Seven important changes within the Government’s Transforming Public Procurement Green Paper consultation response
Dean Fazackerley, Head of Technical Procurement, LHC Group
At the end of last year, David Mosey, professor of law at King’s College London, published his independent report and recommendations on the future of public sector construction frameworks.
‘Constructing the Gold Standard’ is the result of many discussions with clients, suppliers, advisers and procurement specialists like LHC. Commissioned by the Cabinet Office, the report’s 24 recommendations build upon earlier guidance in the Construction Playbook. LHC was pleased to be involved in this review process and welcomes the recommendations outlined in the report.
When you think of construction procurement frameworks, what springs to mind?
Are they something used by the largest national contractors bidding to deliver multi-million pound projects? Are they suitable only for organisations that don’t have dedicated purchasing departments? Do frameworks add an extra layer of complication and cost and can you procure suppliers better yourself?
Tony Woods technical manager at LHC, discusses how local authorities and education providers can engage with the supply chain to maximise Government funding opportunities
Housing construction, fire safety and energy efficiency consultancies are encouraged to register interest for a new consultancy framework launching this summer.
Consultancy Services (CS1) from LHC offers public sector organisations a wide range of services across all stages of the design, construction and refurbishment process, all in one framework.
Last month our strategic partner the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) hosted its annual summit, a jam-packed two-day online event that brought together 160 people from councils, housing associations and providers from across the north of England.
The key theme was climate change and the need to upgrade our homes to meet net zero targets.
The importance of the right learning environment has been brought into sharp focus over the last two years, as students switched to a mix of home-based learning and hybrid teaching due to Covid-19 lockdowns and periods of self-isolation.
The pandemic has also highlighted the effect of the built environment on our mental and physical health, whether in our homes, schools, offices or community buildings.
114 suppliers have been awarded a place on public sector procurement specialist LHC’s new Multi-disciplinary Consultancy Services Framework (MDC1).
The Supply of Kitchen Units and Worktops (K7) framework from LHC, the contracting authority for CPC, will cover all public sector projects in the North and Central England region.
It will allow local authorities and social landlords to deliver complete kitchen services including cabinets, worktops and associated products, such as energy rated appliances and impaired mobility options.
The Government’s much-anticipated Heat and Buildings Strategy promised a further £800 million to spend on retrofitting social homes from 2022/23 through to 2024/25, building on the £160 million already allocated for the current financial year. A further £950 million will be available for the next phase of the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) and an additional £200 million for the Local Authority Delivery Phase (LAD3).
