Project 80 will be a ‘living lab’ to test how to achieve the Future Homes Standard… Baxi air source heat pumps are to be used in a pioneering project, launched today, to implement low carbon heating in new houses. From 2025, the proposed Future Homes Standard will ban gas boilers
Chubb, one of the UK’s leading telecare and telehealth solution providers, is pleased to announce an exciting and innovative partnership with Swedish cloud-based alarm management software provider, Skyresponse. This brand-new partnership, the first of its kind in the UK for Skyresponse, enables Chubb to launch Cloud Care Control, a true
Due to be effective from June, Part ‘O’ of the Building Regulations relates to overheating in properties and focuses on the need to uphold the health and wellbeing of occupants, while keeping them cool. The new regulation aims to limit instances of high indoor temperatures in new-build residencies by mitigating
Leading air quality specialist Bureau Veritas has welcomed the recent updates to Approved Document F, which is part of significant changes to Building Regulations, as a step in the right direction for indoor ventilation – particularly as the Government announces its ‘Living with COVID’ plan, and an end to COVID-19
Ground source heat pumps are recognised as vitally important in helping the UK achieve its net carbon zero target, with the government aiming for 600,000 of them to be installed a year by 2028 – a significant increase in current market volumes. Every ground source heat pump installed is the
Leading industrial engineering firm, Clade, has opened its newly expanded Technology Centre in Morley, Leeds, boosting production of heat pumps and creating over 300 new jobs in the area. Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley, formally opened the factory in a ceremony on 11 February 2022. For over 30 years, Clade
Mitsubishi Electric has launched a residential range of Lossnay Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems to provide clean and healthy air for homes. The addition to the renowned Lossnay range is designed specifically for the UK housing market and makes energy efficient, super-quiet ventilation accessible to even more homes.
Sustainable building materials, heat pump myth-busting and a tour of an energy efficient tenement will be among the shows at this year’s Green Home Festival, organisers have revealed. Alternative heat sources and exploring how we will live and travel in 2045 will also be high on the agenda at the
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) National Conference will take place on October 20th at the Novotel Hammersmith hotel in London. The busy one-day event will feature a wide range of speakers from the building services sector and beyond as it builds on its successful two-day virtual conference last November
Total value of the SCAPE Civil Engineering frameworks to increase from £2.1bn to £4bn The re-procurement includes a £3.25bn framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a separate £750m framework for Scotland, managed and operated by SCAPE Scotland. SCAPE frameworks provide organisations access to net-zero ready specialist contractors to
Project 80 will be a ‘living lab’ to test how to achieve the Future Homes Standard… Baxi air source heat pumps are to be used in a pioneering project, launched today, to implement low carbon heating in new houses. From 2025, the proposed Future Homes Standard will ban gas boilers in new build homes and require more stringent building energy efficiency requirements – all with the aim of reducing carbon emissions by 80%. Two complete Baxi Assure air source heat pump systems will be installed at ‘Project 80’ in Handsworth, Birmingham, which aims to meet the Future Homes Standard three years ahead of schedule. The project is led by housing association Midland Heart. The houses will be lived in by families and will be a ‘living lab’ to test how they manage in their futuristic homes. The evidence gathered will help to inform how developers and their suppliers adapt to the standard ahead of an expected technical consultation in 2023. Air source heat pumps are a low-carbon energy technology that reverses the refrigeration process to take the warmth from the air outside (even when it’s freezing) and use it to heat homes. The homes are due for completion by Easter 2022, three years ahead of the Government’s target. Baxi Air Source Heat Pump Development Manager Ryan Kirkwood said: “Our involvement in Project 80 will demonstrate how our air source heat pumps can make an important contribution to lowering greenhouse gas emissions in new homes. “We will also gain insights from monitoring how people adapt to living in these homes that will help us to solve the complex energy transition.” Baxi is already supporting customers by offering clever heating solutions that keep their homes and businesses warm while reducing their carbon footprint. It is continuing to develop products and solutions that will help customers to heat their homes and businesses without warming the planet. For more information, visit www.baxiheating.co.uk
