To promote the business case for sustainable buildings and to deliver whole life value by encouraging the use of life cycle costing to improve design, specification, through-life maintenance and operation.

• Provide greater confidence in future operational and maintenance costs.
• Focus design decision-making on whole life costs throughout the project.
• Facilitate robust funding proposals and help to make the business case for projects.
• Increase long term asset value.
• Support potential tenants by providing credible information on the maintenance and operational costs of a building when choosing a property.
• Capital cost reporting provides invaluable feedback into the design process improving future design decisions and helping to reinforce the business case for more sustainable buildings.

Property procurement decisions are predominantly made on the basis of upfront capital cost and a lack of understanding of operational factors affecting cost, performance and satisfaction. Life cycle costing (LCC) is well established in many sectors as a means of improving the consideration of operational and maintenance factors throughout the procurement process. It is becoming part of UK government policy for public sector procurement, as emphasised in the UK Construction 20251HM Government. Construction 2025: Industrial Strategy: government and industry in partnership [Internet]. 2013. Available from:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210099/bis-13-955-construction-2025-industrial-strategy.pdf strategy document. This is related to great financial and time-related benefits: the construction industry and UK government jointly aspire to achieve a 33% reduction in both the initial cost of construction and the life cycle cost of assets.