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Working with Private Finance Initiatives
Private Finance Initiatives
are different to work with than estate wholly owned by a Trust.
The art is usually commissioned and installed by the Healthcare Trust,
here lies control of the proccess, the trust employs the arts project
professional and buys the art, but the P.F.I. ownership raises questions
of maintenance, for example a design in a floor may involve replacing
the floor every seven years within the life of the contract, this will
involve bringing a capital sum forward, as a result a £30 per square
metre floor will cost £90.
Private Finance Initiative bidders are keen to support art in their new
building prior to signing the contract, after that they may well look
for ways of increasing their earnings, especially if the negotiations
have been bruising. It is best to agree the outline of the arts project
at an early stage.
It is best to try not to exceed 30% of the total art commissioned integrated
into the structure where it will impinge on the building programme. It
is wise to avoid managing too many issues and causing genuine alarm to
the contractors who will be on a tight time schedule and fear delays.
The threat or need for a variation order is to be avoided.
In Private Finance Initiatives the developer owns the building, they will
try to keep the relationship as sweet as possible but ultimately agreement
has to be sought to have the art included. The main route for this is
through the architects, most of these projects are design and build, with
the architects working for the construction company. On some occasions
a private firm of specialist architects will concieve the building while
the contractors own architects will produce the working drawings. Architects
seem to enjoy having an arts project in their buildings.
Successfully working with P.F.I’s is as much as anything making
sure that both contractors and artists are not alarmed one by the other.
Artists seem often to want to find fault with the contractors and the
contractors fear the possibility of delay or additional unretrievable
cost.
The contractors should prevail where the building programme is at risk.
Without suggesting any mischief from the contractors, it may be in their
interests if they are behind with the contract to seek a variation order
to push the completion date away without any penalties. The art work would
provide this excuse.
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