Chubb, one of the UK’s leading telecare and telehealth solution providers, is pleased to announce an exciting and innovative partnership with Swedish cloud-based alarm management software provider, Skyresponse. This brand-new partnership, the first of its kind in the UK for Skyresponse, enables Chubb to launch Cloud Care Control, a true cloud-based, remote personal care alarm monitoring platform solution. Utilising Skyresponse’s alarm management platform and embracing the switch to the Next Generation Network (NGN) infrastructure, Cloud Care Control will provide fast and effective remote monitoring of personal alarms for end-users of public sector organisations, including councils, health and social care providers and housing associations. The new and future-proofed solution will provide instant help and care through monitoring and response to activated devices and equipment such as care alarms and associated peripherals. In turn, this will support Chubb Community Care’s vision for enabling vulnerable persons to remain as independent as possible, as well as remotely aid those patients in recovery, providing them with remote access to care. With an emphasis on open design and interoperability at its core, Cloud Care Control provides scalability in adding new services and products to suit customers specific service needs and enable to take full advantage of the benefits that a full digital solution will bring to service user support. Shaun Moscrop, General Manager for Chubb Community Care, said, “We’re delighted to have signed a partnership with Skyresponse to bring this pioneering life protecting service to the UK and Ireland. Through innovations in technology, remote care is now much more accessible for both the providers and end-users. We’re delighted to be leading the way in providing a solution that will protect people so they can live healthy and independent lives. Our new Cloud Care Control solution is further evidence that Chubb is now moving ahead of the curve when it comes to digitalisation and innovations in telecare, ultimately meaning better care for our end users.” Martin Reidevall, CEO at Skyresponse, said, “We are happy to be part of Chubb’s offering to UK and Ireland. This partnership is absolutely the right step for Skyresponse to fulfil our vision Improving lives in a connected world. We are by far the fastest growing platform for alarm management in the Nordics Elderly care market where our customers harvest the benefits of digitalisation. With this partnership we can now also change the UK and Irish market with a platform that already today can provide the benefits available once digitalisation have happened and that means the Chubb customers can provide better and more secure service to their end users.” Chubb’s Cloud Care Control service will be available from June 2022. For more information contact Marketing@chubb.co.uk
Due to be effective from June, Part ‘O’ of the Building Regulations relates to overheating in properties and focuses on the need to uphold the health and wellbeing of occupants, while keeping them cool. The new regulation aims to limit instances of high indoor temperatures in new-build residencies by mitigating unnecessary solar gains in summer whilst ensuring there is provision to remove excess heat from the property where required. So, does insulation have a part to play in the cooling process? Part ‘O’ is a response to concerns that with designers being urged to create properties of ever-greater airtight performance in order to improve thermal efficiency, buildings are overheating due to a lack of proper air regulation. With solar gain being a major contributor to indoor temperature increase, the regulations outline a number of fixed shading measures which should be used to offset it. These include shutters, external blinds, overhangs and awnings. Glazing design is also highlighted as a consideration to reducing overheating risk, with window-size, orientation and g-value (the rate at which glass transmits solar heat) being cited as important to the specification process. Part ‘O’ regulations state that ‘as far as reasonably practicable’ the standard should be achieved using passive means. Insulation falls into that category and is proven to prevent heat escape in colder months, particularly when installed as part of fabric-first building design. To a certain extent, quality insulation will also negate heat entry into a property. However, on its own it will not be enough to combat uncomfortable temperature increases caused by excessive solar gain. This is why Part ‘O’ recommends non-passive interventions in the form of mechanical cooling and ventilation systems are used to reduce heat build-up and meet regulations. However, it stipulates that such interventions should only be seen as a secondary solution to other passive measures including open windows and exterior ventilation louvres. Although not the ultimate solution to the overheating issue, quality insulation remains integral to creating energy-efficient homes and with it, reducing CO2 emissions. According to a 2021 report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), energy inefficiency meant the UK’s housing stock accounted for 20% of the country’s greenhouse gases. Poorly insulated walls, ceilings and roofs are a major cause of fuel usage in counteracting the resulting energy escape. It’s important, therefore, that the risk of overheating is not a barrier to achieving a thermally efficient home. Properties can be airtight, breathable, and cool, it just requires a degree of common sense and utilising natural ventilation where required, such as opening windows, to prevent rooms from overheating in summer months. Otherwise, costly and energy-consuming mechanical ventilation systems will impact our homes’ sustainability by neutralising the insulation’s effect in creating a comfortable interior climate throughout all four seasons.
