Services

CIF Bid Service

Across the country, CIF is highly competitive —working with a professional practice boosts your chances of obtaining funding and lets school leaders concentrate on their primary responsibilities.

As a leading educational building consultancy in the South of the United Kingdom, we possess extensive experience in preparing robust and effective CIF bids that address the most pressing condition needs of schools.

We’ve successfully secured funding for both independent academies and multi-academy trusts, ensuring their facilities remain safe, dry, warm, and well maintained.

Our approach continually adapts to meet the evolving requirements of the DFE.

The annual bidding round typically happens in December, closing late that month, with results commonly released in May, or June.

If you’d like to talk about your CIF bid, just complete the form to schedule a conversation with our CIF team.

In most situations, we will prepare your CIF Bid for free.

Contact us for a free CIF Bid Assessment:

Examples of Bids We’ve Supported

Boiler Replacement
Safeguarding
Pipework
Electrical Rewiring
Block Replacement
Ceilings and Lighting
Window Replacement
Expansion Projects
Fire Safety Works
Thermal Comfort
Roof Repairs and Replacement
Asbestos Removal
Cladding Replacement
Toilet Refurbishment
Drainage

The Process

Identify/Justify the Project

Gather Evidence

Cost Analysis/Tendering

Create a Project Delivery Plan

Draft and Submit the Bid

Identify/Justify the Project

We will guide you on the best project(s) to bid for based on your school’s need and the ‘Highest’, ‘High’ and ‘Medium’ CIF priorities.

Gather Evidence

We will help you to record and gather compelling evidence detailing the impact of the condition problem teaching and learning at the school.
An up-to-date condition survey will be organised to pinpoint and describe the key issues.

Cost Analysis/Tendering

Our team will carefully tender the project to ensure value for money and cost certainty.

Create a Project Delivery Plan

A strong delivery strategy is key to a successful bid. We will prepare a detailed and realistic plan that demonstrates how and when the project will be delivered.
This delivery plan will include timelines, phasing options – to minimise disruption to the school.

Draft and Submit the Bid

Synergy’s CIF team will write a persuasive application that aligns with the Project Need, Cost and Planning scoring criteria.
We will assemble the supporting documentation and complete rigorous quality checks in the proofing stage
Documentation will be provided to you for review in good time before the deadline.

Queens' School, New English Block

Education, Building Surveying, CIF Bid Preparation

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Bovingdon Primary Academy, Roof Repairs

Education, Building Surveying, CIF Bid Preparation

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Southborough High School, Dining Facilities

Education, Building Surveying, CIF Bid Preparation, Project Management

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Gordon's School, Design and Technology

Education, Building Surveying, CIF Bid Preparation

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Theale Green School, Curtain Walling

Education, Building Surveying, CIF Bid Preparation

Explore This Project

Watford Grammar School for Boys, STEM Centre

Education, CIF Bid Preparation, Cost Consultancy, Project Management

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5 Steps to CIF Success

Related Services

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Building Surveying

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Condition Surveys/ PPMs

Testimonials

“The School is delighted to have secured the CIF funding – we worked very hard with Synergy to arrive at what proved to be a successful bid document. We are excited to see work progressing on site and look forward to project completion.”

Westcliff High School for Boys

“Synergy have helped the school with their CIF bids since 2012, and we have been incredibly successful with our bids during this time. I have been impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the whole team at Synergy, and they have produced attractive and innovative designs that have transformed the school site. Synergy care passionately about the projects and will go the extra mile when managing the developments, and they work tirelessly to ensure that the school gets the best possible solution for the best value for money”

Watford Grammar School for Boys

“The Synergy team have been nothing short of outstanding. They intelligently collated and synthesised a wealth of material, fashioning a hugely competitive, and ultimately successful bid. Within a tight time-frame they took time to visit the site and guided us through the process. We are very much looking forward to working with Synergy in the future and would recommend them without hesitation.”

The College of Richard Collyer

CIF Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What should we do if we are unsuccessful in our CIF bid?

Don’t give up – get advice. In the latest Condition Improvement Fund round many bids nationwide were unsuccessful. If your bid was unsuccessful in the last round, request feedback and speak to us.

Synergy has helped many schools successfully appeal outcomes, and has assisted schools with resubmitting bids which have been successful in a subsequent bid round.

How much time should we allow for our CIF bid?

Too often we get contacted by a school that has left their bid to the last minute. Allowing enough time is critical with bid preparation. The amount of work required to prepare the bid and the supporting information is extensive and should not be underestimated. Consider utilising the services of an expert CIF bid Consultant to put together the documents for you.

The earlier a consultant such as Synergy is involved the sooner you can collect the key evidence to support the bid(s). There are other advantages with early engagement of your CIF bid consultant; surveys and contractor visits can take place over the holiday period minimising disruption to the day-to-day running of the school and allow unrestricted access to investigate the issues.

Should our school make a contribution towards a CIF funded project?

Your CIF bid will score maximum marks in this section if there is a significant (and affordable) contribution. This can be through a school contribution or through a CIF loan.

The funding sources score is calculated by adding the value of any CIF loan requested to the value of any school contribution and the combined value generates a score. However although a higher score can add to the success of your bid, the overriding element of any application is project need.

What is the CIF policy criteria?

Every year the Department for Schools and Education update their guidance document and this information is crucial for your bid selection and preparation. If your bid does not closely align with the CIF policy criteria/priorities then it is unlikely that it will be successful.

It is therefore essential to thoroughly review the guidance before jumping straight into bid preparation!

When is the CIF bid application deadline?

The latest round of funding closed in December. Outcomes are usually announced in April/May.

The next round of funding is likely to open in October.

What is the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)?

The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is an annual bidding round for eligible academies and sixth-form colleges to apply for capital funding.

Funding is available to deal with school building condition items to ensure they remain safe and in good working order. This includes projects to rectify health and safety concerns, issues with building compliance and poor building condition.

CIF also supports a small proportion of expansion projects. These are for academies and sixth-form colleges rated good or outstanding by Ofsted that can demonstrate a need to expand.

How can we strengthen our CIF bid?

The provision of compelling evidence is critical and greatly strengthens your bid. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words and images can clearly illustrate the issue and impact on the school.

Independent evidence such as condition surveys, asbestos reports, cost breakdown records, energy bills, user statements, records of interruptions to teaching and learning (the list goes on), all emphasize the issues your school is dealing with until funding is secured.

Finally, don’t forget your options appraisal, contractor’s prices and delivery programmes which support your preferred solution.