Unsuccessful CIF bid in 2026 to 2027? How to strengthen it for 2027 to 2028

By Grayling Thomas Architects · October 2026

If your Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) bid was unsuccessful in 2026 to 2027, you can apply again, provided the school is still eligible. Eligibility is set by where the school stood at the start of September 2026: a school whose trust, VA body or VA group had "five or more schools at the start of September 2026 and at least 3,000 pupils in those schools" is funded through School Condition Allocation (SCA) instead. The new round opened on 21 October 2026. Applications close at 12 noon, 15 December 2026. The Department for Education (DfE) says "We do not take past bids into consideration", so a resubmission is scored from scratch against rules that have changed. The work is to fix what was weak, answer the new requirements, and check that your evidence still counts.

For how the fund works as a whole, from eligibility to scoring, see the practice's complete guide to CIF funding for schools.

How many bids were unsuccessful last round?

The DfE's CIF 2026 to 2027 outcome page gives the numbers. There were 3,925 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary-aided schools eligible to apply, of which 1,706 applied for 2,525 projects. The programme confirmed successful applications for 813 projects at 684 eligible educational establishments. Most applicants, in other words, came away with nothing.

That is not unusual. The new guidance says that "On average, only a third of applications have been successful in previous years and not all quality projects can be supported". An unsuccessful bid may be a sound project that ranked below the funding line, rather than a bad one.

Appeals and feedback after an unsuccessful CIF bid

Last round's decisions can no longer be appealed. The appeal window has been and gone: the outcome page lists successful appeals that provide funding of £5.7 million for 10 projects, and says "This decision is final and there is no further stage in the appeals process."

For 2027 to 2028, appeals are narrow. The DfE "will only consider appeals from applicants who can show that we have made a material error in the assessment, or disqualification, of their application". A better argument for the same project is not grounds for appeal. It belongs in a new bid.

The information for applicants does not describe a feedback stage, so do not count on one. Your own review of the bid is the feedback that matters, and the deadline leaves time for it only if you start now. The practice's guide to CIF 2027 to 2028 key dates and rule changes sets out the full timetable.

The 2027 to 2028 changes a resubmission must answer

Copying last year's bid into the portal is a risky way to resubmit, because the scoring and the evidence rules have moved.

The weights. The project need section of the application will now account for a total of 55 points, and the project planning section will account for a total of 20 points. Project cost section remains the same at 25 points. Last round's guidance gave 60 points to need and 15 to planning, so a weak delivery plan now costs more than it did.

A bespoke, costed options appraisal. Every application must include one, and it is scored. The DfE warns that "Applications that provide generic appraisals lacking detail and costs will score low in this section", and that bids may be disqualified where the same appraisal "has been used in more than one application".

Page limits. Supporting documents for need, planning and cost are limited to 50 pages per document, in Arial no smaller than size 11. Anything beyond the 50-page limit will not be considered. A bid that leaned on a long survey appendix will need cutting down.

Missing documents may not be chased. "The Department is not obliged to contact applicants regarding missing or incorrect documentation." It may contact you if it needs clarification, but do not rely on that. If you spot an error after submitting, you must contact the department via the Customer Help Portal by 9 December 2026 and request that the application be unsubmitted. "Missing, incomplete or unsigned declarations will result in the application being disqualified."

Technical adviser procurement. "Applicants must clearly explain and adequately evidence a compliant procurement process undertaken to appoint their technical adviser." Failing to do so may result in the application being disqualified. The DfE also states that "technical advisers cannot apply on your behalf", so the accounting officer (or, for a sixth-form college or VA school, a member of the senior management team) submits the bid and remains responsible for it.

If the school is considering an architect for the technical adviser role, our guide on how to choose an architect for a school capital project covers what to look for.

The form comes first. "For CIF 2027-28, the application form is the main source of information for assessment purposes and must contain full details of the project." Documents support the form; they no longer carry it.

How do you review a failed bid, section by section?