Leading air quality specialist Bureau Veritas has welcomed the recent updates to Approved Document F, which is part of significant changes to Building Regulations, as a step in the right direction for indoor ventilation – particularly as the Government announces its ‘Living with COVID’ plan, and an end to COVID-19 isolation laws. Recent research found that more than 12 million residents in the UK are living with health issues that can be exacerbated by air pollution, and three million working days are lost every year because the UK’s air pollution exceeds the World Health Organization’s recommended limits. The last two years have highlighted the importance of indoor air quality and ventilation and the task at hand now, according to Bureau Veritas, is to take learnings from COVID-19 and the habits formed to manage air flow to ensure compliance to new Part F regulations. Joe Marais, Occupational Hygiene Manager at Bureau Veritas, comments: “Ventilation has become something of a clear focus both within the home and workplace over the last two years, with a greater awareness of poor air quality and ventilation linked to COVID-19. As the Government announces its living with COVID strategy and an end to all remaining restrictions, it’s even more vital that businesses remain alert to the importance of good ventilation in mitigating the spread of the virus – as well as other illnesses such as the common cold – ensuring wellbeing for its staff, and efficiency and productivity for the business. “There are a number of simple steps businesses can take to drive towards greater fresh air ventilation, by opening windows or utilising air handling units – both of which COVID shone a spotlight on. However, the introduction of Part F places strict technical requirements on what must be achieved through ventilation.” Under new Part F regulations, there is a requirement for whole building ventilation to meet a standard of 10 litres of fresh air per person per second, or one litre per second per square metre – whichever is highest (compared to only the former requirement in the past). Common spaces will also require natural ventilation under Part F, with openings equal to at least 1/50th of the floor area or mechanical ventilation to supply 0.5 litres of fresh air per second per m2 of the common floor space area. Joe continues: “The pandemic highlighted that ventilation is a vital component for all buildings, placing a requirement on businesses and building managers to monitor indoor air quality, specifically within ‘high risk’ occupiable rooms, where there is a risk of airborne infection. COVID-19 measures temporarily enhanced standards, with many employers having invested in improved mechanical ventilation and air circulation services to support employee health and wellbeing. However, these temporary standards must become permanent if businesses hope to comply to new Part F rulings, and not slip back to pre-COVID attitudes. “To ensure a robust strategy is in place to promote good ventilation within the workplace, businesses must first ensure a quantitative assessment has been completed within the premises to monitor the ratio of fresh air to the size of the room or number of occupants, as well as qualitative reviews of air handling units to scrutinise their functionality. “This may sound like quite an undertaking, which is why we would always recommend partnering with a third party compliance specialist to complete the relevant audits and assessments, enabling the building manager to focus on creating a strategy to implement any recommendations.” Bureau Veritas’ experienced Occupational Hygiene division has a longstanding history is supporting businesses to protect staff and customers from exposure to poor ventilation, as well as maintaining compliance with relevant regulations. The firm’s hygienists will assess, monitor, and evaluate a business’ current levels of ventilation and air quality, and provide sound advice on how to bring these up to standard to meet Part F regulations, or how they can be further improved. This allows businesses to operate effectively and efficiently whilst protecting health and achieving compliance. Businesses and building managers can also receive further advice and support on Part F from Bureau Veritas, by registering for its free webinar on Thursday 3 March at 11:00am. The webinar will cover what the updates to Part F mean for indoor air quality, what we have learnt from COVID-19 and what is expected from air handling units for new buildings. Click here to register for Understanding Part F updates: The role of indoor air quality to support wellbeing. To find out more about Bureau Veritas’ Occupational Health services or to discuss individual requirements with a member of the team, call 0345 600 1828 or visit www.bureauveritas.co.uk.
