Sir Robert McAlpine has today announced practical completion of Co-op Academy Belle Vue in East Manchester, with the school opening this week. Formerly a 12.6-acre brownfield site hosting a Showcase Cinema, the new co-educational school will be home to 1,200 pupils when full and consists of a main three-storey building
Coventry is set to benefit from 148 new affordable homes and substantial community investment delivered in partnership between leading housing provider, Stonewater and Countryside, the UK’s leading mixed-tenure developer. Planning has been approved to provide much-needed, affordable and energy-efficient homes on Elm Fields Farm. With the world’s attention firmly placed
Barhale has secured a £9 million package of schemes under Thames Water’s Raw Water Tunnel Inspection & Refurbishment programme. The civil engineering and infrastructure specialist will inspect 35km of raw water tunnels across West and North London. The Barhale teams will remove debris, silt and invasive species, such as Zebra
Offsite Solutions, the UK’s leading bathroom pod specialist, has been awarded its second student living contract at the University of the West of England’s Frenchay Campus in Bristol – a £1.7m project to manufacture 757 bathroom pods for VINCI Building. Offsite Solutions has delivered 16 pod projects for VINCI Building
Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC) and Sierra Wireless, Inc. today announced the completion of Semtech’s acquisition of Sierra Wireless in an all-cash transaction representing a total enterprise value of approximately US$1.2 billion. This transaction nearly doubles Semtech’s annual revenue and adds approximately US$100 million of high-margin IoT Cloud services recurring revenues.
When Ben Mackett joined developer and heritage specialist City & Country after he graduated in 2010, he worked directly with David Sargeant, the company’s Development Director at the time and one of the owners of the business. Now, after working on the other side of the Atlantic, Mackett is returning
A family business with over 25 years in the window and door industry, Clear Windows & Conservatories (London), has joined the Steel Window Association to support the company’s diversification into the steel window and door market. Since 1996, Clear Windows & Conservatories has manufactured uPVC products, with later expansion into
Arloid Automation of London is launching a new partnership programme to enable property professionals and specifiers to access AI technology to reduce their customers’ energy use in the properties they manage in a move towards sustainability, net-zero carbon and savings on utility bills. This is also increasingly important with a
Wates has appointed two senior level directors to lead its facilities management and southern planned housing maintenance businesses. Antony Collett joins as Managing Director (MD) for the facilities management (FM) business and replaces James Gregg, who has moved into the role of MD of the southern planned division, housing maintenance,
At a time when the framework market is more competitive than ever, it can be tempting for public sector organisations to shop around for one that ostensibly gives the lowest cost and – in their view – best ‘value for money’. However, Jason Stapley, chief executive at Pagabo, warns that
Sir Robert McAlpine has today announced practical completion of Co-op Academy Belle Vue in East Manchester, with the school opening this week. Formerly a 12.6-acre brownfield site hosting a Showcase Cinema, the new co-educational school will be home to 1,200 pupils when full and consists of a main three-storey building including reception, community hub, library and dining hall, with a teaching block and adjoining drama block. The new Co-op Academy Belle Vue also boasts a two-storey sports block with Sports England-standard pitches and a multi-use games area behind it that will accommodate a range of sports including tennis and basketball and training for netball and hockey. The sports block was built with separate access for the wider East Manchester community, and both school and community will be served by Co-op Academy Belle Vue’s new 140-space car park with electric charging points and play area. Sir Robert McAlpine worked closely with an array of stakeholders on the project, from sub-contractors to the Co-op Academies Trust. Co-op Academies Trust has 30 schools and colleges across the north of England and was appointed by the Department for Education in cooperation with Manchester City Council to run Co-op Academy Belle Vue since its first intake of year 7 students in September 2021. Co-op Academy Belle Vue operated from temporary premises in Connell Co-op College, East Manchester whilst Sir Robert McAlpine was working on the new site. With the end user in mind, principles of education and community engagement guided the project at all stages. Sir Robert McAlpine hosted two students at a time from a nearby construction college to provide practical hands-on site experience during the build, and it supported subcontractor Marlborough in providing bricklaying demonstrations at a local college, in a move to help address the current skills gap. In addition, the project was named ‘Best Framework Collaboration Project’ at the Pagabo awards last year alongside Faithful+Gould and Manchester City Council. Paul Quinn, Sir Robert McAlpine’s Regional Director – North West & Yorkshire, commented, “We are proud to deliver this new state-of-the-art school for East Manchester. The project is testament to the cooperation and positivity of our teams. Spaces for young people and communities to come together, learn and thrive are so important, and we hope East Manchester enjoys all that Belle Vue has to offer.” Dr Chris Tomlinson, CEO of the Co-op Academies Trust, said, “We are delighted the students can move in and start enjoying Co-op Academy Belle