LSBU Office for Students enhancement project

LSBU needed to use this funding to transform, expand and futureproof its clinical skills and simulation environments - improving student experience, increasing teaching capacity, and ensuring facilities reflected real-world healthcare settings. Crucially, all works had to be delivered within strict annual funding deadlines, with no scope for delay or overspend, while keeping teaching operational throughout. 

Pulse Consult acted as lead consultant across the full three-year programme, supporting LSBU from early briefing through to final delivery. Building on our long-standing relationship with the University’s estates and academic teams, we provided project management, quantity surveying, contract administration and fire compliance advice throughout.

We worked closely with stakeholders to define space requirements, future-proof the brief, and sequence works around live teaching. Each year was tightly programmed to ensure design, procurement and construction aligned precisely with OfS funding milestones. This included managing specialist design teams and contractors, coordinating decants with the timetabling team, and maintaining rigorous cost and programme control.

As works progressed, unforeseen building condition issues required significant redesign of building services once service voids were opened. Pulse led rapid decision-making, value management and reprogramming to mitigate risk, protect funding, and maintain momentum - particularly during the final year, when programme pressure was at its most acute. 

The programme successfully completed all three years on time and within budget, with the final phase reaching completion in July 2025. The project has delivered a step-change in LSBU’s healthcare teaching facilities, including expanded and reconfigured clinical skills suites, high-fidelity simulation wards, physiotherapy rooms and specialist skills labs.

The new environments are flexible, inclusive and operationally efficient, enabling LSBU to increase student numbers, enhance curriculum delivery and maximise hands-on learning time. Feedback from staff and students has been overwhelmingly positive, with facilities already fully embedded into teaching programmes. The improved estate is also supporting additional income generation through external NHS training use.

The project has strengthened LSBU’s long-term ability to attract students and staff, contributed directly to national healthcare workforce objectives, and cemented Pulse Consult’s role as a trusted delivery partner for complex, time-critical higher education programmes.

• Project management consultancy
• Business case appraisal
• Procurement advice & management
• Project programming & planning
• Stakeholder management
• Value management
• Risk management
• Quality management
• Project governance
• Employer’s agent
• Construction planning 
• Planning & scheduling
• Estimation & costing
• Scope & change management
• Earned value management
• Quantity surveying & cost consultancy
• Measurement, estimating & cost planning
• Main contract tendering & tender analysis
• Contract documentation
• Contract administration
• Fund monitoring
• Feasibility studies
• Cost control (pre & post)
• Health & safety management
• Site audits & inspections
• General risk assessments
• Fire compliance advice