Project Cost - the 25% weighting.
Project Cost rewards a defensible cost-per-square-metre or cost-per-unit against ESFA benchmarks, supported by three independent quotations at the appropriate RIBA stage.
Compiled by Oliver Wakefield-Smith, founder, Digital Signet. Reviewed against ESFA Information for Applicants 2026-27 and the Condition Funding Methodology March 2026 revision.
Value for money
ESFA assesses against published benchmark unit rates. A bid above benchmark must justify the premium (programme constraint, asbestos discovery, site access, listed-building consent).
Quotation requirements
Three quotations at RIBA stage 2 or 3, from independent contractors, on a like-for-like specification. Quotes older than 12 months are typically discounted.
School contribution
A school contribution improves the value-for-money line on a saturating curve: each additional percentage point of contribution improves the cost-band score with diminishing returns above approximately 10-15% (see §04.03).
Benchmark cost data
ESFA benchmark rates are not published in a single table; assessors apply project-type benchmarks derived from historical CIF and SCA project cost data.