Vue’s state of the art new site. It may not be a new school year, but it’s a new year nonetheless, and it’s great to see it in by looking forward to delivering all the ambitious and aspirational young futures this new site will help Co-op Academy Belle Vue’s students to achieve. My sincere thanks to Vicki England, Project Manager for Co-op Academies Trust, Sir Robert McAlpine and all the teams involved.” Jonathan Parker, Head of Construction at Pagabo, said: “I’m delighted to see this fantastic project reach completion, with the state-of-the-art facilities now ready for students to take advantage of. Manchester City Council engaged with Pagabo to appoint both a consultant and contractor for the scheme. Our Professional Services and Major Works frameworks provided the perfect solutions, with Faithful+Gould and Sir Robert McAlpine appointed in a quick and compliant manner. The collaboration between the entire project team has been clear to see from day one and is a huge reason why they were recognised for this at our yearly awards ceremony in 2022.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Coventry is set to benefit from 148 new affordable homes and substantial community investment delivered in partnership between leading housing provider, Stonewater and Countryside, the UK’s leading mixed-tenure developer. Planning has been approved to provide much-needed, affordable and energy-efficient homes on Elm Fields Farm. With the world’s attention firmly placed on combating climate change, all the homes will benefit from air source heat pumps to reduce energy bills – with 50 per cent also set to have solar panels installed – as well as electric vehicle charging points to further reduce emissions. The homes will also be built using modern methods of construction (MMC), with the closed timber panels made in Countryside’s factory and then transported onto site where they are assembled to form the walls of their homes, reducing construction waste. This approach reduces the amount of carbon embodied in building materials by 25 per cent – when compared to traditional brick and block construction – which is equivalent to the amount neutralised by approximately 16 acres of forest in one year. Alongside wider financial contributions, significant work will be undertaken to enhance the biodiversity on the site with wildflower meadows and ponds being incorporated into the development. Green, public open space and play equipment for new and existing residents to enjoy, as well as public art to promote the local area’s history and an apple orchard will also be provided. In addition, the scheme will support meeting the city Council’s objective for delivering sustainable transport measures, with improved bus and pedestrian access as well as electric car charging points, cycling routes and travel vouchers for residents. Matt Crucefix, Stonewater’s Director of Development (South and West), added: “We’re really pleased to be working with Countryside to deliver this development. Embracing MMC allows us to provide more well-designed, mixed-tenure communities – speeding up delivery, whilst maximising efficiency and cutting waste. “Our ambition is to create good-quality homes that are affordable to maintain, which has become even more important in light of the cost-of-living crisis, in addition to supporting the wider community to thrive through investment to strengthen local services.” Phil McHugh, Managing Director, South Midlands, Countryside said: “We are committed to creating communities that people can be proud of. This site will bring well-located and much-needed affordable housing to Coventry. “We are delighted to be partnering with Stonewater on this inclusive residential development, which will not only create great quality affordable housing, but also investment in the local economy.” Through its partnership with the Community Forest Trust (CFT), Stonewater will also be donating £50 for every house it builds on the development – helping to plant five trees and connect more people with nature – as well as planting at least one tree for each home on the development. The mixed-tenure development will comprise a total of 148 homes offering a wide range of options to meet the housing needs of local individuals and families. This includes 54 homes for affordable rent and 27 for social rent, as well as 50 available for shared ownership and 17 available through Rent to Buy. Elm Fields Farm is located three miles to the north of Coventry city centre and will be built sitting just off Wigstone Road, Woodway Lane and Hinckley Road, with easy access to the A46, A45, M6 and M69. Work is expected to start on site at Elm Fields Farm in February 2023. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Barhale has secured a £9 million package of schemes under Thames Water’s Raw Water Tunnel Inspection & Refurbishment programme. The civil engineering and infrastructure specialist will inspect 35km of raw water tunnels across West and North London. The Barhale teams will remove debris, silt and invasive species, such as Zebra Mussels, which form substantial concentrations across the network. It is anticipated that in the most affected tunnels as much as 140m3 of mussels will be removed. Once cleared, the tunnels will be inspected and any structural repairs will then be carried out. As a further part of the allocation, Barhale will also carry out inspections and replacement/refurbishment of the very large (up to 2.4m diameter) internal valves at sites including: Moor Lane shaft (gate and butterfly valves); Ashford Common shaft (gate and butterfly valves); Queen Mary Outlet – Hampton Leg (gate valves); Wraysbury Shaft (butterfly valve); and Queen Mother (penstock). Two gate valves at the King George VI Reservoir will also be refurbished. The work which comprises a total of 12 schemes is being delivered under the AMP7 Lot 5 Framework. Barhale