Infrastructure Committee

Terms of Reference

Overall Remit and Responsibilities

  1. To provide the University with core estates, energy and infrastructure capability specialist advice during project development.
  2. To advise Senate and Council on matters relating to the procurement, upkeep, management and disposal of land and buildings and associated services, within the context of the University's estate management strategy and long term strategic plan.
  3. To advise Senate and Council on matters related to Information Technology infrastructure development and maintenance.
  4. To keep the University's estates, energy and IT infrastructure strategies under review, ensuring that they help deliver and are aligned to the overall University Strategy.
  5. To manage risks appropriately, including ongoing monitoring of strategy implementation and compliance with relevant policies including health and safety, compliance and environmental strategies.

Major Building Projects & Long Term Maintenance

  1. To consider and approve relevant stages of major projects within guidelines approved by Council and in particular to provide an independent review of detailed plans and costings and recommend whether the project should proceed, considering value for money, aesthetics and other data that is available.
  2. To advise Operations Committee & Council on the appropriateness and implications of estates assumptions, which are included and/or underpin the business case/plan for a major building project.
  3. To approve the detailed programme of Long Term Maintenance work within the Capital Framework budget approved by Operations Committee.
  4. To receive reports from Project Management Boards and to make recommendations where required on the appointment of consultants and contractors in accordance with the following financial limits and within the total budget released by Operations Committee.

Major IT Projects and Long Term Maintenance

  1. To consider and approve major new IT infrastructure projects and in particular to provide an independent review of proposals and recommend whether the project should proceed, considering value for money, and other information that is available.
  2. To approve the detailed programme of long-term maintenance work within the budget approved by Operations Committee.
  3. To advise Audit Committee of any major risks identified in relation to IT infrastructure.

Information Technology and Governance Risk

  1. To consider reports and recommendations from the Information Governance Sub-Committee.
  2. To advise Council on the strategic oversight and management of IT related risk, gaining assurance from the Director of ITS Services that appropriate plans and approaches are in place to maintain the resilience of information systems and to maximise the continuity of IT provision.
  3. To gain assurance from the Information Governance Sub-Committee regarding the effectiveness and appropriateness of the University’s Information Governance framework, policies and activities.

Capital Projects Cumulative Expenditure Approvals

Under £3M - Operations Committee or Chair of Operations Committee

Between £3M and £7M - VC or Provost and Chair of Council on recommendation from Infrastructure Committee or Chair and a lay member of Infrastructure Committee

In excess of £7M - Council on recommendation of Infrastructure Committee unless it has delegated authority to the Chair to take action on its behalf.

Additional Estates Responsibilities

  1. To be responsible for the aesthetic quality of the campus, including landscaping and the siting and appearance of buildings.
  2. To be responsible for the naming of buildings and roads on campus.
  3. To consider reports and recommendations from the Infrastructure Planning Sub-Committee and review estates issues related to sustainable travel, traffic, access control, car parking, utilities and infrastructure and to make recommendations to Council where appropriate, but to act within delegated authority where there are no resource implications.
  4. To consider reports from the Space Allocation Sub-Committee.

Timings and Frequency

  1. To meet at least three times per annum and on such other occasions as the Chair deems necessary.

 

Sub-Committees Reporting into Infrastructure Committee

The following sub-committees will now report into Infrastructure Committee:

  • Health Safety Environment Statutory Sub-Committee
  • Space Allocation Sub-Committee
  • Infrastructure Planning Sub-Committee
  • Information Governance Sub-Committee
  • High Performance Computing Stakeholder Sub-Committee

Updated 16 Oct 2023