Defining, collecting and using property performance indicators: The UK higher education sector experience

The Higher Education Funding Councils in the UK are working with higher education institutions (HEIs) to develop a reliable, accurate and relevant set of Key Estate Ratios (KERs). A successful pilot study was carried out in 1998/99, with a national project ‐ including full data collection from all HEIs ‐ currently under way. The project has developed 14 ‘critical’ estate ratios for senior managers, which have been endorsed by the sector. The current national project has collected data from all HEIs for the last two years to enable the 14 KERs to be produced for each institution. In addition, the project has refined certain of the definitions which have been subject to consultation with the sector. The KERs ‐ and supporting data ‐ have been welcomed by senior managers and are being used actively across the sector. The structure of the underlying system, and the results that emerge, have considerable potential benefits to other property sectors.