will work closely with Thames Water to manage the isolation programme. Barhale Director Phil Cull sees the programme as a key element in the maintenance and upgrade of the South East’s water supply. “This is a hugely important part of London’s water infrastructure and we are delighted to get the go ahead from Thames Water,” he said. “We have built a huge amount of expertise and experience on the Thames Water network and to be selected on this project is great vote of confidence in our team’s capabilities. “While maintaining good flows through the raw water tunnels is essential, it is also of paramount importance that works are delivered efficiently and on time to ensure that there is no unnecessary pressure on the system. “We have been working closely with the Thames Water team to optimise isolations and are bringing a great deal of new thinking developed through the maintenance of the Thames Water Ring Main to the Raw Water programme. We will again be collaborating to minimise the length of isolations and to maximise what is achieved during each one.” Barhale Regional Manager John Prendergast adds, “This award builds on the successful delivery of the first three years of the Thames Water AMP7 Tunnels and Aqueducts programme in which Barhale has already completed monitoring and maintenance on almost half of the length of the Thames Water Ring Main tunnels and a further 9km of raw water tunnels.” Work is expected to complete in 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Offsite Solutions, the UK’s leading bathroom pod specialist, has been awarded its second student living contract at the University of the West of England’s Frenchay Campus in Bristol – a £1.7m project to manufacture 757 bathroom pods for VINCI Building. Offsite Solutions has delivered 16 pod projects for VINCI Building to date which includes major student accommodation schemes for universities in Swansea, Cardiff, Coventry, and Liverpool. This latest project is for the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) – and it is Offsite Solutions’ third for this university. This highly sustainable development is one of the largest Passivhaus projects in the UK. It is designed to provide a high level of comfort for students whilst using very little energy for heating and cooling, helping UWE Bristol and VINCI Building to meet their environmental aspirations. As part of the certified low carbon strategy, the buildings aim to yield a reduction of around 50 per cent in running costs and carbon emissions. To help achieve this, the cold water pipework in the bathroom pods will be insulated and the thermostatic shower and mixer taps for the hand basins are designed to run at lower temperatures. Both of these measures will reduce energy consumption for heating hot water. Steve O’Leary, Regional Business Services Manager at VINCI Building, said, “I have managed the procurement and delivery of around 3,500 pods manufactured by Offsite Solutions in the past nine years. Their approach suits VINCI Building’s model of student accommodation very well. They have robust factory testing processes in place which mean the quality is better and more consistent. In my view, Offsite Solutions’ pods are the best in their sector and I would not hesitate to recommend.” “This solution reduces the numerous trades for bathroom construction to a single supplier, which results in a considerable time saving. Each bathroom typically takes around three weeks to construct traditionally, whereas with offsite manufacturing, we just have to position the pods, make connections, and hang the doors. This is incredibly fast.” James Stephens, Managing Director of Offsite Solutions, said, “We have a history of working with VINCI Building which spans many years. We are delighted to be collaborating with their team once again and on this highly sustainable student living project in Bristol – a campus we have already worked on.” “This is an exciting development which will help to meet the rising demand for modern, high quality student living whilst demonstrating a clear commitment to addressing climate change issues. It is a ground-breaking project which will set new standards for the development of sustainable student accommodation.” Hot water distribution losses can be a major source of energy consumption and can lead to overheating risk. With a Passivhaus specification, the hot and cold water pipework, brackets and fittings are all insulated. Due for completion for the 2023/24 student intake, this phase of the Frenchay Campus development will provide 900 bedspaces in three buildings spanning over 26,000sqm and in clusters of four, six and eight bedrooms and with ensuite or shared bathrooms. The shower pods have a robust and low maintenance GRP construction. Each will be fully finished in Offsite Solutions’ Somerset factory and will be fitted with a D-shaped wall-mounted hand basin, wall-hung toilet with dual flush, thermostatic shower, and sliding shower door. The architects are Stride Treglown with Amber as MEP designers. Offsite Solutions offers the UK’s largest range of pods to suit many different building types and applications. Options include steel-framed bathroom pods with porcelain-tiled finishes for high-end apartments, PRS, student residences and hotels; robust and low maintenance GRP composite shower pods for student accommodation, build-to-rent, care homes, social housing and healthcare; hybrid pods for specialist projects, and award-winning demountable GRP pods for ease of installation in refurbishment schemes. Offsite Solutions has also developed steel-framed utility pods for apartments or studios for build-to-rent or build-to-sell developments. For further information, visit www.offsitesolutions.com, call 01278 780807 or email info@offsitesolutions.