Notably, we were pleased to introduce a new Minor Works DPS earlier in the year, with lot options for general building works, electrical works, external works, plumbing/drain repair, sustainability/energy efficiency, specialist works, civil engineering works and demolition. As one of our 10,000+ members of CPC, you can put this Dynamic Purchasing System to work, free of charge, while our Crescent Consultancy team can provide extra help, if you find the process difficult or excessively time-consuming.
For more information on the CIF and the role CPC can play, contact CPC Senior Procurement Manager, Natalia Piecyk.