City Deals and Special Projects Committee

Terms of Reference

The Committee will:

1. Provide oversight in relation to the governance and assurance frameworks underpinning City Deal and Special Projects, with Special Projects falling within the scope of the Committee to be determined, from time to time, by Council.
2. Consider projects prior to recommendation and approval to Resources Committee and Council, if required. Consideration to be via Strategic Outline Cases (SOCs) and Outline Business Cases (OBCs). If a project is not approved, this will be reported to Resources Committee and Council via the minutes.
3. Oversee, monitor and support the successful implementation of all approved projects and post project reviews/evaluations.
4. Be allocated individual projects, following the sign off of their respective business cases by Council/Resources Committee at the appropriate stage (OBC & FBC) (including whatever conditions are attached to funding), following which the Committee will be responsible for the governance oversight of each individual project and its impact on overall programme delivery.
5. Ensure that its governance oversight responsibilities focus on the scrutiny of arrangements in place in relation to the effective and timely delivery of projects within the agreed scope, together with governance oversight of the associated risks and risk mitigations, both on an individual and collective basis. The Committee will consider, at each individual project’s first ‘Post-project Review’, if their oversight responsibilities can end, with the project being captured as business as usual within the University.
6. Bring a comprehensive report to Council/Resources Committee should, at any time, delivery of any individual project be expected to fall outside the agreed parameters/ agreed funding envelope for that project – this report to include appropriate recommendations on the way forward.
7. Bring regular reports on the status of risks/risk mitigations, individual and collective, through the Corporate Risk Register to the Council’s Audit and Risk Committee, together with specific updates/presentations to Council, at the request of the Audit and Risk Committee, where appropriate.
8. Bring forward, through the Chair, to each next available meeting of Council, either a copy of minutes, or a summary report, from each meeting of the Committee - for consideration and approval as appropriate.
9. Meet at least quarterly, with the frequency of meetings aligned to the delivery programmes.

The Committee will have due regard, in reaching decisions, to their impact on, and implications for, the University’s commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity and good relations as outlined in its Equality Scheme, and associated policies, and where possible and practicable the Committee will ensure that its actions are proactive in this respect.

These Terms of Reference will be subject to annual review.