Future Data Collection: Surveying

This notice is being released by the Education Estates digital team. We are a group of digital professionals who are developing a new service that will enable surveying organisations to more easily share building asset information and data with the Department for Education (DFE).

We are looking to speak with people working in surveying organisations to help us better understand how organisations deliver surveying services and manage survey data. In particular, we are looking to understand:

• How condition and asset surveys are delivered
• How survey data is captured, validated and managed
• Tools and software used to collect and report information
• Challenges associated with meeting client data requirements

Who we are looking for.

We are seeking up to twenty (20) individuals to take part in this round of research. You may nominate more than one participant, however if we receive eligible submissions from twenty or more organisations you will only be allocated a place for one participant from your organisation. If we receive eligible submissions from more than twenty (20) organisations, we will allocate places based on the order of submission and contact you to arrange alternative dates for an additional round of research. Please note that this will in no way prejudice your involvement in the research and the same information will be shared and gathered at all rounds. Any outputs will not feed into any design processes, or future tender documentation, until all research has been completed.

Roles eligible for participation:

• Building surveyors or M&E Engineers involved in condition surveying and data collection
• Technical leads and project managers responsible for survey delivery
• Data managers, GIS specialists and information management professionals
• Data Managers, Processors or Validators responsible for handling survey data within a surveying organisation.

Eligibility will be determined through a short questionnaire, collecting organisational and role information. Please note if a respondent's role does not lie within the above listed suitable roles, you will be advised that you cannot participate in this current research round.

What does participation involve?

• A 45-minute to 1-hour online interview
• Conducted between 12 October and 21 October
• Discussion about your role, processes, systems, and experiences of working in condition data collection
• No preparation is required – we’re just interested in hearing your experiences

Important information.

Participation in this research is entirely voluntary, and contacting us to learn more does not mean that you must participate in the project.

Participation in this research will not influence your organisation's standing in on any current or future procurement, tender, or bidding opportunities.

Participation, or non-participation, will have no bearing on future contracting decisions. Documentation shared by the DfE as part of this research will be made available to all bidders, as part of a suite of tender documents, once any future procurement activity begins. All participant data is kept anonymously and will only be accessed by members of the research team.

Identifying data will not be shared with anyone involved in any procurement or commercial processes within DFE. We will not be asking for any commercially sensitive information, pricing information, or details that would disadvantage any participating organisations if shared with DFE.

Interested?

If you would be interested in participating, please email Khadija Shabir ([email protected]) or Amelia Benson ([email protected]) before Noon 19th October 2026 and we will provide information about how to sign up.

We would greatly appreciate your input and insights.