Govt appoints director of major property programmes

Saurabh Bhandari will take up the role of director of property delivery and transformation within the Office of Government Property (OGP), part of the Cabinet Office, in May. 

His role will involve the improvement of facilities management (FM) in government buildings, delivery of the One Public Estate programme in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA), and the transformation of how data is used to enable property decision making.  

Bhandari, a property professional with a background in the public and private sectors, is currently a director of the New Hospitals Programme.  

In his new role, he will support the OGP in the ongoing management of one of the biggest property portfolios in the UK, comprising more than 140,000 buildings. 

Bhandari said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining the Office of Government Property at such an exciting time. The power and potential of the public estate cannot be overstated.  

“We have the opportunity to capitalise on this potential to drive real improvements – not only for our colleagues providing vital public services, but also for people and families up and down the country who can benefit from new jobs, homes, and economic growth.” 

Mark Chivers, government chief property officer, added: “Saurabh joining us further strengthens our executive team as we continue our journey to drive real, lasting improvements to the government estate – capitalising on public property to support public services and inspire economic growth in regions across the UK.  

“He will bring a wealth of expertise and experience in leading large-scale transformational improvement, and I am delighted to have him join the team.” 

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