Emergency Maintenance Program Guidelines
The Emergency Maintenance Program (EMP) addresses unforeseen, urgent infrastructure maintenance issues which pose a risk to safety, where schools do not have the financial capacity to rectify the issue. EMP is managed by the VSBA’s Response Programs Unit.
The program is only applicable in circumstances where the:
- safety of students and/or staff is at risk
- problem could not reasonably have been foreseen
- school has insufficient funds from all sources (including in reserves) to fund the repair works (criteria detailed below)
- school has followed the proper application (detailed below)
- school can demonstrate that SRP funding already provided for maintenance has been spent on routine maintenance
- school can demonstrate that any discretionary financial capacity is either contractually committed to other projects or is allocated to works that are of a higher priority than the unforeseen maintenance issue
- proposed works are within the school’s designated facilities area as per the Capacity and Area Allocation Advice, and the affected area cannot be reasonably closed. Works at a Special Development School (SDS) and Special Schools will not be restricted to facility area allocations.
Schools seeking assistance from the EMP must submit their application (including quotes where relevant) via AIMS (login required). This system allows schools to track the status of their applications. Schools should contact their regional office to assist with the completion of their application. The regional office will assess eligibility and validate the information provided by the school. Once validated by the region, the application will be assessed by the VSBA against the above criteria.
EMP or Make-safe?
EMP is designed to assist schools with larger projects requiring specialist assistance, such as major roof repairs, retaining walls, or other structural issues.
Immediate and urgent damage to school infrastructure may be more suitable for the Make-safe Program. The Make-safe Program assists schools who have sustained damage in incident or event, where that damage presents an immediate health and safety concern for students, staff and/or the community.
If a school has been damaged in an incident or event and requires assistance to make the site safe, please call the Make-safe service provider, Programmed Facilities Management on 1300 133 468.
Eligibility criteria
Schools can find their criteria information in AIMS along with the assessment form.
Where a school discovers an unforeseen, urgent maintenance issue and lacks the funds to address it, the school must contact their regional office for assistance preparing an EMP application. Schools may request part- or whole-funding for the works. The regional office can advise schools on emergency maintenance issues, and assist schools in preparing an application.
Works will be carried out at the school to address the urgent issue if the application meets all of the following criteria:
- the safety of students and/or staff is at risk
- the problem could not reasonably have been foreseen
- the school has provided the required application materials (see below)
- the school has insufficient funds from all sources, including in reserves, to fund the maintenance costs (see criteria below)
- the school has considered options to address the maintenance issue and has given the VSBA sufficient information to make an informed decision
- the proposed works are in entitled space. Works at Special Development Schools (SDS) and Special Schools will not be restricted to facility area allocations.
If an EMP application is endorsed, the VSBA may decide to fund all or part of the proposed project. This may include a request for an appropriate contribution from the school.
Required application materials
- Pictures of the maintenance issue
- Marked-up SAMS plan showing the location and scale of the issue
- Proposed scope of works to address the maintenance issue
- A quote, except if region and VSBA agree there are exceptional circumstances and a quote is not required – or 2 of the following 3 criteria are met:
- enrolments are less than 200 students (refer to the School Entity Register )
- the school’s bank balance is less than operating reserve plus $250,000 (refer to the School Facilities Profile )
- the school is located in a rural location (LGA based, refer to list of rural and regional )
Criteria for ‘insufficient funds’
- The schools has:
- less than 200 students (refer to the School Entity Register ) or
- a bank balance less than operating reserve plus $250,000 (refer to the School Facilities Profile for financial data) or
- The school has:
- a bank balance less than 5 times the operative reserve and
- is up to date with their SMP actions or
- if their annual maintenance spend is within 10% of their SRP maintenance allocation or
- the school’s reason for not being up to date with SMP actions are related to the EMP application (or VSBA-les PMP)
EMP application process
Applications can be made at any time via . Please refer to the Accessible Buildings Program and Emergency Maintenance Program Quick Reference Guide for instructions on how to lodge a service request for an Accessible Building Program (ABP) and an Emergency Maintenance Program in AIMS. Once submitted, schools may track their application status on AIMS, or may contact the VSBA directly at vsba.inclusion.infrastructure.unit@education.vic.gov.au
Step 1: Regional advice
Contact regional office for advice in preparing an immediate plan or action. Regional office staff can advise if the issue is suitable for an EMP application.
