Back

February 27th, 2020 | 3 min

CIBSE award for DfE Framework collaboration

news image

Collaborative working with our supply chain on the Department for Education Framework has resulted in a prestigious award - and the first time ever time the award has been won by a main contractor. The CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) Award for Collaboration, recognises examples of teamwork - the people, products and projects that demonstrate engineering excellence in the built environment. They are the only industry awards that focus on actual measured performance outcomes, and not just design intent or performance specifications. For the first time, a main contractor (B+K),  building performance analysis consultant (Integrated Environmental Solutions, Glasgow) and BMS controls subcontractor (Integrated Building Management Systems, Newark) came together to tackle the performance gap as part of an integrative process. We refined the way data was collected and transmitted from several DfE schools, to achieve more granular operational insights that could be understood easily by all stakeholders. The team then used this data to create energy profiles for the schools, which could be fed back into the IES Virtual Environment (VE) building simulation software. Many projects already use IES-VE to model a building during the design phase. However, by integrating iSCAN - a single platform to optimise the operational performance of buildings -  this collaboration brought real-world data back into the existing model for cross-comparison and validation that the buildings did operate as intended. The partners have now developed a framework with the principle aim of eliminating the performance gap. The judges were impressed by the way the team came together ‘to identify and resolve real challenges applicable to an important sector, education’. They noted that the trio had ‘assessed a wide range of metrics relatable to non-technical stakeholders’ and that ‘the potential for other applications, was very strong’. Bowmer + Kirkland Framework Delivery Director, James Vaux-Anderson, said: "We are very proud of this award and this is a very exciting collaboration. The impact of this project could be massive. To benchmark similar types of buildings and operate them efficiently you need to understand so much and understand it at the right time.  We have a potential solution to eliminate the performance gap for our client the DfE and other stakeholders."        

News & Insights

More news

View all news + insights

View news story

April 28th, 2026 | 3 min

Bowmer + Kirkland partner with Derbyshire FA to support grassroots football

Bowmer + Kirkland has announced a new sponsorship partnership with Derbyshire County FA, reinforcing its ongoing commitment to supporting local grassroots football across the county.

View news story

April 21st, 2026 | 3 min

Bowmer + Kirkland announces charity partnership with the Teenage Cancer Trust

Bowmer + Kirkland (B+K) has announced that it will be supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) as its official charity partner for the next two years, committing to raise vital funds to support young people facing cancer across the UK through a wide range of fundraising initiatives.

View news story

April 21st, 2026 | 3 min

Bowmer + Kirkland tops out at Glenbrook’s latest Leeds development

A topping out ceremony has been held at Glenbrook’s latest build-to-rent scheme, Regency Works in Leeds.

View news story

April 14th, 2026 | 3 min

Bowmer + Kirkland to host UKREiiF Fringe event in Leeds

Bowmer + Kirkland (B+K) will host its first fringe event alongside UK Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in May 2026, inviting clients, investors and industry partners to connect during the UK’s leading real estate and infrastructure gatherings.

View news story

April 1st, 2026 | 3 min

Strengthening safety at height with specialist First Responder training

First aid colleagues across two live Bowmer + Kirkland projects have successfully completed a specialist Tower Crane Emergency First Responder training course, enhancing our teams’ ability to respond to emergencies in some of the most challenging environments on site.