EMS Joint Statement

The Estates Management Statistics (EMS) is a data collection initiative which began within the sector through AUDE (Association of University Estates Directors) but was funded jointly by the UK funding bodies. Collection and processing of the data was contracted out to IPD (Investment Property Databank), a property performance analysis company. The system developed has been used in the sector for 10 years, funded throughout that time by the funding councils from funds that would otherwise have been distributed to institutions. During this period return of data has remained optional for institutions, though in practice most institutions have provided at least some data in all years.

In 2008/9 it was announced that the funding councils had requested that HESA take on responsibility for the collection of EMS from 2009/10. This would allow institutions to streamline their data collection processes and provide the advantage that the data could be collected and used in tandem with other data sets, plus the enhanced functionality of HESA's tried and tested data collection, management and access function.

Data collection for 2009/10 onwards will therefore be undertaken using the Aardvark system (HESA's web-based data collection system), which HESA already uses for all other data collections, and access to the data will be through heidi (HESA's online management information system), providing both the functionality available to institutions from IPD in the current system and integration with other data available already through heidi.

The schedule for return of data to HESA will require an initial submission by the end of January and data to be signed off by mid-March. Data will be entered into a web-form rather than the current spreadsheet template, with the web-form available from early December, allowing completion over time and by more than one user.

During the autumn HESA staff made presentations at each of the AUDE regional meetings to explain the planned changes and introduce Estates Directors to HESA. These interactions have allowed issues to be raised that will be taken forward as part of the implementation.

Over the next few months HESA will be working to put in place the technical infrastructure needed to support this implementation. In order to support this and later activities, HESA has established an advisory group consisting of institutional representatives from the estates community that will meet regularly to advise HESA on the details of data collection and reporting.

In agreement with AUDE and the funding councils no substantive changes will be made to the content of the EMS collection during the first two years that HESA collects the data (2009/10 and 2010/11), although return of a small number of data items will become mandatory for institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including those relating to carbon emissions. This will enable the sector to meet its carbon reduction reporting requirements and facilitate the production of consistent time series.

HESA's commitment to institutions is to provide 12 months notice of change ahead of the start of the relevant reporting period. Therefore it is planned that work starts soon on reviewing any enhancements or changes for the 2011/12 return. A review group consisting of data users and data providers will be established early in 2010 to take this work forward and will complete its work by September 2010. (Note: the decision was later taken to postpone the review by 12 months to allow everyone to focus on the HESA implementation first. A review group will now be established early in 2011 and changes made to the 2012/13 return.)

The funding councils have agreed to fund the transitional costs of the data collection system and the on-going cost of running the EMS will be borne by HE institutions across England, Wales, Scotland and NI through a modest addition to the HESA subscription.

Advisory Group membership consists of sector members of the estates community.

February 2010