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC) and Sierra Wireless, Inc. today announced the completion of Semtech’s acquisition of Sierra Wireless in an all-cash transaction representing a total enterprise value of approximately US$1.2 billion. This transaction nearly doubles Semtech’s annual revenue and adds approximately US$100 million of high-margin IoT Cloud services recurring revenues. Semtech expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to non-GAAP EPS and to generate US$40 million of run rate operational synergies within 12-18 months post close.“Sierra Wireless brings nearly 30 years of leadership in cellular IoT and a strong and diverse device-to-Cloud IoT solutions portfolio. Combined with Semtech’s LoRa-enabled end nodes, we believe we are very well positioned to deliver a highly differentiated, end-to-end platform to enable the transformation to a smarter, more sustainable planet,” said Mohan Maheswaran, Semtech’s president and chief executive officer. “Our combined company will have strong expertise in high bandwidth cellular connectivity, ultra-low power LoRa connectivity, IoT software and services, and extensive knowledge of IoT hardware and software channels and vertical markets. We believe that Semtech is uniquely positioned to deliver a strong product portfolio and service model to customers across high growth IoT segments.” Former Sierra Wireless senior leaders join the Semtech leadership team in two newly formed business groups. Tom Mueller joins as executive vice president of the IoT System Products Group, which includes Semtech’s existing LoRa products business. Ross Gray joins as vice president of the IoT Connected Services Group. Pravin Desale also joins Semtech as the senior vice president of IoT Engineering driving product development of our new systems and solutions. 13548597 Canada Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Semtech Corporation, has acquired all of the outstanding common shares of Sierra Wireless, Inc. for US$31 per share by way of statutory plan of arrangement. Consideration for the purchased shares has been paid to Computershare Investor Services Inc., as depositary under the arrangement, and will be provided to former shareholders as soon as reasonably practicable after the date hereof, in accordance with the terms of the arrangement agreement. As a result of the completion of the transaction, Sierra Wireless’ common shares will be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange. Sierra Wireless has requested that The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) file a delisting application on Form 25 to report the delisting of the common shares of Sierra Wireless from Nasdaq. An application will be made for Sierra Wireless to cease to be a reporting issuer in the applicable Canadian jurisdictions as a result of completion of the arrangement. Sierra Wireless expects to terminate the registration of its common shares under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, approximately 10 days after the closing of the transaction. Investor Deck For more information, please see a new investor deck on Semtech’s investor website. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
When Ben Mackett joined developer and heritage specialist City & Country after he graduated in 2010, he worked directly with David Sargeant, the company’s Development Director at the time and one of the owners of the business. Now, after working on the other side of the Atlantic, Mackett is returning to take over his friend’s old role – re-joining the company as Development Director and looking forward to inspiring and equipping the next generation of young graduates. After graduating from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, Mackett joined City & Country as one of its first graduate entrants, and was given the chance to work in various departments across the business learning the ropes, before settling into a role helping David Sargeant with projects across the south east of England. “It was a great learning curve,” he recalls. Four years later he moved to live in London and spent four years working for a project management consultancy called Tower 8, broadening his experience, including working on the Lanesborough Hotel, The Hoxton Hotel and The Broadway apartment complex. After experiencing the rush of working in central London, Mackett wanted to extend his horizons further still. “I really wanted to work abroad, so I started applying for jobs overseas at other project management consultant firms.” This led to four years working in Los Angeles on a range of projects from retail to office to residential (both new build and refurbishment). “Construction in America is very different, even the language is different,” he says. “I already knew how to build and manage projects, but the processes and contracts were not the same so this definitely took some getting used to. I was also pushed out of my comfort zone as I was managing my own team for the first time – however, I soon became comfortable and now really enjoy this aspect.” “I had been planning to stay in Los Angeles when I was offered the role at City & Country – going full circle to have the position of development director. I couldn’t turn it down, I wanted to jump in and take the opportunity with a fresh perspective from my diverse experience over the intervening years.” Mackett’s new role as Development Director involves being active in many areas of the business, including managing projects and project teams at sites predominantly in London and Bristol keeping time, cost, quality and risk under control. “I have kept in contact with David Sargeant throughout my career and we have stayed on friendly terms, so it’s really exciting to be rejoining the company at a senior level and taking on his old job. The company has changed a lot since I worked there as a graduate, particularly with the growth of the new build side of the business which I’ve had great experience in over