Step 2: School submission
School makes an application through . Regional offices are available to assist with the application.
Step 3: Regional endorsement
Regional office reviews the application, assessing it against eligibility criteria and checking that the application is complete. The regional office then endorses the application and forwards it to the VSBA.
Step 4: VSBA assessment
VSBA assesses the application against the EMP eligibility criteria and clarifies with the school as required. The VSBA may approve all, part or none of the project.
Step 5: Notification to school
Where the application is approved, the VSBA will contact the school principal to notify them or next steps. The VSBA will also notify schools if an application is unsuccessful.
Step 6: Project delivery
School-led grant: School arranges and funds work with a grant.
VSBA Delivery: VSBA engages a consultant and contractor to design and deliver the project.
Roles and responsibilities
Role of the principal
- Seek assistance as required from the regional office to complete the EMP application
- Conduct routine maintenance for school infrastructure, buildings and facilities with SRP funding
- Submit the EMP application, and attach all relevant supporting documentation outlined in the 'Applying for funding' section of these guidelines
- Provide financial documentation to explain the school’s financial position, and the prioritisation of proposed expenditure
- Clarify and supply information related to the EMP application upon request from the regional office or the VSBA
Role of the regional offices
- Advise schools on maintenance issues and assist in exploring available options. This may include urgent breakages and failures, and planned works where there are budgetary issues
- Advise schools on strategies to manage urgent maintenance and facilities issues. This may include visiting the school to inspect the issue and to discuss strategies
- Provide guidance to schools as requested on the detail required to complete the EMP application. This may include helping schools to assess their capacity for contributing surplus SRP funds to the cost of the works
- Confirm with schools that assessment and explanation of all available SRP has been provided in the application
- Review applications for sufficiency and compliance, and endorse for VSBA review
Role of the VSBA
- Publish and periodically amend the Emergency Maintenance Program’s criteria and guidelines
- Ensure that all endorsed applications meet the program’s eligibility criteria. This includes the requirement that schools review cost-effective alternatives to the proposed work
- Apply a priority criteria and assess the priority of emergency requests
- Assess if immediate safety works are needed to rectify the maintenance issue, or whether available funds can be re-allocated to address the maintenance issue
- Assess if there is a case for referring the request to the capital planning pipeline
- Advise schools of the outcome of their requests, and negotiate an appropriate contribution from the school for the proposed works if required
- Facilitate school-led grants for projects as appropriate. School-led grants are available at the VSBA’s discretion
- Engage and oversee project consultants and contractors to carry out works if the project is approved
Applying for funding
Schools can make an EMP application via AIMS. Refer to the Quick reference guide in the Resources section for details on how to lodge a service request in AIMS.
Schools should liaise with the regional office before starting an application. The regional office can provide advice on whether an issue qualifies for Emergency Maintenance works, and can provide support in completing the application.
Supporting documentation
Schools must provide evidence of their eligibility against the criteria.
Compulsory financial documentation
The following documentation must be provided to explain the school’s financial position:
- CASES21 sub-program transaction account reports for '6201: Maintenance and Minor Works'
- statement of school’s financial commitments
- breakdown of the school’s spend/commitments against the school’s overall bank balance
- evidence of funds that have already been contractually committed to other projects. This may include a purchase order or a term contract.
Compulsory supporting documentation
The following documentation must be provided to explain the maintenance issue:
- photographs of the issue
- marked-up SAMS plan showing location of the issue
- an independent professional report for the maintenance issue. This may include, but is not limited to, any of the following:
- Specialist Assessment obtained through the Rolling Facilities Evaluation (RFE)
- Structural Engineering report
- other documentation, such as a quote, from a tradesperson or specialist identifying the issue.
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Schools will receive an email notification if their application is endorsed by the region and sent to the VSBA.
Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis and timelines will vary. However, once an application is submitted, schools should allow up to 3 weeks for an application to be endorsed by the Regional Office and assessed by the VSBA.
Schools may track the progress of their application via . When the VSBA makes a decision on the application outcome, the applicant will be notified via email. The application outcome will also be updated on AIMS.
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When an application is endorsed, a VSBA program manager is nominated to oversee the project. The program manager will contact the school to gather preliminary information for a consultant brief.
Once a consultant is appointed, the program manager will also make arrangements with the school to coordinate access arrangements as required.