Ground source heat pumps are recognised as vitally important in helping the UK achieve its net carbon zero target, with the government aiming for 600,000 of them to be installed a year by 2028 – a significant increase in current market volumes. Every ground source heat pump installed is the equivalent of taking a combustion engine car off the road. To date over 1 million tonnes of carbon will be saved as a result of Kensa’s ground source heat pump installations across social housing, new build developments, private retrofit homes, and businesses in the UK. “Kensa has passionately advocated for a long time that ground source heat pumps are best placed to deliver low carbon heat to the UK. There is a particularly welcome focus from Government in ensuring a large proportion are manufactured here to boost our green economy,” said Kensa Group CEO, Simon Lomax. “In response, we are committed to scaling up production to meet increased demand and fulfil the Government’s ambition to ‘build back greener’. Our mission is to connect thousands more people in homes and businesses across the country to cleaner, greener, affordable heat.” “Our teams have been working hard to deliver fantastic outcomes over the last few months. In the midst of the challenges of a stretched global supply chain, a labour shortage, and significantly increased volumes, Kensa celebrated the highest monthly turnover ever and continues to break records in UK heat pump production,” he added. Kensa has been manufacturing award-winning ground source heat pumps from the heart of Cornwall since 1999 and pioneering the adoption of this environmentally-friendly technology for over two decades. With a product range designed for UK properties and specialist installation division working on large-scale multiple occupancy projects, market share has grown steadily over the years to 50%, bolstered by the Group’s partnership with Legal & General in 2020. To match this rapid growth, the manufacturer has added well over 60 jobs in the past year and is continually recruiting. To facilitate the widespread roll-out of the technology, Kensa is urging Government to focus efforts on street-by-street installations of networked heat pumps, rather than replacing gas boilers on a house-by-house basis. This would enable whole communities to simply switch to their gas boilers to highly efficient ground source heat pumps when they are ready to transition, supported by a subsidy from the government. If entities such as utility companies and local authorities took ownership of this underground infrastructure, then consumers would simply pay a standing charge as they do in their gas bills for the supply to their boiler.
Leading industrial engineering firm, Clade, has opened its newly expanded Technology Centre in Morley, Leeds, boosting production of heat pumps and creating over 300 new jobs in the area. Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley, formally opened the factory in a ceremony on 11 February 2022. For over 30 years, Clade has been leading energy transformation in heating and cooling using cutting-edge natural refrigerants. In order to furthersupport the UK’s transition to a greener economy, the new 29,000 sq foot factory will be dedicated to the production of Clade’s range of industry-leading CO2 heat pumps. Demand for Clade’s range of natural refrigerant heat pumps has grown across, commercial and industrial sectors. The expansion will enable Clade to significantly increase production by 400%. In addition, the company is creating over 300 new jobs over the next four years, split between factory floor and office roles. As a sustainable company, Clade ensures that its production processes are as green as possible. This includes the installation of solar PV to help generate clean energy, fitting electric vehicle charging points, using LED lighting and implementing waste reduction strategies. Alongside this, the company maintains its operation-wide policy for offsetting carbon generation through tree planting, with over 1000 trees planted, removing CO2 from the atmosphere and creating space for wildlife. On the factory opening, Dean Frost, Managing Director at Clade, said: “Opening this new technology centre is an important step for us to take. The last few years have been challenging for everyone, so it is fantastic to be able to share this celebration of success with our valued stakeholders, staff, customers and suppliers who have been with us on this journey, and will be for many years to come. “We are committed to tackling the challenges of climate change and our new facility will enable us to increase production, develop innovative new products and support the local community through job creation and subsequent impact on the supply chain” Dean added. Tim Rook, Chief Markets Officer at Clade, said the new facility will enable the company to accelerate the adoption of green heating technologies:“As the importance of tackling the climate emergency has become more urgent, Clade have developed high-performance heat pumps which will decarbonise heat in buildings and industrial processes throughout the UK and beyond. Heat makes up 40% of the UKs carbon footprint and heat pumps are the only viable solution, readily available and able to be deployed at scale quickly enough to make a difference.” “We are passionate about making our products work in the real world, supporting customers to get the very best long-term value from them and are looking forward to being able to expand our production, enabling more people to benefit from the carbon savings heat pumps create,” Tim concluded. For more information visit www.clade-es.com
Mitsubishi Electric has launched a residential range of Lossnay Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems to provide clean and healthy air for homes. The addition to the renowned Lossnay range is designed specifically for the UK housing market and makes energy efficient, super-quiet ventilation accessible to even more homes. The residential Lossnay is designed to extract stale air continuously and efficiently from spaces like bathrooms, kitchens, toilets, and utility rooms where air can become polluted with high humidity, fumes and chemicals. The system replaces indoor air with filtered fresh air from outside. It also minimises the amount of energy lost by recovering the heat from the extracted air and transferring it to the supply of fresh air, so that it is nearer to the required indoor temperature. “The quality of indoor air is an important factor for health and wellbeing and the new residential Lossnay can help to ensure there is a constant flow of fresh air in our homes, and that potentially harmful pollutants and chemicals are being removed” said Hern Yau, Product Manager for Ventilation at Mitsubishi Electric. “Designed with energy efficiency in mind, the heat recovery feature also ensures as much energy as possible is reused from the extracted air”. The system is designed to operate continuously at ultra-low noise levels, making it the ideal solution for residential homes and apartments where comfort is key. Occupants can enjoy all the super-quiet, fresh air benefits of effective ventilation, without wasting energy. The new residential range comes with optional NOx (nitrogen oxide) and particulate matter filtration, with a unique third filter pocket which can be used for additional filtration of NOx emissions. This means that buildings in even the most polluted environments can be supplied with clean, healthy air, and the inbuilt filter provides easy access for regular maintenance. “Ventilating our indoor spaces is more important than ever, but we also need to be as energy efficient as possible” adds Hern Yau, “This new Lossnay will deliver good indoor air whilst recovering energy to minimise waste.” A built-in automatic summer bypass also allows the units to bring in fresh air from outside without recovering heat, in order to reduce the risk of overheating. This provides the ideal solution for cooling down a dwelling that may have overheated during the day once the outside temperature has dropped in the evening. Using temperature sensors, the unit can automatically enter bypass mode when it detects the space is hotter than desired and the outside air is cool enough. A built-in LCD controller allows for easy control and commissioning of the unit, and offers a clear display showing normal, boost, and purge modes. Up to four speed settings can be commissioned digitally to ensure constant and accurate settings. Click here for more information on the Lossnay range.