the last few years; I’m also particularly passionate about the renovations side of the business – I’m really looking forward to working on such a diverse portfolio.” says Mackett. “I’m especially excited about working on The 1840 – it’s a big project transforming a great building,” he says. The 1840, near Wandsworth Common in South West London, is a major restoration project sensitively converting a redundant Grade II Listed hospital building into apartments. “It’s fantastic to see this old NHS building that was run down and in disrepair having a new lease of life – it will be an amazing place to live!” Mackett continued, “The key goals I hope to achieve in this role are mainly around creating high-performing teams, so people feel challenged when they come to work but have fun at the same time. I don’t want a top-down approach, but a working environment where everyone has ownership of their own role and the opportunity to excel.” He loves the role of Development Director as it involves so many different aspects of the business. “I will be involved in design, planning, cost and customer care – the job is constantly changing so I will never get bored as I’m not doing the same thing every day. I’m looking forward to being constantly challenged!” David Sargeant, Director at City & Country, added: “We are delighted to have Ben Mackett on board and are pleased that after exploring the world he has decided to return to his roots for the next stage of his career, back to where it all began.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A family business with over 25 years in the window and door industry, Clear Windows & Conservatories (London), has joined the Steel Window Association to support the company’s diversification into the steel window and door market. Since 1996, Clear Windows & Conservatories has manufactured uPVC products, with later expansion into timber, as well as aluminium, windows and doors. George Pietrzycki, Company Director of Clear Windows & Conservatories explains “We are delighted to have joined the SWA and are looking forward to offering new and replacement interior/exterior installations of System W20 traditional design steel windows and doors, partitions, and room dividers/screens; including fire rated applications. The support and community we will enjoy as part of a leading association will prove invaluable to our new plans.” For further information on the Steel Window Association, or if you’re interested in becoming a member, please visit www.steel-window-association.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Arloid Automation of London is launching a new partnership programme to enable property professionals and specifiers to access AI technology to reduce their customers’ energy use in the properties they manage in a move towards sustainability, net-zero carbon and savings on utility bills. This is also increasingly important with a lack of certainty as to energy supply provision towards the end of 2023. Property professionals and specifiers are invited to join the partnership programme to offer their customers a reduction in their energy costs, as well as providing energy efficient buildings and an additional income stream. Developers, construction companies, building and facilities managers, utility providers, security companies, energy saving companies are all invited to join the partnership programme. Arloid Automation offers training and marketing resources to industry partners to support them in providing AI solutions to their customers and thus bring significant energy and carbon savings to a wider market. Artificial intelligence – used in conjunction with any building management system – can fine tune the operation of a building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems with remarkable precision. This results in increased comfort for building occupants coupled with energy savings of up to 22%. Dr. Andrey Seleznev, Chief Commercial Officer at Arloid said: “We are looking forward to introducing new partnerships across Europe, Turkey, and the United States. Our established partners in the Middle East are going from strength to strength resulting in additional revenue streams, energy reduction for tenants and sought after buildings with lower ongoing bills.” It’s becoming increasingly clear that energy use needs to be reduced now to preserve and ensure that supplies are available in the future as well as lowering carbon emissions. The built environment has the most potential as it is responsible for about 40% of global energy use and emits around a third of the greenhouse gases (according to the United Nations Environment Programme). Property professionals and specifiers are invited to be a part of the solution by partnering with Arloid Automation to make this happen: the operation of a building management system with AI technology is now available but it is only possible by working together that the move can be made towards a more sustainable, resilient future. For more details on the partnership programme see: https://arloid.com/become-a-partner Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Wates has appointed two senior level directors to lead its facilities management and southern planned housing maintenance businesses. Antony Collett joins as Managing Director (MD) for the facilities management (FM) business and replaces James Gregg, who has moved into the role of MD of the southern planned division, housing maintenance, having been managing both businesses since December 2021. Antony brings more than 20 years’ experience within the FM and real estate industries, with senior roles at Maintenance Management Ltd, Integral UK and Verisae. His most recent role was Managing Director at Mitie where he was responsible for large scale transformation within its Technical Services business. James is a Wates veteran, having taken a number of roles in