The consultant creates a scope of works in consultation with the school and the program manager. When the scope of works has been endorsed by the program manager, the consultant seeks acknowledgement that the school understands the works being proposed.
The consultant will coordinate and oversee the completion and handover process for the school.
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Schools are responsible for inducting consultants and contractors to the relevant on-site requirements and policies, and must ask for proof of current professional and trade licenses. Schools must provide a copy of the school’s asbestos management plan and Division 5 asbestos audit report. Schools should also ask for evidence of valid insurances, such as public liability insurance, professional indemnity insurance or WorkCover.
Any concerns that a school may have with the contractors on-site need to be negotiated and managed with the contractor in the first instance. Most projects will have scheduled site meetings to discuss the project milestones and address issues.
If the school is unable to resolve the issue(s), they should inform the project consultant or the VSBA program manager.
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Works can be undertaken through different methods based on the project scope, cost, and complexity.
EMP Project Management
In most instances, works are managed and delivered through the VSBA. Either a building contractor or a consultant is appointed to oversee the project and be the point of contact for the school and community.
The consultant’s responsibilities can include:
- visiting the school to develop a scope of works and a cost estimate
- prioritising works to accommodate the specific needs in the application
- briefing the school and community on the proposed amenity modifications
- managing project operations, including site access, project progress, work quality assurance, contractor claims and advice
- coordinating the completion and handover process
Grants
If the school is seeking minor works that are considered straight-forward, the project can be delivered through the school as a grant. This is where the school engages a builder directly to undertake the approved works.
Schools are required to comply with the following:
- DET policies relating to building on school sites and
- Building Quality Standards Handbook and
- asbestos removal requirements (Division 6 report) and
- any necessary building permits
The school is also responsible for ensuring that contractors provide statutory and other compliance documentation for the works.
Upon completion of the project, the school must submit completion acquittal documentation to the VSBA as outlined in grant correspondence provided to the school. Reimbursement of funds is then made to the school.
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Example Primary School discovered significant gas leaks in two of their school’s buildings. The school engaged a plumber, who conducted pressure testing, evaluated the pipework and concluded that the gas lines were beyond repair and needing replacement.
Continued use of the gas lines would have constituted a significant health and safety risk, so the lines were isolated. The school did not have sufficient funds to replace the gas lines.
Application process
In January 2019, Example Primary School submitted an application with the following supporting documentation:
- a report from the local plumber outlining the problem, stating that replacing the gas lines was the only solution
- video footage of the gas leak detection
- CASES21 Subprogram Transaction reports, proving that SRP funds allocated to maintenance had been spent
- budget information demonstrating that discretionary funds had been contractually committed to another project
The application was endorsed by the Regional Office, and then the VSBA, in February 2019.
Emergency works timeline*
March
- VSBA Project Manager appointed and contacts school
- VSBA appoints a Consultant to oversee the project
- Consultant visits school to assess the issue
April
- Consultant prepares a Report and Estimate, outlining the issue and recommended actions
- Consultant prepares a Scope of Works, which is put out to tender
- Successful contractor is appointed in late March 2019
June
- First site meeting between contractor and school
- Work begins 4 June, 2019
July
- Works completed 10 July, 2019
*Please note the period of time it takes to complete the works component is dependent on the type of works needed to resolve the particular issue. Therefore, completion time frames are likely to differ between projects.
EMP application guide
The EMP application guide provides guidance for each section of the EMP application.
Contacts
If your school has been damaged in an incident or event and you require assistance to make the site safe, please call the Make-safe service provider Programmed Facility Management on 1300 133 468.
Victorian regional offices
South-Western Victoria Region
Ballarat, Footscray, Geelong, Keilor and Warrnambool
1300 333 232
swvr@education.vic.gov.au
North-Western Victoria Region
Bendigo, Coburg, Greensborough and Mildura
1300 338 691
nwvr@education.vic.gov.au
North-Eastern Victoria Region
Glen Waverley and Benalla
1300 333 231
nevr@education.vic.gov.au
South-Eastern Victoria Region
Dandenong, Frankston, Moe and Sale
1300 338 738
sevr@education.vic.gov.au
Central DE Office
Victorian School Building Authority
Inclusion Infrastructure Unit
Email: vsba.inclusion.infrastructure.unit@education.vic.gov.au
33 St Andrews Place
East Melbourne 3001
Reviewed 26 July 2024