Sustainable building materials, heat pump myth-busting and a tour of an energy efficient tenement will be among the shows at this year’s Green Home Festival, organisers have revealed. Alternative heat sources and exploring how we will live and travel in 2045 will also be high on the agenda at the five-day hybrid event, which is being organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV). Running from 8-12 August as part of the official Edinburgh Festival Fringe and delivered via a mix of in-person and virtual presentations, the festival will deliver practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net zero nation. CICV organisers have narrowed down the itinerary to around 12 shows, which will be suitable for both the public and construction industry, with topics including: Building sustainable neighbourhoods Hydrogen as a potential future heat source Commercial buildings of the future Retrofitting traditional buildings and other house types Taking a fabric-first approach to energy efficient homes Sustainable construction and asset management Upskilling the workforce for sustainable construction Feasibility of electric vehicles and home charging points Carbon, nitrate and water capture through roofing Global case studies on successful low-carbon projects. A special Green Home Festival family day is also in the pipeline, featuring a series of interactive activities and games based around green energy and low-carbon living. Event organiser, John McKinney, Secretary of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, said: “We are extremely excited to reveal some of the topics for the inaugural Green Home Festival, which will deliver a wealth of demonstrations and hands-on guidance. “We are particularly excited about the planned tour of a tenement that has been made energy efficient, which will demonstrate how Scotland’s traditional buildings can be retrofitted to minimise carbon emissions. “We are also looking forward to demystifying the buzz around heat pumps and hydrogen, and exploring how the construction industry can work together in a variety of ways to mitigate climate change and build a greener Scotland for everyone.” Presenters at the show will include experts from the CICV and other organisations including the Scottish Futures Trust, Leeds Sustainability Institute and Scottish Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association, with venues, dates and booking details to be revealed later this year. Co-organiser Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, added: “We have been working very hard on the planned itinerary to find a balance and ensure that the events will be suitable for the public and the construction industry itself. “As well as shows the about the house of the future, electric vehicles and the truth about heat pumps, other sessions will take a professional perspective on the multi-disciplinary approach required to build a more sustainable and healthy environment. “Whatever the topic, every show will have the same mission – to engage audiences and help everyone reduce their carbon footprint and become more energy efficient.” Targeting homeowners, professionals, local authorities, housing associations and local authorities, the CICV is aiming to make the Green Home Festival an annual event that will build a long-term legacy. The event is the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation as the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum in March 2020. Made up of 29 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) National Conference will take place on October 20th at the Novotel Hammersmith hotel in London. The busy one-day event will feature a wide range of speakers from the building services sector and beyond as it builds on its successful two-day virtual conference last November which attracted more than 500 delegates. Mitsubishi Electric will be headline sponsor of the Conference and the Association’s National Awards gala dinner, which will take place on the evening of the Conference. The Conference, which is returning to an ‘in person’ format after two years online, will include plenary sessions, workshops and a technical stream that will focus more closely on some of the key technology areas of interest. The programme will be built around the Association’s technical agenda and the industry’s growing focus on competence and compliance. This major sponsorship is the latest in Mitsubishi Electric’s long-term collaboration with BESA, which involves a particularly close working relationship with the Association’s Health & Well-being in Buildings group. The company supported the production of the group’s ‘Beginner’s Guide to Indoor Air Quality’ last year and is currently working on another piece of related guidance: ‘Delivering safe havens – a practical guide’ which will be launched at BESA’s London, Midlands, and South Regional Awards in April. Centenary Mitsubishi Electric, which celebrated its centenary last year with the launch of several high-profile sustainability initiatives, also sponsored last year’s online BESA National Conference. It has also developed several training courses with the BESA Academy including the Health and Safety Environment course and test, a six-module programme which formed a key part of the industry’s response to the challenge of keeping its workforce safe during the pandemic. It was also one of the first adopters of the Academy’s Skills Advisory Service, which is a free resource designed to help employers and potential apprentices navigate the increasingly complex recruitment and training process. The service helps people find the right qualifications, training providers and sources of funding. Mitsubishi Electric is also sponsoring BESA’s regional awards this year, reflecting its commitment to local networking and the development of apprentices. “We are delighted to be the headline sponsor of the BESA National Conference once again,” said Rachel Lekman, marketing manager at Mitsubishi Electric. “We have built up a very productive partnership with BESA in recent years and have already collaborated on a number of important projects with particular emphasis on indoor air quality, sustainability and skills. “This kind of collaboration will be increasingly important as the sector continues to recover from the pandemic and builds towards net zero. We have complementary strengths that can help tackle the industry’s skills gap and deliver cutting edge solutions to support contractors’ work in critical areas like the health and well-being of building occupants,” she added. “We look forward to digging even more deeply into these topics during this year’s Conference.” For updates about the BESA National Conference go to: www.theBESA.com/conference
Total value of the SCAPE Civil Engineering frameworks to increase from £2.1bn to £4bn The re-procurement includes a £3.25bn framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a separate £750m framework for Scotland, managed and operated by SCAPE Scotland. SCAPE frameworks provide organisations access to net-zero ready specialist contractors to help them achieve their aims around climate change. SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading public sector procurement authorities, has outlined the timetable for its £4bn civil engineering frameworks, with contractors from across the UK now able to respond to a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) to submit their interest to bid. Following a period of extensive market engagement, involving more than 170 contractors, firms will have until 25th March to answer the PQQ following the contract notice being submitted on 15th February. The third-generation frameworks will enable local authorities and public sector organisations to accelerate the delivery of sustainably designed major infrastructure projects – including roads, rail, flood and coastal, broadband and electric vehicle infrastructure – with no defined upper limit for project value. Running for a period of four years from 2023, with an option to be extended for a further two years until 2029, the new generation follows the success of the existing frameworks which have commissioned more than 250 projects to date for public sector clients across the UK. The fully-managed frameworks include a £3.25bn framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a separate £750m framework for Scotland, managed and operated by SCAPE Scotland. SMEs will sit at the heart of the new frameworks, with the successful principal contractor expected to engage with an extensive supply chain of local businesses. The framework has been designed to facilitate better access for small companies to major public sector contracts they might otherwise not have been able to bid for, while also allowing public organisations to procure local specialists. Part of SCAPE’s suite of direct award frameworks, the new civil engineering frameworks have been developed following engagement with local authorities and other public sector bodies across the country, as well as industry body the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA). SCAPE, which is currently accelerating the delivery of more than 1,800 publicly funded projects across the UK, intends to issue invitations to tender (ITT) in June 2022 before the successful contractors are named in November 2022. Bidders are invited to register their interest for either one or both frameworks. The fully-managed frameworks will more than double the capacity of infrastructure focused activity procured through SCAPE. The current civil engineering frameworks are due to expire in January 2023. John Simons, group procurement director at SCAPE, added: “As we emerge into a post-pandemic world, the delivery of infrastructure with a clear focus on community value – whether social, environmental or economic – has never been more important. “The successful market engagement has given us great confidence that we can help local communities receive much-needed infrastructure by providing fully-compliant, direct award frameworks. “Ultimately, the expansion of our civil engineering frameworks has been designed to offer greater certainty for contractors and to drive better outcomes for communities across the UK. This includes our termed service agreement option, which places a stronger emphasis on the long-term relationship between clients and supply chain partners allowing them to forge successful partnerships that will see them shine in years to come.” For full details of timescales and information on the SCAPE Civil Engineering frameworks re-procurement, visit www.scape.co.uk/liveprocurement.
