In-house vs external feasibility - what the MAT can self-serve
DfE Manage-Your-Estate, SEMS and GEMS give the trust real estates-management capability. They do not replace a chartered consultant on a capital scheme; they raise the floor of what the trust can do internally before commissioning one.
What in-house can deliver
Stage 0 strategic case where condition data is up to date. Brief drafting against BB103/BB104. Initial options scoping. Programme and risk register against the trust's wider capital plan. SEMS autumn 2026 first returns and ongoing condition tracking [source: SEMS, verified 2026-06-24].
What requires external consultant
Cost Plan A (NRM1) - chartered QS only. R&D2 asbestos - UKAS surveyor only. Measured building survey - specialist only. Planning pre-app submission on contested site - planning consultant. Concept design for governor sign-off - chartered architect.
Cost saving and risk trade-off
In-house Stage 0-1 work can save £8,000-£15,000 on a primary scheme. But trust capacity is the binding constraint; estates directors often have limited bandwidth, and the bid timeline does not flex.
When in-house is false economy
Whenever the bid window is short, the building is pre-1985 (asbestos), the site is contested (planning), or the scheme value is above £250k. The risk-adjusted cost of in-house feasibility tends to exceed the consultant fee at this scale.
SEMS first returns
Schools must complete the first SEMS return in autumn 2026. Trusts using SEMS data for in-house Stage 0 work need to confirm the return data is signed-off and current [source: SEMS, verified 2026-06-24].