Lay last year's bid beside the new guidance and go through it in the order the assessors will.

Project need

Need carries the most marks, so start here. Ask whether the evidence showed urgency, not just age. The DfE expects condition surveys "to demonstrate D1 to C2 condition issues", graded and prioritised so an assessor can read them. It also wants "a detailed assessment of the consequences of any delay or failure to undertake the proposed work". Generic letters of support from surveyors are not accepted.

If the bid described a building that was tired rather than failing, that is often where the points went. Specialist evidence on the specific issue, such as structure, fabric, mechanical and electrical services or fire safety, makes the case stronger.

Project cost

Check that the cost plan and the cost section of the portal form say the same thing, because successful bids are funded on the form. Then rebuild the options appraisal for this project. The guidance asks you to always present a do-nothing option, to show that lower-cost options were considered and, if rejected, why, and says "don’t present a preferred option as the only way forward". The DfE says you will score low marks where there is no evidence that lower cost options have been considered and justifiably rejected.

Project planning

Planning is now worth more. Replace any generic programme with a delivery plan "showing how, when, and by whom the project will be delivered", phased around the school terms. The risk register should be task based and specific to your site, not a template. The DfE says you should carry out a feasibility study where your project may be considered complex with multiple options, regardless of value.

Can you reuse your existing condition survey?

Possibly, if it is recent enough and independent. The DfE says "Surveys should not be older than 1 October 2023. They need to be independent and impartial." Anything older, or not impartial, will be discounted. A survey is not independent if, for example, it is conducted by a firm "that has also quoted or tendered for the work".

You must include the front page(s) clearly showing the name and qualification of the surveyor and the date. If the survey is in date but thin on grading or consequences, it may be worth commissioning specialist reports to sit beside it rather than starting again. The practice's article on why a strong condition survey is the key to CIF funding success goes into what a survey needs to show.

DfE condition data has a limited role. A CDC2 report can be used to support a CIF application, if it is dated within 3 years, but on its own will not be sufficient to make a full assessment of a CIF application. If CDC1 reports are included, they will be discounted.

For a wider view of what a survey of school buildings should cover, see the practice's article on education building surveys and what school leaders need to know.

A short checklist before resubmitting

• Is the school still CIF-eligible on its position at the start of September 2026?

• Is the project still the right one, at the highest priority your evidence supports?

• Does the survey meet the date rule, and is every condition grade explained?

• Is the options appraisal written for this school, with costs, risks and a "do nothing" option?

• Does each supporting document fit the page limit?

• Can you evidence how your technical adviser was appointed?

• Is the hand-signed declaration ready to upload as a PDF?

New applicants must register for a portal account by 12 noon, 30 November 2026. If your trust or school has applied before, check who holds the CIF portal account and that the contact details are current, because all correspondence about the application goes to the portal account holder. Either way, "there will be no opportunity to submit missing or corrected documents after the application deadline".

The DfE has said it plans to replace CIF with a new programme, so whether there will be further bidding rounds after this one is not certain. That is one more reason to treat this round as one to get right.

Related guides

• CIF 2027 to 2028: key dates, rule changes and what to prepare by 15 December

• CIF 2027 to 2028 outcomes: when results are announced and what happens next

• The CIF application for 2027 to 2028: a section-by-section walkthrough

• The CIF costed options appraisal: what every 2027 to 2028 bid must now include

Grayling Thomas Architects and CIF resubmissions

We are a RIBA Chartered Practice that designs and delivers large school buildings, with services covering condition surveys and design and delivery. Grayling Thomas Architects was CIF bid writer, lead consultant and architect for Dorothy Goodman School in Hinckley, a new building for an existing special school, funded through the Condition Improvement Fund.

As lead consultant and architect, we work with the school to prepare the evidence of need, the design and the costed options that a strong bid depends on. Our CIF funding page explains how we work. Any appointment should follow your own procurement process, which the DfE now asks you to evidence, so it is worth starting early. To talk about last year's bid and this round, use our CIF enquiry form.