Public sector authorities across the south west are forming a partnership to work together to secure large building contracts.
The project aims to simplify the process by which partner authorities commission large construction projects, and with it bring significant cost savings.It will operate under the banner of ‘Construction Framework South West’.
Devon County Council (as the host organisation) is leading the initiative, with funding from the Government-funded regional body, LIFT SW.
Currently most public bodies individually tender to appoint contractors to carry out single construction projects, and the process is repeated for new projects each time.
To make the procurement process more efficient, the new initiative will allow public bodies across the south west to appoint from a set of contractors that have been very thoroughly screened and have provided competitive rates to carry out works.
It is expected that the new construction framework will be used to deliver larger construction projects, typically with a value of over £1 million.Smaller contracts (below £1m) will not be significantly affected by proposals and will be largely delivered through other routes, this will preserve this work stream for smaller sub regional contractors.
Many public sector bodies have already expressed interest to become partners to the framework, including: Devon County Council; University of Exeter; Gloucestershire County Council; Devon and Cornwall Police Authority; North Somerset Unitary; South Somerset District Council; Plymouth City Council; Banes Unitary; Bristol City Council; University of the West of England; Torbay Unitary; Wiltshire County Council and Bournemouth Borough Council.
Before construction companies can join the construction framework, a panel of representatives from the partnership will thoroughly evaluate them to ensure they meet a range of demanding criteria such as value for money and have the necessary health and safety credentials.
The invitation to apply to become part of the framework will be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union between late July and late August.The framework is planned to start operating from June 2009 and will be for a four year period.
Advantages for the public sector partners include significant financial savings, because of the size of the partnership and the economies of scale that arise from it.It also provides greater assurance in the expected quality of the services from the construction firms within the framework.
Partners will also benefit from being able to bring construction companies in at a much earlier stage compared to traditional tendering.The contractor can then support the design of buildings, which carries significant design and cost advantages, and gives more certainty throughout each project.
The south west model follows the success of construction frameworks in other parts of the country.
Hampshire County Council for example is the host authority for the South East region’s construction framework.After 20 months it has exceeded expectation four-fold, with projects in excess of £1,200 million with around 40 SE authorities actively engaged.Their framework has delivered massive benefits to public bodies in the south east.
Devon County Councillor Des Hannon, Executive Member with procurement responsibility, said:
“The Construction Framework South West is a great example of how Devon is leading the way, working with numerous public sector partners to get better value for every pound of taxpayers’ money. By bringing everything together we’re creating huge buying power. That means construction firms will have to compete harder on price and service to get our business. Every citizen has an interest in building great quality schools, universities, hospitals, police and fire stations at the best possible price.”
The Construction Framework South West team have created a web site www.cfsw.org.uk where there is a wealth of information about the project.