the fit out and refurbishment business, ending as pre-construction and strategy director before moving on to lead the FM business in July 2016. In their new roles, both Antony and James will be responsible for delivering each business’ ambitious growth plans by strengthening existing customer relationships and growing their business in current and new markets, including Wates’ drive to help customers achieve their net zero carbon. David Morgan, Executive Managing Director, Wates Property Services, said: “In Antony and James, we have two excellent leaders for two critical parts of our business. Our FM business has gone from strength to strength in the last few years under James’ leadership and has had another record-breaking year in 2022. “Antony brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our business, and we are looking forward to welcoming him to Wates and see him build on the great foundations we have in place. Since taking on the leadership of our south planned division, James has delivered some amazing results. I look forward to seeing them both take our businesses to new levels that help us achieve our ambitious growth plans.” Wates is currently delivering planned and responsive housing maintenance to over 500,000 social housing properties and FM services to over 350 properties across the public and private sectors in England. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
At a time when the framework market is more competitive than ever, it can be tempting for public sector organisations to shop around for one that ostensibly gives the lowest cost and – in their view – best ‘value for money’. However, Jason Stapley, chief executive at Pagabo, warns that while this may seem a prudent approach in a difficult financial environment, pitting frameworks against each other is like comparing apples to oranges. Frameworks have long provided a mutually beneficial for clients and suppliers alike, and the flexibility, variety and competition that they provide have been huge drivers for sustained growth in the market in recent years. While this exponential growth can create healthy competition – something that is always good providing it is driving up overall standards – it can create a mindset for clients where they play various frameworks off against each other to see where the best offer lies. There is nothing wrong with public sector organisations taking an approach where they assess the broad market of frameworks available and make an informed decision – the reality is that every penny saved on procurement is another one to reinvest in the project itself. However, the danger of a surface-level comparison is that it doesn’t give due credence to the complexities of the respective frameworks, and may end up costing the client in the long run. AVOID THE TRAP At Pagabo, we often find organisations coming to us requesting information on a relevant framework, with the caveat that they are also looking at other providers for the purposes of comparison. The crux of the issue with that approach is that no two frameworks are exactly the same. Each provider – and therefore, each individual framework – will be structured differently in its terms of reference and where the risk lies at different stages in the process. The other area in which comparison is particularly futile is with fees. It is the easiest thing in the world for organisations to take a rudimentary look at fees on frameworks and simply plump for the lowest, but the reality is that providers structure their fees in entirely different ways. Many framework providers will eschew a standard cost and claim to be “no fee”, but what that typically means is that they will cover that amount in the overhead and profit percentages they charge, meaning the client is in no better position than they would be with an up-front fee. SERVICE ABOVE ALL Another key area in which comparison can be challenging is the service that is offered by framework providers themselves, and the subsequent added value for money this can provide. The ongoing expansion of the market means that there are ever-increasing numbers of providers out there that simply act as procurement portals, pushing out frameworks with little consideration for market need and without the added support for clients during the process. This not only creates a false economy, but damages the perception of framework providers in general. In the vast majority of cases, those organisations looking to use frameworks are in need of the additional support of procurement professionals that are experts in their particular field. In that sense, paying what on the surface may seem like a higher fee is actually worth its weight in gold over the lifecycle of the project, as you have access to ongoing resource and support that may not have been there had they opted for a framework that was ostensibly the cheaper option. SETTING THE STANDARD The Construction Playbook and the ‘Constructing the Gold Standard’ report have both called for greater standards to be placed on frameworks, something which has been a long time coming. Even though the ‘gold standard’ is still falling short in many areas, the multitude of benefits of framework working mean that it is very much here to stay, and the better framework providers are consistently engaging with the market to identify what its needs are. However, if clients are taking an approach of playing these providers and their services off against each other, we as an industry will find ourselves in the kind of race to the bottom that frameworks are supposed to protect against. By choosing a framework on its individual merits rather than a false comparison, you are much more likely to find one that works for your requirements in the short term and builds strong relationships for the long term. For more information, please visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals